You forgot to put an all of the above button. I vote for all of the above.

I would have to agree with Forgot one. Everyone listed should resign or be asked to step down. There are actually persons living in El Dorado with actual experience in the real world and know, or at least have access to, outside contacts. As long as the same, basically home sprouts, are involved this area will never grow and prosper. Just to make a point...what has the current mayor actually done to make his mark and actually make a difference. Nothing against the local homegrown per se. just using him to make a point.

Just Wondering wrote:

I would have to agree with Forgot one. Everyone listed should resign or be asked to step down. There are actually persons living in El Dorado with actual experience in the real world and know, or at least have access to, outside contacts. As long as the same, basically home sprouts, are involved this area will never grow and prosper. Just to make a point...what has the current mayor actually done to make his mark and actually make a difference. Nothing against the local homegrown per se. just using him to make a point.

Tax hike mike has made sure he gets every tax dollar he can from the hard working people. Where is the convention center we are taxed to build? All that money and they'll throw up a 100 x 80 steel building and stick the rest in their pockets. How many conventions do we have booked so far? All these clowns need to go.

Don Wales should resign and move on, or be fired. He has lost the respect of business leaders and the citizenry as well. With nothing absolute to show during his tenure, he has simply bided his time till retirement. He and Shane can be found on the golf course more than in the office working on "something big".
Cindy Langston should be let go. She is a personality, nothing more. Her comment to one person about the flack over "We Promise" was "we have pretty much considered it a non-issue now."
How about a non-issue on her last paycheck.

I would like for someone to differntiate for me El Doroado Promise vs El Dorado Forward. Again, I think all of the eggs are in one basket and a lottery vote has it all come crashing down!

Don Wales told us during Monday Night Football at the El Dorado Golf & Country Club last week,“half of the people liked him and the other half didn’t like anything he did. His job was to keep the two groups away from each other.” Pardon me Don Wales, your job is to bring people together for a common good. Either Wales rethinks his intentions or he needs to play golf and smoke BBQ on his time, not ours.

Just wrote:

I would like for someone to differntiate for me El Doroado Promise vs El Dorado Forward.

The El Dorado Promise is the single largest endowment to the students of the El Dorado Public Schools. This gift from Murphy Oil Corporation insures that EHS graduates receive a tuition scholarship for the next 17 years. El Dorado Forward is a plan written by couple of guys from Austin, Texas and adopted by the voters of El Dorado that outlines how the residents can improve the future of Union County with a one cent sales tax over the next eight years. The El Dorado Promise is a “private” donation available to every student that resides in the El Dorado School District. The El Dorado Forward is “publicly” funded programs that allow a few people, appointed by the Chamber of Commerce, to make the decisions for all that pay the tax.

I would just like for someone to tell me the difference between an extremely greedy person and a super greedy person.

CPA wrote:

<quoted text>The El Dorado Promise is the single largest endowment to the students of the El Dorado Public Schools. This gift from Murphy Oil Corporation insures that EHS graduates receive a tuition scholarship for the next 17 years. El Dorado Forward is a plan written by couple of guys from Austin, Texas and adopted by the voters of El Dorado that outlines how the residents can improve the future of Union County with a one cent sales tax over the next eight years. The El Dorado Promise is a “private” donation available to every student that resides in the El Dorado School District. The El Dorado Forward is “publicly” funded programs that allow a few people, appointed by the Chamber of Commerce, to make the decisions for all that pay the tax.

One caveat... funding requests still have to be approved by the City Council, the members of which were voted in by the citizens. So, it's not as if the public has no say whatsoever.

Is anybody besides me sick and tired of reading about all of this El Dorado Forward crap? Who is in control here people? I thought all of the money that the city got from that tax was supposed to be spent on improving our living conditions here not forming groups on top of groups to talk about themelines. Who cares! We need new jobs, new industry and new businesses. Isn’t that the job of the chamber to bring people together – all they are doing is causing division! I can’t imagine what improvements the city of El Dorado could have undergone with the $220,000 that was sent to that bunch of shirt and ties up in New York City instead!! Who can make decisions around here to get anything done?? Certainly not me – Joe Sixpack – but somebody with some authority. That whole boatload at the Chamber needs to go! They are the ones who started this whole thing and now they can’t even finish it!! Well, excuse me – they’re finishing it alright – we’re finishing dead last!! And we’re all just sitting back and letting it happen. Maybe somebody smarter than me can tell me what to do and before you start that jumping up and down about “go to your civic leaders and help instead of griping about everything” tell me who that might be. Thank goodness the City Council grew a spine and shot down that “We Promise “ crap before it went any further! That New York City group has our money and what do we have? A stack of paper on how to give away college scholarships!! I’d like to hear some feedback and somebody come up with a solution as to what we can do to get that crap stopped and get something food going. I’m willing to help if somebody will just tell me what to do.

Not much anybody can do at this point. They (whoever "they" are) are deadset on getting the convention center built, and because of a technicality, they are going to have to "pay-as-they-go" on the convention center, rather than issues bonds to pay for it all up front. Meaning, none of the economic development tax dollars will be available now until the building is complete.

I haven't lived in El Dorado very long and I'm trying desperately to piece together this story about the El Dorado Forward project. Can somebody please explain to me one thing. I do not know the lady in charge, but I was told tha she makes 65,000 dollars a year to manage this task of marketing El Dorado and yet she does not live here. Is this correct? I was also told that she has no marketing background. I understand why this might make some people mad, but who hired her and why are all of these projects on hold? I'm lost.

Typically I choose not to post my thoughts but after reading the stories about El Dorado Forward, the EEDB, the Marketing Task Force(s), Promise Committee and all other groups promoting themselves as think tanks for economic development I've concluded this: 1) The Chamber of Commerce needs all new leadership… immediately. 2) The next time you hire a marketing director find someone with experience… in marketing! 3) Elect a board that is responsible to the voters… not appointed by an inept chamber director. 4) Conduct open meetings…encourage public input! 5) The Chamber executive committee should review all contracts…it’s just good business to have an evaluation process.

Kay Lieberman wrote:

I haven't lived in El Dorado very long and I'm trying desperately to piece together this story about the El Dorado Forward project. Can somebody please explain to me one thing. I do not know the lady in charge, but I was told tha she makes 65,000 dollars a year to manage this task of marketing El Dorado and yet she does not live here. Is this correct? I was also told that she has no marketing background. I understand why this might make some people mad, but who hired her and why are all of these projects on hold? I'm lost.

Hey sweet lips - before you go dissing the lady in charge for living 15 minutes away, you need to look at the $250,000 that was spent on some peeps from NYC that you will NEVER SEE who came up with "we promise."
The woman in charge has a strong presence on television and has the possibility of being an EXCELLENT marketer, unlike your established screwers who will take your quarter of a million and laugh at your backwards southern ass.
She also has a vested interest in this area.
You people need to quit talking out of your a-hole and look at the big pic.
So many redneck hicks around here who think they should run the show - you are all jokes. I PROMISE YOU THAT

Seaside II wrote:

Typically I choose not to post my thoughts but after reading the stories about El Dorado Forward, the EEDB, the Marketing Task Force(s), Promise Committee and all other groups promoting themselves as think tanks for economic development I've concluded this: 1) The Chamber of Commerce needs all new leadership… immediately. 2) The next time you hire a marketing director find someone with experience… in marketing! 3) Elect a board that is responsible to the voters… not appointed by an inept chamber director. 4) Conduct open meetings…encourage public input! 5) The Chamber executive committee should review all contracts…it’s just good business to have an evaluation process.

We don't care about your trivial conclusions.
1) my god how stupid
2) like DCI? LOL
3) true, true - but who says that will work better?
4) They are trying
5) who said they didn't? Did you fall asleep?
jeepers creepers. Amateurish

observer from afar wrote:

<quoted text>
We don't care about your trivial conclusions.
1) my god how stupid
2) like DCI? LOL
3) true, true - but who says that will work better?
4) They are trying
5) who said they didn't? Did you fall asleep?
jeepers creepers. Amateurish

Speak for yourself, observer. Maybe WE are interested in those conclusions. Freedom of speech, remember?

observer from afar wrote:

<quoted text>
Hey sweet lips - before you go dissing the lady in charge for living 15 minutes away, you need to look at the $250,000 that was spent on some peeps from NYC that you will NEVER SEE who came up with "we promise."
The woman in charge has a strong presence on television and has the possibility of being an EXCELLENT marketer, unlike your established screwers who will take your quarter of a million and laugh at your backwards southern ass.
She also has a vested interest in this area.
You people need to quit talking out of your a-hole and look at the big pic.
So many redneck hicks around here who think they should run the show - you are all jokes. I PROMISE YOU THAT

Go back to school, if you ever went to one in the first place. Clean up your act and also your language before your keep showing your ignorance and lack of decency in a public forum.

observer from afar wrote:

<quoted text>
We don't care about your trivial conclusions.

Over 90% of the respondents of this poll DISAGREE with you. There is far too much at stake for on the job training and lackluster performance.

Just Wondering wrote:

<quoted text>
Go back to school, if you ever went to one in the first place. Clean up your act and also your language before your keep showing your ignorance and lack of decency in a public forum.

LOL I guess the point went right over your airy head.

Your reply is a lame way to avoid the subject.
Guess that means you need to go back and brush up on yer edumucation
ROFLMAO

asti spumante wrote:

<quoted text>
Speak for yourself, observer. Maybe WE are interested in those conclusions. Freedom of speech, remember?

Yep and you use your freedom to be an idiot quite well. I promise.