After reading the Cd'A Press editorial on April 15, I thought I might as well submit my two cents, which is all I have left after paying my taxes.

I can not even begin to address all the reasons everyone else has to sign the petition for recall, so I'll just list and try to explain my own, they are simply put, Dishonesty, Arrogance, and of course Taxes.

First I will address what I feel is the most important item which is dishonesty. I distinctly remember when Mayor Bloem first announced the park plan. It was stated that "no taxpayer money would be used." If you look at the city parks department's own website (as of 4/15/12) it shows that $13,924,800 is all taxpayer money. It also shows $311,332 in uncovered debt. This is not the first time the city council has, I'll be kind and say misled us. The Kroc Center was not going to involve any tax money (separation of church and state) but there was a public lands swap and the cost of making the site ready to build on.

Now on to what I define as arrogance. Yes, we have a representative type of government, meaning we elect people to make decisions for us. In city government that means making day to day decisions on the running of the city, fire and police protection, streets maintained, building codes enforced, etc. It does not mean spending millions of taxpayer money on something that is not needed and quite possibly not wanted by the majority without getting taxpayer approval. It does not mean blaming the results of the last election on some right wing conspiracy (I am just about as liberal as they come and I fully agree with the results). When a council member wins by only five votes that should have been a wake up call and not considered to be a mandate to continue in the same direction.

Taxes, what can I say, I'm not an idiot, I know that taxes are needed. I want not just good fire and police I want the great fire and police we have, I want drivable streets, I want my city, state, and country taken care of and protected. What I don't want is when I have to decide between food and health care to have my taxes wasted.

The Cd'A Press has stated as fact a cost of $14 million for phase 1, my question is how many phases are there and what's the cost. I know the website lists a future fountain, a future harbor house, and a future pavilion, what else is planned? What about future maintenance cost, who is going to keep all the new walkways and promenades clear of snow and ice?

One more thing, supporters of the gang of 4 point to Riverstone as a good thing. I see it as an attempt to move shoppers from downtown to a new shopping area, I also see it as a failure. Has anyone else noticed how many empty store fronts there are and what about the condos needing to be auctioned off. This is not something I would point to with pride.

Michael Teague is a Coeur d'Alene resident.