HUMBOLDT – Humboldt City Councilwoman Dolores Martinez says a recall drive against her is not justified and could derail needed reforms of the city’s budgeting procedures.
Martinez: “The plans we put in place this coming year will be designed to resolve City of Humboldt financial situation and hopefully secure its future.”
Martinez, who moved to Humboldt after a 25-year career with the US Air Force, said the city had a balance of negative $71,000 when Mayor Bob Mendenhall took the oath of office in December. Since then, Martinez says, she has used her experience as a business woman, mortgage lending officer and auditor of US Department of Defense contracts to put the city’s finances on the right track.
Martinez: “The city is transitioning from mismanagement to getting organized and stabilizing the financial situation here. It would take one major incident of over $40,000 and they would break the city. Literally, it could break the city. It’s hard for the mayor. He goes to sleep and wakes up in the morning and hopefully we don’t have any emergency. It’s very hard. This is a very tough situation for all people who are serving in the city of Humboldt.”
She has also worked to bring Nio-Corps investment opportunities to Humboldt, to spruce up retaining walls on Nemaha Street, take action on condemned buildings and to establish speed signals to slow traffic. There has been resistance.
A recall election was scheduled July 9 after 78 valid signatures were turned in to the county election commissioner.
Martinez: “What is at stake is my experience to contribute to the city and get them in order. That’s what is at stake. I have budgeting experience, inspecting experience, auditing experience – I have all this experience. What they do, many things have been in force to put the city on the right track.”
She said there are positive things happening in Humboldt, including new grocery store, car wash, Nebraska Cancer Garden and Dollar General. Martinez said she worked to ensure that the old fire station remain available to citizens as a community meeting room.
She expects a recall victory to keep the positive momentum going.
Martinez: “We can hang in there. We know how to hang in there and hopefully the people understand that experience is very important to be a great city council person.”
Martinez said she has made a serious effort to set policies and procedures in place to assure the city’s financial future. She said it is evident that, in the past, city certificates of deposit and money markets were handled without approval of the city council and even without discussion.
Martinez: “We have a job to do. Our job is to get Humboldt in order and that’s what I plan on doing.”
She said she is the right person for the job and asks citizens to vote against a recall.
