Who is Richard Crosby?
Who is Council member Richard Crosby II politically?
We looked back to 2016 when he ran for office and found that he had a completely different stance from the last few years. According to a local Southwest News Media article linked below, Council member Crosby ran on some of the following campaign issues:
1) RC: "Residential building growth while preserving open spaces, and the historic feel of Orono."
Now: Not only is he not maintaining open spaces, he's taking them away from the public by developing park properties. When has he stood up for the historic value of our community? Certainly not during the Bederwood Park, Summit Beach or Orono Golf Course developments.
2) RC: "More transparency at the local government level..."
Now: This administration appears to be the opposite of transparent. There are hidden budgets, agendas and so many subcommittees that the public is not privy to. We’ve been waiting over a year for information on why we need our own fire department.
3) RC: "Balancing budgets without incurring more debt or raising taxes “thoughtful spending.”
Now: We have runaway spending without due process and citizen input. It appears as though Orono has somewhere around 8 times the debt we’ve ever had as a city and our annual budget has ballooned.
4) RC: "As a council, we need to listen to our constituents and work with them. We need to understand and reflect on what the citizens of Orono desire."
Now: There hasn't been a citizen survey in the seven years he's been in office nor the previous eight years before he was in office so how does he have any idea what citizens want? Shouldn’t he want a third party scientific survey for informed governance?
How was Mr. Crosby elected to Orono City Hall? Perhaps it’s because he ran on what he knew we wanted to hear, and is that why he isn't listening now?
During a recent Star Tribune article featuring a video of Council member Crosby linked below, he speaks of election denial, and standing up for his country. However, during several recent Orono City Council meetings Council member Crosby leaves unannounced before public comments.
What about standing up for what the citizens in Orono want, Council member Crosby? "Citizens first."