When I first got to Grambling State University, I learned that there was a place that the University resided in. That place was called the city of Grambling. As the time progressed, I noticed that the city was improving.They instituted a trash program, put up some recycling bins at City Hall, restored their Grambling park, and were definitely “a city on the move,” which is their slogan. After all that progress, you’d think this would be a good column. It’s not.
Nowadays, I see a pathetic entity. If you’ve been under the proverbial rock, there has been scandal after scandal rocking the city’s government, making me remember the gossip circles of my high school. Never have I seen so many adults bicker as if they didn’t have any real intelligence. It disturbs me.
For some of you, I’ll have to give a little background info. The simplest way to describe these fiascoes is to tell you to think of a divorce proceedings with no prenuptial. How do you decide who gets what and how much? This is sort of like the Grambling politics right now.
Now, for those of you that are getting it twisted, I am speaking about the CITY of Grambling, not Grambling State University. Back to the topic, Mayor Martha Andrus and Grambling City Council have been in heated exchanges since early last year.
Some of these exchanges are complete fabrications. The Ruston Daily Leader has reported that some city employees would claim they were being held hostage by the Grambling Police Department. When the Lincoln Parish Sheriff’s Office would arrive, there would be no GPD officers present. Mind you, the LPSO officers are in the area when these incidents are reported.
So, the constant war of fettered words continues. She misplaced this money; they didn’t have the right to fire her; they are doing illegal deeds; we have rights. It’s quite tiring. One would think a hernia is better than attending these “special called meetings.”
Thus, I don’t attend anymore. It’s quite clear that those that wanted to destroy the city are just laughing their socks off right now. What more do you have to do? They have already been blasted in local papers, whose articles are now archived in Google searches.
Then, you have a mayor that could be facing criminal charges after an investigation is completed. After all, she was over the money that went to paying a cable bill and “home business supplies.” It’s things like this that makes me wonder, “Why spend money in Grambling if it doesn’t go to the city?”
Sadly, their legal troubles are far from over. The state investigation is ongoing, the mayor and council have lawsuits against each other, and it could get worse than that. This is like a three-ring circus without a ringmaster.
What’s the solution though? No one has been “mature” enough to admit when he/she is wrong. No one has really tried to sit down and work out a solution. It’s been all, “I’m in the right” which is not a good way to start a negotiation.
As a student, I’m appalled. You have a University in your city, a place where students may be looking up to the leaders of the city, and now you show your petty side. In the midst of great progress, you decide to act like feeble minded children, leaving the state laughing at you.
I’m really waiting for Gov. Bobby Jindal to keep his promise on this one. He promised to restore ethics and integrity to the governmental positions. It’s time for Jindal and his crew to come and do a clean sweep of the city.
Let’s get rid of the corruption going on in City Hall. Let’s make the city of Grambling one that its citizens and GSU’s students can be proud of. I want to see a Grambling with some apartments in the city. How about adding a grocery store or two? (That has been promised since I’ve been here.)
For a city with a prestigious university and a soon-to-be state-of-the-art museum, they are surely acting like they are only a bunch of trees and dirt.
And to think I used to want to live in Grambling.
Not anymore.