LeBovidge: Not Accountable and It Shows

[image:716]After the control board's meeting on Monday, I had an opportunity to ask a few questions to the chair of Springfield's control board, Alan LeBovidge, and hear what he told other reporters.

Unlike Mayor Charlie Ryan, who opened the meeting by saying the public speak-out was part of a dialogue, LeBovidge told Ray Hershel that "Today was a venting." He said that the primary mission for the meeting was to collect ideas from the public about how to save money. "We are looking for constructive solutions," he said.

When asked about the level of frustration in the room, he made an effort to sound not too dismissive, saying "I can understand their anger and frustration." He also insinuated that Springfield's citizens must share responsibility because they did not hold their public officials more accountable for digging them into a budget hole. Interestingly, when I asked him how the citizens can hold the control board accountable, he said, "They can't hold the control board accountable. That's not how it works." I guess if one good thing can be said for not being held accountable is that it allows you to make arrogant statements without worrying about any consequences.

And when Hershel inquired about the lack of presence from the other control board members, LeBovidge openly admitted that the other members never intended to show up. "We take good notes," he said.

The last interesting comment he made came when I pressed him on the matter of the cutting of benefits to workers. I asked, "Is it a top priority for the control board to try to find ways of saving money without cutting health benefits to Springfield's workers?" After dancing around the question a bit, I pressed him a little and he finally said, "It's a priority, not a top priority." You don't have to do much reading between the lines to know what that means.