Your Vote Counts

The following letter is a political announcement paid for by Citizens to Elect Stan Ridgeway, Stan Ridgeway, Treasurer.

As election day approaches, there is all sorts of misinformation being shared on social media to sway your vote for Mayor of Eagle. I invite you to do your research and learn the facts that underscore why we need a familiar face in City Hall that is not incumbent Jason Pierce.

Growth

During my tenure as your mayor between 2016-2020, my administration approved 2,040 building lots as well as 631 apartments.

Since taking office in 2020, the current elected officials have approved over 15,300 building lots and at least 192 apartments which will equate to well over 42,000 new residents.

The City of Eagle is at a major crossroads! Do we continue with a Mayor and City Council who believe in the theory that you must keep growing or die, or do you treat growth in the same way you manage your own business affairs and your family’s well-being?

Well, we all know the answer. The City should be responsible and grow in a way that is sustainable and will not create financial hardship for us and our children's future.

Have our overcrowded school issues been addressed? Have our roads and transportation issues improved? Did the City Council and Mayor listen to the people who elected them? Did they keep their election promises?

An Idaho Press article dated November 5, 2019, announcing Jason Pierce as Eagle’s new mayor read:

At an October candidate forum put on by the Eagle Chamber of Commerce, Pierce, a former small-business owner, said rising density is Eagle’s prime issue.

“There is an ever-increasing amount of density,” Pierce said, who wants to head that off by preserving bigger lots with open space throughout the city.

“Eagle is different than anywhere else,” he said.

And yet, we have new neighborhoods popping up all over town with smaller and smaller lots that have Eagle, Idaho looking more like Orange County, California with each passing day.

Finances

Because of the unfortunate situation of the Covid-19 pandemic, many cities in Idaho and across the nation experienced a financial boom, receiving millions of dollars to sustain city services as well as support local businesses and non-profit groups during the shutdowns.

The City of Eagle ultimately received more money than they could manage responsibly. In less than four years, the city budget has doubled, the number of city employees has doubled, the city fleet has doubled, and the mayor has given himself a 20% raise.

Elected officials and staff have repeatedly stated that no financial analysis was done on many costly projects. And the Covid-19 funding has stopped.

I encourage you to take a close look at budget documents to review future financial commitments and the City’s plan to accomplish their goals.

The numbers just don’t add up.

Senior Center

The saga of Eagle Senior Citizens Inc. continues with the City of Eagle filing its third version of a complaint demanding the Eagle Senior Center (ESC) repay money it received from the city during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The funding, to ESC’s understanding, was pandemic funds that the City received from federal legislation passed by Congress to keep community services going during the shutdowns.

The ESC and the City have already been to court twice. The first hearing was to deal with the City’s filing a temporary restraining order to prevent ESC from removing equipment owned by ESC.

The judge at this hearing ruled that there was no evidence presented by the City to issue a permanent restraining order. Although this was a victory for the ESC, the city still blocked the ESC from removing all its equipment.

In the second court hearing, ESC filed a motion to dismiss the City’s claim demanding $150,000 from the ESC. The judge stated that the lawsuit could go forward because, for purposes of the motion to dismiss, he must determine whether the allegations in the complaint are true and whether that is enough to state a claim. The seniors still await their day in court.

Why so many lawsuits? The City of Eagle wants to put the Eagle Senior Center out of business, and it's using your taxpayer dollars to do it. Is that what you want for our seniors? Is that what they want?

To wrap up, I’ll end my thoughts where I started. Please do your research. The facts don’t lie, and YOUR VOTE COUNTS!

For more information, contact Stan Ridgeway at 949-9514, ridgewayworksforeagle.com or ridgewaymayor@yahoo.com.