Shaffer: wishful thinking is no way to run a city

Letters to the Editor do not reflect the opinions of The Reporter, its publisher or its staff. You can submit your own Letter to the Editor by email to News@ReadTheReporter.com. Please include your phone number and city of residence. The Reporter will publish one letter per person per week.

Dear Editor:

An alarming outbreak of wishful thinking has infected Carmel’s central planning elites.

First it was the CEO of the Great American Songbook (GAS) telling the city council there were “tens of millions of dollars” in charitable donations “out there” just waiting to be plucked by GAS.

Why no plucking yet wasn’t explained.

Now comes a proposed ordinance allowing public boozing along the Monon.

The rationale given claims “millions of visitors” each year for the taxpayer-funded amusements which provide “an engine for economic growth.”

In both cases, no hard evidence backs up the claims, no data to support the hoped-for expressions.

Locals will recall the former mayor’s feeble attempt on providing hard evidence.

In a State of the City address, he claimed 840,00 patrons had flocked to 1,800 Center for the Performing Arts performances.

Elementary students citywide divided 840,000 by 1,800 and came up with just 467 patrons for each performance.

The mayor hoped to impress with spurious numbers, a mutant of the wishful thinking virus.

Making a wish could be okay before blowing out birthday cake candles, but it’s a lousy way to run GAS or the city.

Bill Shaffer
Carmel