Alvinville, chapter one

The Alberton Papers, Vol. IV #XX
By Dick Darne 9-05-07
"Professor Berkowitz kinda piqued my interest in Alvinville and since I had a little free time, I checked it out a little further. A fine example, indeed, of the populace sleeping while the inmates run the asylum. It should never happen to anyone and I wonder if it could happen here." said Bill, the retired logger as everyone settled in for some serious thinking.
"How do you go about checking out these things? Asked Johnny.
"Most of it is public record." replied Bill, "The rest is general knowledge in bits and pieces obscured by drowsiness. There’s usually one or two people who are trying to get the truth out, but it’s a tough slog sometimes."
"You mean to say that if people don’t think a particular issue affects their pocketbook directly, they tend to not think about it much, if at all?" asked Todd.
"Exactly!"replied Bill. "Take the magnificent fifty thousand dollar Wildcat machine, most people thought it was covered by a grant. Not so, unless you consider the State’s benevolence in loaning them the money at interest a grant. That twice a year payment is the biggest part of the ‘cost of ownership’ that Sven was talking about"
"Not to mention some hidden costs associated with alienating most of Alvinville’s contractors." added Johnny.
"There’s lots more," replied Bill. " while everyone in Alvinville snoozed, they managed to empty the funds in the treasury that could be used for amenities. First quite a few thousand dollars went to a not-so-reliable contractor, who was paid before completion, and left. It sits today, in beautiful downtown Alvinville as a monument to mismanagement. But, a bigger monument yet sits there, a pile of deteriorating material for this huge gazebo that was to stand for all time, lovingly built with an outpouring of widespread community support that must exist only in the delusions of grandeur swimming through the minds of the dunderheads."
"But, isn’t there something that can be done?" asked Todd.
"Probably so," replied Bill, "seems as there was federal money involved, misuse of that is serious business. Since the feds have been lax on prosecuting the big crooks, they’ll probably jump on this one with a vengeance."
"Haven’t they had any elections?" asked Johnny
"Sure did, the new mayor, Harold Olaf, kicked the old mayor’s butt by a two to one margin, but the council still had two holdovers, one of which was appointed by the old regime and refused to stand for election. Needless to say, not much could be done to fix things. Then came the dirty tricks."answered Bill.
"Dirty tricks? I thought that only happened at a much higher level. What kind of dirty tricks? Asked Todd.
"Well, for one, right after the election, the U.S. Census officer shows up in Alvinville, ostensibly to see if Mayor Olaf actually resided in the town limits. When have you ever even heard of the Census man ever showing up between censuses? There’s lots more, lets break and pick up the trails next week. You guys keep thinking!" said Bill
Do as Bill says. dd