Bethany mayor unhappy officials get discounted Internet access

BETHANY, Mo. -- Mayor Joe Johnson is livid, and all over what other in the city's government are calling a good deal.

"To me this is blatantly wrong. It's unconscionable," Johnson said.

The issue? As part of a 10-year contract to provide antenna space on a city water tower, computer company Mid-States Services will pay a fee and offer high-speed Internet access to three city offices and five officials for the discounted rate of $100 a year.

"Why am I better than this guy that voted for me? Why should I get something for less because I'm mayor or because they're on the council?," Johnson said.

"I signed it," Johnson said of the contract with Mid-States, "but I signed it under protest."

Meanwhile, others in Bethany's city government wonder what all the fuss is about.

"We do a lot of research on the Internet. We have to," said city administrator Ron Strickland Jr.

"Yes, they could go on a Web site for their own use. Who would know? But I'm not concerned about it at all."

Strickland said other cities provide laptops and Internet access to officials. Some people, he said, just don't understand the Internet's usefulness.

"Just because we're in a small town doesn't mean we can't utilize high technology," Strickland said.