“We are the voice of the voiceless, the eyes of the blind, the hands of the powerless.”
Rules for thee and not for me. That is too often the rules of life. Robertson’s Rules of Order, Ethics, Ordinances, Zoning, blah blah blah. I am not saying that chaos should always be the order of the day, but too often people hide behind these thrones to throw cogs in an already all too slow wheel. I think many people start with the best intentions into civil or community service. Some get a sense of accomplishment and pride doing their civic duty. All too often though, this pride turns into an ego problem. “I know better.” So many think they do. So much so that real dangers and problems are set aside because they are too complicated to concentrate on. Worse, respected people easily lead those that have esteem for them into the same blind eye complacency.
Over here, we don’t care if you have an ego or if it’s, something like, maybe because “the sauce” is blurring your reality. (unsubstantiated, unfounded, not unrealistic) We give no care. As soon as your pride leads you to go the easy route and not concentrate on what is important, it’s a wrap. So many people in this town have an opinion about Sebastian Ernst. I don’t know him very well, but just like anyone, if you’re involved in government, we can track not how you carry yourself, but how you are on issues. What you talk about, what you bring up, what you deflect, what you avoid, and yes, what you set aside. The record shows Sebastian has a direction, and he is vocal about it. We are not the first to hammer about hydrants in the town. Consistently as mayor and before, Sebastian was city council, he has talked about the need to repair these fire hydrants.
Here are some statements he has made:
June 2023 – Pre-Caucus Internal Memo
“Several hydrants along Robbins, Shelby, and Decatur are non-compliant with state suppression standards. Some haven’t been tested since 2019. If a fire breaks out in certain zones, it would be like trying to fight it with a garden hose.”
Memo attached to Sebastian’s council packet submission on June 28.
July 10, 2023 – Email to Public Works (cc’d to council clerk)
“Please confirm if hydrant #72 (near 1214 Robbins) was tested during the May flush. It’s one of several that I believe may cause a rupture in the main if opened under full load. We are risking catastrophic failure.”
July 20, 2023 – Informal Work Session Notes
“We don’t have to fix every hydrant overnight, but residents deserve to know which ones work and which ones are showpieces. I’m not trying to throw anyone under the bus, but if we hide this, someone will eventually die because of it.”
July 25, 2023 – Caucus Meeting Attempt
Sebastian attempted to bring a resolution requesting emergency flow testing and publication of hydrant conditions in zones D through H (which includes Robbins Ave). He also wanted funding for at least 4 critical hydrant replacements and one lateral line pressure regulator.
His prepared statement (from meeting packet):
“The citizens don’t realize that over a dozen hydrants across town are unreliable. If you think a false sense of security is better than uncomfortable truth, you’re not here for public safety—you’re here to protect appearances.”
How about long standing member Joyce Carson, she has served this town, surely she wants to fix the issue. Here is a snapshot of her mentions.
Quote (May 2023 Caucus):
“We need to stay on task—hydrants fall under utilities, not this committee.”
June 2023 Special Infrastructure Session
Joyce’s Quote:
“Talking about broken hydrants at every meeting gives the impression that the city is unsafe. We need to be responsible about how we’re being perceived.”
Quote (July 25, 2023):
“The matter had not been formally submitted for the agenda and would be out of order.”
August 2023 Clerk Notes (Transcribed Off-the-Record Exchange)
Joyce’s Quote:
“We’ve had these hydrants for decades—why is everyone panicking now? Someone’s stirring up unnecessary alarm.”
Does Joyce have a strategy here? Trying to keep property values low, trying to keep poor neighborhoods in danger, trying to see clearly through blurry eyes? We cannot say, but this is what her strategy is when it comes to fire hydrants:
Joyce Carson never denies hydrants are an issue, instead, she:
Blocks discussions procedurally
Minimizes urgency with public image concerns
Delegates to dead-end committees
Labels pressure for transparency as “panic” or “sensationalism”
This has been her strategy regarding hydrants for the whole time she has been on council. That is a long time.
1 year? OK, we are blowing it out of proportion.
2 years? Yeah, maybe she has tried.
3 years? Reckless disregard.
And any year after that is negligence of a public official. When the next election rolls around, vote YES for Falmouth and NO for Joyce Carson. This city, whatever they fix today, is long overdue after so long of complacency and spending valuable money impeaching someone who tried to fix it. Wasn’t it $30,000 or $40,000? Spending money on various committees that watch it go up in smoke. Attached are dates where the fire hydrant issue was brought up and a brief detail of the response the city council gave.
I am not a cheerleader. Sebastian’s already provided proof of his lobbying, budgeting, and attempts to fix the hydrant issues. What I did want to point out is, specifically, Joyce seems to be a consistent deflector of this issue. We would love to know why.
Regardless—VOTE NO FOR JOYCE CARSON SERVING CITY COUNCIL EVER AGAIN.
