Matheny Gets Rhino Endorsement

October 1, 2009
By: John Hammer
Rhinoceros Times
“District 3: Zack Matheny

The best choice for District 3 voters is to reelect District 3 Councilmember Zack Matheny. Two years ago we did not endorse Matheny in the primary, or the general election, but he has done a good job representing the district and has earned another term.

Matheny has been caught in the middle of this divided council and has handled it well. We wish he had seen the light and voted to fire former City Manager Mitch Johnson sooner, but in the end he made the right decision. Matheny supported the no-tax-increase budget and voted not to increase water rates.

He voted against the resolution of regret for the Klan-Communist shoot out that happened 30 years ago. He also voted in favor of issuing a request for proposals for the White Street Landfill area, which gives private enterprise a chance to come forward with ideas for the 900-acre site.

Matheny hadn't been in office a month when there was a murder in his district, and the neighborhood meeting he called to talk about it had over 850 people attend. A neighborhood meeting with 50 people is considered a good turnout, so that was a real baptism by fire.

Right after he was sworn in to office, Matheny also negotiated the departure of former acting City Attorney Linda Miles, who had retired and then was brought back by Mitch Johnson to run the city Legal Department as a consultant at a higher salary than she had been making as the city attorney, and with all the accoutrement of a department head, including an assigned parking space.

After Miles left, long time Deputy City Attorney Terry Wood was hired out of retirement to run the department, which was an enormous step in the right direction. For one thing, the Legal Department actually started obeying the law.

Matheny allowed himself to be picked on by older councilmembers for a while but has put a stop to that with some fiery exchanges, so there is no telling what is in store in the next term.”

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