Roger Berg continues his political bully act on the City Council. On several occasions during Tuesday’s City Council meeting, councilman Roger Berg bullied fellow councilman David Castaldo for questioning issues brought before the Council. Castaldo had the courage to suggest the City at least explore alternative financing options rather than sticking all new Beaumont homeowners with double property taxes. Berg immediately defended his and Alan Kapanicas’ tax scheme as the right thing for Beaumont. “It is just like a mortgage” said Berg. “You either pay now or you pay later.” Councilman Berg is like any zealot who has totally bought into a program. He cannot see any view other than his own. He cannot be argued with, cannot be convinced and is determined to never lose a battle when defending his personal position. Roger Berg meets the perfect definition of the word below:
World English Dictionary
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bigot (ˈbɪɡət)
Find out what's happening in Banning-Beaumontwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
— n
a person who is intolerant of any ideas other than his or her own, esp on religion, politics, or race
Councilman Castaldo next attempted to question or further discus city policy concerning no-bid contracts and transparency regarding Urban Logic Consultants monthly mega-dollar payouts. Kapanicas hemmed and hawed and stalled until Berg came to the rescue with “we will not micro-manage our city staff, and if you want to know detail on what is paid for, go look at the job cards.”
Roger Berg has been involved with Beaumont city government since the 1990’s. He, along with City Manager Alan Kapanicas, has run this city for over 20 years. I can understand Kapanicas’ motivation. It’s a job, he makes bundles for himself and business associates by bonding, taxing, refinancing and awarding no-bid contracts. Berg on the other hand I do not understand. It is a mystery why he would devote so much time and energy and passion to Beaumont city growth. I have to fall back to the word
World English Dictionary
zealot (ˈzɛlət)
— n
an immoderate, fanatical, or extremely zealous adherent to a cause, esp a religious one
Until Roger Berg is finally voted out of office and City Manager Kapanicas is then removed from the scene, Beaumont will continue its spiral toward financial ruin. The multi-millions of bond debt being carried by the city will eventually have to be paid. The tax burden on property owners will eventually break the proverbial camel’s back. Alan will simply return home to Rancho Mirage and book additional cruises to the Med. What will Roger do?
