Robert J. Wilson
I wrote this book to raise your awareness about daily activities by your local government. The events in Hometown Anywhere, USA could and probably do happen across the USA every day. Too many Americans become complacent, paying little attention to details of local politicians and politics. We assume that daily activities from coast to coast are above board. Or are they? Is your drinking water safe? Do local officials handle daily tasks properly or fudge and cover up? Do state and federal agencies handle complaints properly, effectively and on time? Leadership across this nation depends on you! If you don’t vote, stay on the porch. You deserve what you get in life’s box of chocolates!
At the beginning of the past century, we kept sex in the bedroom. Currently, it’s everywhere but there. The last half of the twentieth century witnessed many church scandals that exist to this very day. If the priests and boys weren’t enough, wait until you read what the girls like, and what lengths local government will go to silence the truth with regard to those in the know. Were there three shots in Dallas or four? Are barrels of toxic waste just below grade in the empty lot next door to you in Hometown Anywhere, USA? Did they put in a playground, pave it, and call it paradise? The next time that you go to the polls to vote, and find that you don’t like either candidate write in your own name and run. It’s your vote, your country and your future. Hold those representing your future accountable for your grandkids.
In the late 1980s, I ran for public office for councilman. At the time, I didn’t know that the mayor of Hometown was against my running, and in my opinion, forced me out of the primary in the early 1990s. This situation is the foundation of this book, but where it goes over the next fourteen years is nothing short of wild.
Spring of 1990 gave us a new Public Service Director who was little more than a political hack. The mayor, Public Service Director and I tangled from that point on. I ended up with a few bucks in my pocket, which was hardly an even swap for twenty years of employment, but that all changed.
In 1991, I learned that tons of trash, tires, containers of antifreeze – you name it, were being dumped next to Hometown’s drinking water, in-ground storage tank. After my discovery of this site, city cruisers appeared in front of my residence. Such harassment bothered me little, as these poor souls were only carrying out orders from the City’s administration. The next morning, I called the chief of police at the donut shop and confronted him over the cruisers parking in front of my residence. He claimed to have no knowledge of the incident.
As 1991 got started, I learned that our employees have enjoyed consuming beer on municipal property with municipal scrap funds. I understand that the drinking continues to this day, however I have no knowledge about scrap monies. I was trained about scrap monies by old timers who are all mostly dead now. Someone asked me the other day just how much scrap money was taken from the utilities over my period of employment? I responded that it was so vast that I had no idea of the sum. Working with and receiving memos from our new leader, I am not impressed with his inability to lead. I later record a one-on-one with him in his office, an event he is not prepared for; and because of a close associate’s tape recorder, he gets caught on tape making comments which will force the mayor to settle out of court with me in the end. I truly never realized just how the mayor really felt about my running for office. I worked hard for this man and respected him when I worked for Hometown. Over time, I lost that respect for him.
This same year, another political hack resigned from his position in a neighboring community. He has a degree from St. Pat’s, a top university. While he’s not a utility man, I like him and support him when possible. Unfortunately, down the pike, while in a new position working for the State of Indiana, he loses his job and is arrested by the WBI. During that period of time, I hung around a WBI agent of whom I became very fond. From time to time, he would ask me if I knew anything about the division that this guy worked for. I really didn’t, and had little interest in Indiana’s Road Division. However, the WBI would make several arrests shortly after that and yes, the political hack was one of them.
I learned that drugs are also in my utilities, and this disappoints me greatly. During my twenty years of service and serving three mayors I’ve seen it all – scrap money, theft, women, drugs, lots of drinking, and plain, old politics. With all the above occurring, I am informed that an employee in one of our divisions has hepatitis, and it could be the fault of my employees who knew that the water was contaminated after taking samples and hiding the fact. While our local news reports of the incident, I remain silent.
November 14th, 1991 – I meet with the WBI concerning a supervisor wanting kickbacks for employment. Two agents investigated it, but I have no knowledge of what happened other than that it involved a municipal employee that I wanted nailed.
