residents as watchdogs

Is it possible that Gym has extended his secret backroom handshake deals into the future? Nobody knows what the handshake deals are anyway, so its possible he might try, but in order to get THAT past Council (Dotson mostly), he would have to explain what the handshakes deals consist of, wouldnt he? What the terms are, the duration, the liabilities, etc. Why is it that the residents are the only ones monitoring the City Managers actions? Is it NOT the duties and responsibilities of our elected officials to safeguard and protect our resources? It seems the residents have been forced to take over the responsibilities of their elected officials because their elected representatives REFUSE to do it themselves! A democracy is based on a system of checks and balances. When elected officials refuse to provide those checks on salaried city employees, things get out of balance- in this case it is our checkbook that gets out of balance, as monies disappear without a trace! The new Council will hopefully take their responsibilities seriously and oversee and supervise the City Manager, as their duties and obligations as elected officials require, not leave it up to the residents to do. We are willing to help, but shouldnt be expected to do it all. Dotson is the only one who takes his oversight responsibilities seriously.