SPEAKOUT

Here's the scoop

I videoed a Miner city truck cleaning a driveway on Albert Drive. Frank Tatum is in the passenger of the truck. Me and everyone I have spoken with wants to know why our city truck is cleaning off this driveway. If he does one he should do them all. This is a waste of our city's money and very upsetting that the mayor of Miner can do this with a city truck and an employee that is getting paid time and a half.

Mayor Frank Tatum responded: "As long as I'm mayor, I'm here to help the citizens. And if the citizens need to get out, we are going to make sure they can get out. If I'm driving down the street and a man is trying to get out and all we have to do is back in and push some snow out of their drive then that's what we are going to do. We're here to help the citizens. If they have a problem with helping the citizens in this problem, then take it on up to Benton. We weren't doing business drives." Tatum said snowplows cleaning city streets actually made things more difficult on some city residents as it piled snow drifts in front of their driveways. "Citizens couldn't drive over the big snow hump out there," Tatum said. "I'm glad to help the citizens in any way possible within reason. Somebody don't know the purpose of why we were out there. That's why I called a man out -- there was nobody working on Sunday. But when I see people who need help and people call me? Yeah, I have to have them take care of it. I'm not out here for the fun of it. I know if you do for one, you are supposed to do for all. But if anybody needs help, I'll help them." Tatum said he paid someone to shovel off his driveway. "As long as I'm mayor and have the authority to help the citizens, I'm going to help them in any way I can," he added.