Dictator Bob Botts’ idea of free speech : “leave the room”

6/10/10 – He does not like to be criticized and has long had a pattern of interrupting speakers critical of the council (view video here and here).  But now it gets even worse : with an attitude reminiscent of that of a dictator, Mayor Bob Botts recently suggested that speakers who disagree with his point of view ought to “leave the room”.

.

RESPONSE TO GRAND JURY

In a CRA ( council) meeting held on May 11, 2010 the Council discussed their response to the Riverside Grand Jury Report (view report). It was the intention of the majority of the Council to snub their collective noses at practically all Grand Jury’s recommendations. In particular, Bob Botts, Barbara Hanna, Don Robinson and John  Machisic failed to ask the Banning Cultural Alliance to return $ 162,000 which the Grand Jury determined the Alliance owed the City. The Council also ignored  a “cease and desist” recommendation regarding their involvement with the Cultural Alliance.

The reader should be reminded that the Banning Cultural Alliance has received over $ 800,000 from the City in just 4 short years, and has also benefited from another $ 450,000 that the City spent on an Art Gallery  which the Alliance occupies rent free to this day, (view article), ( note : the Gallery building is NOT to be confused with the Women’s Club Building owned by the Alliance).

The Cultural Alliance has never produced comprehensive detailed accounting on how over $ 800,000 in taxpayer funds were spent. All they ever produced was a limited accounting for one fiscal year ( out of 4 years ).

Have perhaps some City Council members been paid or received other benefits from  the Banning Cultural Alliance ?  If this was the case, there could be no doubt that this would constitute a conflict of interest. Is the Banning Cultural Alliance possibly a convenient money laundering operation for the benefit of a select few ?  We are being kept in the dark. The attitude of the Alliance (and the Council) has been that the public has no right to know any details.

To make matters worse, the Alliance Executive Director has recently been caught lying to the public about the use of taxpayer money ( read our story here). The bottom line is that the Banning Cultural Alliance can only be viewed as a shady organization, one that operates with smoke and mirrors, and one that has proven to completely lack integrity as well as accountability.

.

SPEAKER DOROTHY MC LEAN ADDRESSES BOTTS’  CLOSE TIES TO CULTURAL ALLIANCE

Those and other points were brought forward by Banning resident Dorothy McLean when she addressed the Council. She pointed to the personal relationships of Botts – and other Council members –   with the Alliance, hinting at a conflict of interest. In this context she mentioned the highly controversial “Hang the Politicians” event, an event that the Banning Cultural Alliance misrepresented to the public as NOT having been funded by taxpayer money (to read more about “Hang the Politicians” click here ).

Please listen :

.

BOTTS DENIES THE ALLEGATIONS – AND STATES THAT ANYONE WHO DISAGREES WITH HIM  OUGHT TO “LEAVE THE ROOM”

Here is how Botts responds – admitting but playing down his long standing close ties with the Banning Cultural Alliance. He also tries to make us believe that it is “silly” to suggest that the “Hang the Politicians” event was a campaign effort for him and Don Robinson.

What else would you expect ?  He obviously cannot admit publicly that he indeed received a personal benefit in form of an undeniable “propaganda value” of the event.

.

.

BOB BOTTS  =  ARROGANCE OF POWER

IT IS OBVIOUS : BOTTS IS RUNNING A DICTATORSHIP IN THE CITY OF BANNING. CRITICISM AND DISSENT ARE NOT WELCOME IN HIS KINGDOM. TO TELL CRITICS TO “LEAVE THE ROOM” IF THEY DISAGREE IS THE MOST ARROGANT COMMENT AN ELECTED OFFICIAL CAN POSSIBLY MAKE. WHAT COUNTRY IS IT THAT WE LIVE IN ?

BOTTS’ STATEMENT SHOWS CLEARLY WHAT HAS LONG BEEN KNOWN : “POWER CORRUPTS AND ABSOLUTE POWER CORRUPTS ABSOLUTELY” , (Lord Acton (1834-1902)).

.

CUI BONO   –  WHO BENEFITS ?

WHO REALLY BENEFITED  FROM “HANG THE POLITICIANS” ?  WAS IT THE CITIZENS OF BANNING LIKE BOTTS WANTS US TO BELIEVE ? OR WASN’T IT BOB  BOTTS AND DON ROBINSON WHO REAPED THOSE BENEFITS ?  WASN’T “HANG THE POLITICIANS”  NOTHING BUT TAXPAYER FUNDED POLITICAL PROPAGANDA PIECE ? WHY ELSE WOULD THE CULTURAL ALLIANCE TRY TO COVER UP THAT TAXPAYER MONEY WAS INDEED USED FOR THE EVENT ?

.

FOUR  MORE YEARS OF BOTTS DICTATORSHIP ?

IT IS A FACT : COME NOVEMBER,  BOTTS  WANTS  YOUR VOTE TO CONTINUE TO ACT AS BANNING’S HIGH AND MIGHTY DICTATOR FOR FOUR MORE YEARS. SHOULD HE BE GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO  BERATE THE PUBLIC IN THIS MANNER DURING A SECOND TERM  ?

DO YOU WANT BOB BOTTS TO TELL YOU WHAT YOU CAN OR CANNOT SAY IN BANNING ? SHOULD WE TOLERATE ARROGANT POLITICIANS LIKE HIM TO BE OUR ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES ?

WE DON’T THINK SO.  COME NOVEMBER,  YOU, THE CITIZENS OF BANNING, WILL BE ABLE TO SEND HIM A MESSAGE : BOB BOTTS,  IT IS  TIME THAT YOU LEAVE THE ROOM !