UPDATED: 25 Cent

The following video features rapper Curtis James Jackson III, commonly known as 50 Cent:

Well, according to Councilman Michael Savary, Craig S. Dunwell is a possible candidate for Alpha Borough Council ("He's sitting on the fence.") and that's a good enough reason for me to continue mentioning him on this blog. Instead of constantly writing his name out, I'll refer to him as 25 Cent. Why? As I mentioned in a previous post, there is a lot to the Dunwell & Savary Saga and I need to save some of the good stuff for later.

So, at tonight's Council Meeting, 25 Cent applauded Councilman John Hajdu for announcing that he was giving up his 'in-lieu-of' medical benefits payments. He went on to state that he hopes that the other two Councilmen that take those payments consider the same action, but ONCE AGAIN, failed to mention Councilman Michael Savary, who has signed up to take the actual medical benefits that cost twice the amount of those payments.

[UPDATE (3/12/10 - 5:42am): Here's a link to The Express-Times article about Councilman John Hajdu's announcement. Some relevant points from the article:

Residents Louis Cartabona and Craig Dunwell commended Hajdu's decision.

"I think it's exactly the kind of leadership and the kind of tough decisions we need" at this time, Dunwell said.

Did Councilman Savary exhibit that same kind of leadership and make that kind of tough decision?

Following the meeting, Savary said he had not made a decision about whether he would forgo his health benefits.

By defending and not criticizing Councilman Savary and continuing to act as his surrogate, this is the kind of leadership that Craig Dunwell (aka 25 Cent) really supports.]

Interesting - the man that based his campaign against medical benefits and the 'in-lieu-of' payments for elected officials decided to take them upon his election to Council, but yet his "brain trust" refuses to criticize him for it. In November, I made the following statement: "Mr. Savary closes by asking our citizens to attend meetings and to hold us – elected officials – accountable for our actions. Well, come January, those eyes and mine will be focused squarely on Mr. Savary." Unfortunately, he would prefer that our citizens be blind to his own actions.

25 Cent also questioned a comment that I made in a recent article.

While the borough's five full-time employees' salaries have already been settled in contracts, Zikas said part-time workers' pay will be determined in the budget.

"We try to be as fair as possible, but that's something we could play around with," Zikas said.

He said that I was quoted that all contracts had been settled. Yes, that's what the article says, but my quote has to do with part-time salaries. I remember speaking to the reporter and when she asked me about salaries, I stated that the five full-time employees have contracts that dictate the amount that is put into the budget line items. Part-time employees don't have contracts, so we can be flexible with their salaries when it comes to budgeting. First let me state that the reporter who wrote the piece is an excellent journalist and an asset to The Express-Times. She did contact me after the story was published to clarify the situation and I offered her an apology if my statements mislead her in any way since that was obviously not my intention. For the record, the contract for the three full-time employees in the Department of Public Works has not been settled yet. They are currently working under their last one which expired on December 31, 2009.

25 Cent didn't stop there, he continued his diatribe and basically said that I should no longer offer comments to the media. As I said tonight, I truly believe that that's a disservice to the public. I will continue to offer my feelings and opinions so that the people I represent know how I feel or where I stand on an issue. This quote by Elbert Hubbard says it best: "To avoid criticism, do nothing, say nothing, be nothing."

If I was a doctor, I would have also diagnosed 25 Cent with selective hearing tonight. During my report, I mentioned that Alpha's official website was coming along and went on to show Mayor and Council a quick preview. When it came to our public comment period, 25 Cent asked about the site and criticized the delay. I can't help but chuckle, because his vendetta against me all stems from the reason he's earned the 25 Cent monicker.

Bruce, I couldn't have said it better myself...

Pinstripes? Oh, that's a bar in Alpha.