Where have we been, what happened to the recall and whats to come?

Where have we been and what happened to the recall? 

WE ARE BACK, well we never left. We have been watching, listening and collecting.

We at RNS realized that no matter how accurate our recall petition would have been Noah Simon - City Manager for City of Aledo, would have never accepted our petition. We have been told by NUMEROUS sources that City Manager - Noah Simon makes ALL the decisions and controls EVERYTHING. Many of us at RNS worked either for or with the city in the past and confirm that we experienced this odd behavior as well. When we say everything, we literally mean EVERYTHING. This is not typical in city government. Typically, staff follows the law, budgets, charter and or policy in making decisions. That is not the case with Aledo. 

Some examples: 

1. Permits - For what ever reason City Manager - Noah Simon has the final say on who does or does not receive a permit in the City of Aledo. Typically, staff should follow written planning and zoning guidelines and approve if the request meets the cities guidelines. The request should not go to the desk of the City Manager for approval.

2. ALL FOIA request should not go to the desk of the city manager and copied to the city attorney. Typically, FOIA request are handled by the City Secretary or department head. The law is clear on what is allowed under FOIA and staff should be properly trained to recognize such request. There are times that staff might need direction on a request and they should consult with senior staff and or the City Attorney. The directive at the City of Aledo is that EVERY request be submitted to City Manager - Noah Simon and City Attorney. This is a very inefficient use of resources and a WASTE of tax payer funds. We the citizens are paying the City Attorney to review request that should be accessible under law. We recognize that on occasion that a opinion is needed but to submit every single request to the City Attorney is a WASTE of tax payer funds.  

3. On numerous occasions RNS has requested information on documents that we already had. We wanted to test the transparency of city hall. On numerous occasions  the City of Aledo told us that no such documents existed. On one time (staff can research this) after receiving a denial, we sent follow up emails stating

RNS - "are you sure you don't have this document?" 

COA - "yes we are sure"

RNS - "are you really sure"? 

COA - yes, 

RNS - Are you REALLY REALLY sure that on XYZ date that you did not receive this document?" 

COA - "correct, we have no such document."

Let's see if after this post the City of Aledo reviews RNS's and others previous FOIA request and if those documents now show up. If not we will release the email chain and the documents that we requested to demonstrate the lack of transparency and trust with the City of Aledo.

These are just a couple of examples, there are literally NUMEROUS examples. 

With all this, again we concluded that our petition would have never of been granted. It appears that the mayor and city manager make up there own rules as they see fit. We did not want to waste our and our supporters time and effort in pursuing the recall. 

Any other city council would have fired City Manager Noah Simon by now. Why has that not happened. Simple, City Manager Noah Simon gives Mayor Nick Stanley power/authority that he does not and should not have. To make this really simple, the role/power of mayor for the City of Aledo as per the City of Aledo Home rule charter is basically a ambassador, a icon or bluntly a hood ornament. He should only be the face of the city - shake hands and kiss babies. Not negotiate business deals, which his skills and abilities are questionable. To be fair, the surrounding cities love his "skills". The mayor should not be able to decide who can and cannot do business in the city. His only REAL power is once per month for a couple of hours when he runs the council meeting, That is literally it. It seems to us that the City Manager - Noah Simon has been able to keep his job because he does what ever Mayor Nick Stanley wants him to do. In reality, as per the home rule charter, it is the City Manager that should be in charge of the City. 

What's to come? 

We decided back in April to focus on our personal and professional lives until election time. At election time we where going to spin back up this site and remind the voters what we as citizens have been burdened with under the rule of Mayor Nick Stanley. 

Unfortunately too much has happened recently and we felt it necessary to spin this back up now and post up to the election. 

Here is what's to come: 

1. Assistant City Manager (and others) resign, sends letter to City Council confirming everything that RNS has published about City Manager - Noah Simon and city hall being a toxic work place, lack of transparency, high turn over and poor leadership. 

2. The truth about the water bills. 

3. The latest on the PD. 

4. The latest on Dean Ranch. 

5. Why did the city manager and mayor fly to TML (Texas Municipal League - at taxpayer expense) when everyone else in the area drove to Austin?

6. Who controls city council and how?

7. The financial details about the ice rink.

8. Whats happening on the 60 acres behind Dollar General?

9. Update on 1882, who's been added to the circle and the ballon payments that are coming due on there properties. 

10. FIG - Facade Improvement Grant. 

#DefendAledo #RulesForTheeAndNotForMe