Tuesday, October 06, 2009

Racketeering?

I can't help but wonder how appropriate it is for a Eureka City Councilguy to lobby Fortuna on behalf of the Humboldt Waste Management Authority (HWMA), as reported over at Heraldo's. I've been given the impression that, by joining the HWMA, Fortuna would be required to implement mandatory garbage and recycling services as has been forced upon Eureka.

This whole thing stinks, to me, of some sort of corruption. I've read time and time again of what seem to be behind- the- scene deals between cities and counties and their garbage services. Sonoma County just made a mysterious back- door deal down there that the Santa Rosa Press- Democrat editorialized about.

This sort of thing seems to be happening more and more and I can't help but wonder if these garbage companies and some reps in local government are involved in some racket? Hey, I know it sounds far- fetched, but maybe the State Attorney General's Office needs to be looking at the forces behind the scenes of all these mandatory trash pick up proposals that both city councils and garbage companies are falling over themselves to impose upon us?

Somebody must be making a bundle on this.

6 Comments:

At 11:14 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Do you think it be better if the cities & counties created a new government department/agency to pick up the garbage. All the employees would be paid prevailing government wages & collect the good benefits & retirement plan. Oh yeah, I'm sure that would improve service & lower costs, plus it would guarantee there would be no corruption...

 
At 12:07 PM, Blogger Fred Mangels said...

I don't think they'd have to. The HWMA seems to be a private/ public partership centered on City Garbage Company of Eureka (when you pay for dumping at the scales, you write the check to HWMA).

I get the impression the folks at City Garbage already get paid quite well and receive good benefits. I don't know about everyone, but the drivers are with Teamster's Union (long thought to be mob connected, or at least they used to be).

I don't know if the drivers for Eel River Disposal are with Teamsters, or not.

The point is, it seems rather odd to me we have government representatives lobbying for a private company, the main gist of the lobbying seeming to be mandatory garbage service and recycling for everyone, whether the individual home or business owner wants it or not.

I'm not saying Larry Glass is necessarily on the take, but it wouldn't surprise me if some others are.

 
At 7:23 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

He is, why else would he be on such a mission?

 
At 8:28 PM, Blogger Joel Mielke said...

"I get the impression the folks at City Garbage already get paid quite well..."

It's a good thing that we have Fred's assumptions and "impressions" to rely on here at this great repository of information, otherwise known as "Fred's Humboldt Blog."

 
At 2:19 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

well its a job anyway....

 
At 1:35 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

The Carson Park Ranger, every year or two, stumbles upon a great and useful idea. Look back to his post above, and you will see such an idea.

No, wait! Let me copy it here.

He wrote:

It's a good thing that we have Fred's assumptions and "impressions" to rely on here at this great repository of information, otherwise known as "Fred's Humboldt Blog."

There is a germ of an idea there, Fred, that could make you an even better blog meister than you currently are.

 

Post a Comment

<< Home