The mayor of Overland really knows how to stir up the hornets' nest. Or maybe she just likes making people mad. Or maybe she's a really troubled person who can't stand the thought of a city with effective government. Or maybe all of Overland is nuts and she is the only sane person in the joint. Whatever the case may be, Overland city residents are getting fed up with the games that she and the city council members are playing with our tax dollars.

The mayor can't seem to play by the rules - she tries to fire and replace the police chief without going through the city council; she refuses to hold council meetings in a facility large enough to accommodate all attendees; she claims that her opponent's henchmen are enflaming the citizenry and are the real cause of all the dissention in city hall.

In the meantime, the citizens of Overland are assaulted with mass mailed propaganda from a small faction of ward aldermen who are the mayor's "buddies." These flyers claim that council meetings are packed with non-Overland residents who are intent on disrupting and abusing the democratic process. Another flyer, sent by "PrimeWATCH Publications" makes the appearance of a police bulletin by cautioning residents about signing suspicious petitions will lead to identity theft. This flyer came out at the exact same time as a citizens group, which is registered with the county board of elections, is passing around and collecting signatures for a recall petition. I called the police department to see if they endorsed this flyer and two officers said the flyer was a piece of propaganda and assured me that the petition was a legal and official document.

It is really sad when elected officials must use devious means such as scare tactics to interfere with the democratic process. Overland residents are smarter than these people think and we cannot be so easily deceived. We simply want all this dissention to go away and have our city brought back to life with a city government that cares about Overland's future.