SPIN man Roger Groce

Ever notice that Groce's newsletter runs content that ignores the real and repeated comments that present concerns about the status quo that he sells? For example, over the last few years, I have heard several people complain about the Art Show being held in the Borough. Those complaints even came from one of the founders of the show, who said that he thinks the Art Show is too big for this community and should be held in a more appropriate location. He also told me that he has told Chuck Asswhine and the Board that several times. So,why isn't the Board or the Council responding to concerns like his? Its because they don't really give a crap.

And, why is it that Groce can get information that we lowly citizens can't? For example, he does not own property in the Chautauqua or in the Borough, yet he knows how much the Art Show made last year when we shareholders can't even get that information...Uhhmm, when were we shareholders given that info? Answer: Never.
And what would happen if we asked for it? Well, what would happen is we would be strung along and denied the information even if you made written requests and followed up with attendance at Board meetings.

And, how is it that Groce, on any given day, knows exactly how many people the Borough employs and their names when Borough citizens can't even get that info from the Borough? On one day, you can get three different answers!

The FACTS are that we shareholders can never verify Groce's information because the Board and the person who keeps the financial information refuse to produce the information for us. But, apparently, they can produce it for Groce...and you have to ask yourself why they don't want US to see the real numbers.

And, you have to ask yourself why, if the Art Show is so productive, our shareholder's fees are not offset by that activity's so-called "profit." Let's see, a $30K rake split among the shareholders would drop our annual fee by over $150.

And, why hasn't the Borough or the Chautauqua ever shown us exactly what Chautauqua financial secretary Linda Bell transfers (partially) to herself as the Borough financial secretary every year out of the Chautauqua funds? Why isn't that clearly shown to us shareholders every year, and why isn't the portion that she receives personally reported as a transfer of compensation to a voting Chautauqua Board member, because that's what it is?

Both the Borough and the Chautauqua want us to think that less of a transfer happens every year than what is really the truth. The Borough completely fails to report to us ANY funds received from the Chautauqua, and the Chautauqua apparently wants us to think its what's represented by their Buildings and Grounds Fund maintenance costs. But these representations are not even apparently close to the real amount of money Bell is transferring from the Chautauqua accounts and receiving and "recording" into the Borough accounts---including into her own payroll. So, again, why is it that they feel it is necessary to hide the real numbers from us? If nothing is criminal or unethical about the transfers, then why all the subterfuge and secrecy? Why only leak suggested numbers via Groce? Perhaps the answer is that they don't want us to realize that we are paying WAY TOO MUCH for something that we shouldn't be paying for at all.

It is because, yeah, "spin" appears to be his job, and he does it well. And, well, when your goal is to "con" and squeeze the citizens for every penny, you need a good spinman to help sell the organization and pass out the Kool-Aid.