Watson: Berman’s actions have become too much

Whether you happen to be a supporter or an adversary of Gilbert Mayor Steve Berman, it is time that all residents of Gilbert fully understand what is happening to our town.

We can forgive Berman and forget about the questionable gift of a vehicle from the Ford dealership, which got an extremely favorable tax package to locate in Gilbert. We can forgive Berman and forget about the expensive suit that Dillards gave our mayor to pose for an advertising photo shoot. We can forgive Berman and forget how he has turned neighbor against neighbor with his “annex or burn” strategy. We can forgive Berman and forget his many childish tantrums while wearing the mantle of Gilbert town leader, such as he exhibited with his recent interview with KNXV-TV (Channel 15), where he called the station a bunch of jerks. Yes, we could forgive Berman and forget all these things. However, before we do, let’s remember what has happened to our town and who is responsible.

Today, Gilbert faces a $58 million budget shortfall. Talk of reduced services have already hit the newspaper. There was even talk about a possible town-imposed property tax. This news is coming from the same mayor and council that gave away millions and millions of tax incentives to attract auto dealers to our town. This is the same mayor and council that gave away million of dollars in free annexation for county residents and spent millions more in defending its position of not providing fire protection to our county island neighbors. We have all witnessed how the failed policies of the mayor and council have put each of us at risk, as first responders are confused as to where they can and cannot travel to provide service. Now we learn that our city will be required by a new state law to provide the same fire protection service that county island residents requested in the very beginning.

This is the same mayor and council that built the infamous “white elephant” called Big League Dreams. I think a better name would be the Field of Dreams. A prophetic title to say the least. This $22.7 million project has escalated to $40 million and is still climbing — and yet the mayor and council are still in their jobs, with no one held accountable. And we wonder why we have a $58 million budget shortfall?

Now we learn that the mayor and council allowed the same company that presented the sports stadium plans to also submit a bid to build the same facility (by the way, they won the bid). If laws were broken, the residents of Gilbert must request that the Arizona attorney general launch an independent investigation into this matter. If the AG finds that town or state laws were broken, then those people involved must be held accountable.

In the meantime, the residents of Gilbert must mount a recall of our mayor and council and find individuals who are capable of leading a town of 200,000 people by putting the welfare of the residents ahead of their own personal egos and agenda. It is past time for Mayor Berman to go.