Tuesday, January 7, 2014

10 Reasons to Vote for Charlie Rossetti for Mayor

This is my post because Charlie wouldn't say these things about himself.  - Kay Rossetti

10 - He's smart, well-organized, efficient...and modest.
Charlie was a company clerk when he was in the Army at Ft. Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas.  He proved to be such a good clerk that his commanding officer loaned him out to other companies to trouble-shoot and fix their morning reports, reassignment orders, and legal documents such as Article 15's and court martials ... and to train their company clerks in the process.  He received a commendation for this (if you want to see it).
9 - He cares about the people of West Fork a lot more than the politics of West Fork. A lot more.
A specific example of this is the Water and Sewer Initiative. He supported tabling this because all indications showed that the approval would have delayed the project and been more costly to the citizens of West Fork, resulting in even higher utility bills.  He wasn't against the initiative, only the timing of it.
8 - His actions speak louder than his words (but his words are pretty good too). 
He has worked on a grant (that was denied) for the expansion of the West Fork Library - and is continuing to seek funding.  He has facilitated the process of cleaning, painting, and repairing the community center.  He  has crews lined up to clean up the area around the cemetery.  He is meeting regularly with department heads to ensure transparency and accountability.

He changed this house on McKnight Street ...






... to this house on McKnight Street. 




7 - He never raises his voice in the city administration building. Or anywhere else for that matter.
6 - He's a natural leader.
Charlie was head of his department at Springdale High School, he is a former Arkansas Teacher of the Year, representing our state at the National Teacher of the Year Conference in Washington, D.C., and Arkansas Regional Skills USA Advisor of the Year.
5 - He can communicate.  
He sits down with anyone to discuss issues in order to find common ground.  He doesn't have a personal agenda.
4 - He's environmentally responsible.
He walks to work every day.  For those of you who don't know, we live across the street from the city administration building.
3 - He includes everyone in the process and believes that the process should drive the outcome.
When the City Council asked for guidelines on comp time and overtime, Charlie included all the department heads and a representative from the council to craft the policy.  He has contacted all departments for input in writing his State of the City Address.
2 - He believes everyone has equal value. 
As a member of the City Council, he recognized that he represented the majority AND the minority voters (and citizens who don't vote at all) and was diligent in considering issues and the way they would affect all the people. See numbers 9, 5, and 3.  He is carrying this out as interim mayor, as well.
1 - And the number 1 reason to vote for Charlie Rossetti for mayor? He looks a lot like Tony Danza.  (Charlie is on the left and Tony Danza is on the right or top and bottom depending on your device).







13 comments:

  1. As one of his former students, I can attest that the information above is true and an accurate depiction of this man. I'm not stating this because he won Teacher of the Year while teaching me (although this would make perfect sense) I'm stating this because humble servant-leadership is lacking and is worth voting for.

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  2. Great teacher, better man. He invested in all his students. He led by example displaying preparation and a strong work ethic, and he respectfully expected as much from us. He's first class.

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  3. If you are elected, who would you consider to be your most valued confidant/counselor that you would turn to and seek guidance and opinions from concerning issues that will face you as Mayor?

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  4. Leslie,
    The office of Mayor encompasses such a broad range of responsibilities that to limit it to a single confidant(e)/counselor would be doing a disservice to the office. This is not to evade your question, but, as Mayor, I could not rely on the advice and counsel of one person. Depending on the issue, I would seek guidance and opinions from the pool of experience and knowledge that we have in this city in its elected officials and paid staff. Advice might come from a department head, from a city council member, from Kristie or Marsha, or from a citizen who calls or comes by the office. I've had three experienced Mayors from neighboring cities offer their private numbers for any guidance or assistance that I might need. I came into this position with a trusted confidante, the counsel of prayer, and my good sense. I talk with my wife Kay about everything. Prayer and Kay are my standard, and good sense comes if I listen.

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  5. Thank you for your answer, Charlie

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  6. According to Resolution 84-03 dated May 8, 1984, our City Council gave Butch Bartholomew the authority to assume the duties of Business Manager for the City of West Fork in the absence of the Mayor. Shortly after taking office, Mayor Francis Hime relieved Butch of that responsibility, saying that she would be available to perform those duties herself. My question is: If elected Mayor, will you take on those managerial duties and responsibilities yourself or relinquish them to Mr. Bartholomew? Some have suggested that the Council should permanently appoint Butch Bartholomew as the City Business Manager of West Fork. What is your stance on that issue?

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    1. Leslie,
      My dad was a coal miner and was in the union for over fifty years. I remember him telling me that “in the good ol’ days” if you were an electrician and you needed help pulling cable, a miner or buggy operator, or even one of the straw bosses, could help. That is what defined work ethic: do whatever was necessary to get the job done and help your fellow workers. The union started defining all those positions with so much structure that that same electrician had to find another electrician to help pull cable; no overlap of jobs. That kind of structure had its toll on productivity and even on the comradery. The other day I was up on a ladder with Ed, one of our city crew, looking at load-bearing walls and structural members in the ceiling of the council room. I don’t think that’s in my job description, but Ed and I pooled our resources and made some decisions. There might be a need to have a go-to person for many or most of those “business manager” duties, but to place all those duties on one person is not efficient, expedient, or necessary in a small, limited personnel office like we have.

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    2. Thank you for your answer, Charlie.

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  7. Hi Mayor Rosetti, will you re establish a little Segregation of Duties by having at least one elected official be co signer on all financial transactions?

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    1. Hi Susan,
      This has been under consideration for a while. You presented information that you researched at a council meeting . A logistics problem is to make sure that checks can be signed in the absence of the designated elected official. There is business that just won't wait; payroll being one of them. This is on the agenda for the City Council agenda in March. Hope to see you there.

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  9. Mayor Rosetti,

    I have the utmost confidence in your run for mayor as you have proved to be rather phenomenal as interim mayor in the recent past, and as a city council member. I've had the good fortune to meet some of the city employees and they have always been pleasant and resourceful.

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