The truth is always nearby, hiding in the tall grass waiting to be discovered.

It has become a national pastime for Americans to pummel government with questions to force answers.

Why?

Because government finds it easier to conceal and omit than disclose.

For all the lip service paid to transparency and full disclosure right here in River City, the lack of community buy-in for the River City Renaissance is directly tied to the subterfuge and slight of hand every electorate-based project in the history of Mason City has had at its very roots.

The River City Renaissance project has always been an empty vessel, without ballast, and headed for calamitous ruin since its first attempt in 2012.

The primary cheerleader by necessity is City Administrator Aaron Burnett. Burnett has gotten real good at selling promises while failing to deliver complete outcomes or even the courtesy to provide complete and understandable answers to citizen questions.

In providing complete, timely and accurate, truthful information and data to the council and citizens for their use, Aaron Burnett has failed.

Our city government and city administrator and staff have kept kicking the RCR can down the road of delays and burned deadlines, all the while hiding behind alibis.

I have watched, and so have you, Karma delivered to Mason City and the RCR project, by the manure spreader full, unloading shovel after shovel on the heads of the voters, all the while expecting us to say, "Thank you for the nice hat."

The cause of this abominable outcome, I believe, is we have been doing the business of the city, and condoning it all, through elected officials and hired help, by dancing with the devil.

There is an old African proverb, "Better the devil you know, than the angel you don't."

This idiom tries to point out that maybe the known, no matter how horrendous, is better than any unknown.

I have to disagree.

Somewhere along the line, Mason City has adopted a never-ending policy to do business with anyone, contract with anyone, who says they can get the job done for the lowest cost. Due diligence assessments, necessary in any other business or government, are never accomplished in Mason City.

How is that working for you, Messrs. Schickel, Thoma, Lee, Masson, Adams, Symonds, and Jaszewski?

It should have become clear to you all that after the Globe-Gazette page one story on Oct. 17 primarily addressing the unknown unknowns of David-Elias Rachie, that there are more lies by omission than any one elected body can take and still be a positive, productive force.

Our city government and community at large waits and waits and waits some more for David-Elias Rachie to provide proof of financing for the RCR hotel.

All it takes to get a bearing on the if and when of this financing agreement, would be for Mr. Burnett to quit omitting relevant facts, known to him to be true, that David-Elias Rachie is not Gatehouse Capital. Rachie couldn't come up with change for a cup of coffee let alone for a $10 million hotel loan.

If I read correctly, the council relies on staff for the information that provides data sufficient for making good decisions that fulfill its sworn duties and mission statement.

"Our mission is to provide efficient and effective City services and infrastructure with sound fiscal policies that create an enjoyable quality of life in a safe and viable community."

City Council, does that sound familiar? Or haven't you read it lately?