Campbell voters unclear about what they desire

If there is a silver lining in the dark cloud that hangs over the city of Campbell as a result of Tuesday's defeat of a 5-mill operating levy, it is that only 29.57 percent of the eligible voters cast ballots. But of those 2,168 voters, just 892 voted "yes."
The irony of the election, however, is that while the levy was rejected, Mayor John E. Dill emerged as the top vote-getter in the nonpartisan primary. Dill, a retired businessman, has obviously struck a responsive chord with the residents of the city, as evidenced by the 1,079 votes that he received, to 567 for former Councilwoman Juanita Rich, and 463 for council President Robert Yankle. Dill and Rich will face-off in the November general election.
What message were the voters delivering to Dill and other Campbell officials, given that city government has been in state-ordered fiscal emergency since June 2004? The obvious answer would seem to be that the taxpayers aren't satisfied with the cost-cutting measures being implemented.
Whether this view reflects a general distrust of government, or a lack of knowledge is anyone's guess. It is worth noting that in July 2004, the city was $1.2 million in the red; today, Mayor Dill is talking about ending the year with a $450,000 shortfall. That's progress by any measure, yet it wasn't enough to persuade the voters to approve the 5-mill additional levy.
Dill said last week he intends to put the levy back on the ballot next year, but before he does we would urge him and members of council to find out why they aren't being given credit for making the necessary difficult decisions to bring the budget into balance.
Oversight commission
Last year, a seven-member state-mandated fiscal oversight commission took over the city's finances and delivered this terse warning to Dill and council: If no changes are made in the way money is spent, Campbell is never going to get out of debt.
To their credit, the mayor and lawmakers took that warning seriously, as evidenced by the furlough of three police officers, three firefighters and two street department workers. In light of the anticipated shortfall this year, more cuts are coming.
Residents must understand that there is a price to be paid for slashing spending to the bone: Services they have come to expect will be curtailed.
The effects of the budget cuts will be less police and fire protection, a deterioration of the roads and a general downgrade in the quality of life.
Indeed, the planned closing of Calex Corp., which will result in 175 workers losing their jobs, means the city will lose its largest private-sector company. Calex is scheduled to cease operations in about two weeks. Although city and state officials have offered to do what they can to help the owners weather the financial crisis brought on by the increasing cost of natural gas, the owners have not shown a willingness to postpone the decision.
Calex employees pay $75,000 in income taxes to the city.
The low turnout in Tuesday's election suggests a level of apathy in the community that should be of concern to the mayor and others. If they hope to pass the levy next year, they will need to bring out those residents who are willing to objectively look at the changes taking place in City Hall.