Editorial: Belleville offers scarecrow contest, ignores promise

We were disappointed to see at Monday’s Belleville City Council meeting that the city again had ignored its promise to award prizes in its scarecrow contest. Last year, it was the same thing, although last year the winners were listed in the consent agenda. Nothing in person.
In the years before last year, the winners in the scarecrow categories were invited to get handed to them pictures of their scarecrows while standing before the council and they also got a round of applause.
The entry application, that costs $10, tells the date of the council meeting when the winners will be announced. This year it said Oct. 20, but there was no mention of the scarecrows, except for when the Independent asked before the meeting. Nothing on the agenda. No list.
We were told the city council had not been asked to judge and we should ask interim city manager Steve Jones about it, so we did.
Jones said pictures of the scarecrows were put online for votes and they took the top vote-getters for the winners.
We received an email with pictures of winning scarecrows from Kathleen Springer, the social media vendor hired by Jones and the DDA to promote the city. He said at a recent DDA meeting that his plate was full and so he would get her to help him. And, he has.
It’s too bad the city doesn’t do what it promises to do any more.