Most people assume it’s normal for the City Staff to set 90% of the council agendas. After all, “that’s their job,” right?
But here’s what many don’t see: that arrangement quietly hurts every resident in Benson, Staff agendas almost always push for “growth,” “economic development,” “progress,” or “sustainable revenue.” Those words sound important and responsible. In reality, they often mean new fees, zoning changes, development incentives, or programs that expand city revenue and staff priorities.
The deceit is in the details, these moves cost real dollars that come straight out of residents’ pockets, while the benefits often flow somewhere else. Benson doesn’t make widgets, we don’t run a factory that generates independent profit. Every dollar the city spends ultimately comes from the people who live here, through property taxes, utility bills, sales taxes, and higher costs passed along from development. Every single dollar the city spends hurts our families, even when the individual hit feels small.
Those dollars add up fast. Think about it like this: Tax money pays the city staff’s salaries, so when staff push agenda items that grow government spending or revenue, we pay. It’s like children “helping” pay the rent with the allowance you gave them.
They’re using our own money to look helpful, while we're left covering the real bills.
There’s a fundamental disconnect. Sure, staff members pay taxes too, but those taxes largely come from the same pool they’re spending. They’re not in the same boat as the working families, retirees, and small business owners who feel every rate increase and every missed pothole.
If we could cut waste, stop inefficient spending, and save the average household even $1,000 a year, roughly $83 extra per month, that money would stay in our pocket. Imagine what an extra $50.00 to $100 per month spent right here in Benson could do, that’s real money back in our pocket, money we can spend locally instead of watching it disappear into inefficient programs.
With roughly 2,400 households in Benson, if we cut waste and save the average family just $83 a month ($1,000 a year), that’s almost $200,000 every single month flowing back into our local economy. That’s real economic stimulus for our small businesses on 4th Street, our restaurants, mechanics, and shops, money spent by the people who actually live here, not filtered through City Hall programs that often deliver little return.
Could we save every household $1,000 a year right away? Probably not in year one. But with 2,400 households and a $48 million budget, even trimming 3–5% of waste and low-priority spending gets us most of the way there. That’s not pie-in-the-sky, it’s basic fiscal responsibility.. Other towns have done it by cutting subsidies to losing operations, tightening contracts, and forcing every expense to justify itself.
Right now, we fund abstract programs that sound nice in a staff report but deliver questionable results for everyday residents. We chase revenue projects while basic services, roads, fire protection, water infrastructure, struggle.
I believe residents are better at deciding where their money goes than bureaucrats are. When you spend locally, you reward the businesses that actually serve our community. You support the people who coach Little League and pay taxes here. That’s real bottom-up economic development that fits Benson’s rural, self-reliant character.
Top-down “growth” agendas often fail the common-sense test. They promise jobs and revenue but deliver higher costs, strained resources, and more pressure on families already stretching every dollar.
Meanwhile, the insiders stay comfortable because the system is designed to keep feeding itself. My vision is different. As a council member, I will fight to take back control of the agenda so elected officials, not unelected staff, set the priorities. We will demand real efficiency and spending cuts first. We will make every decision to pass the Benson First test: Does this actually help the families already living here? Does it protect our water, our roads, our safety, and our quality of life? Or are we just growing the government on the backs of taxpayers?
I’m not against growth. I’m against growth that burdens the people who built this town. I’m not against city programs. I’m against waste that treats residents like an ATM while basics get neglected.
Benson’s strength has always been its people, hardworking, independent, and community-minded. We don’t need more government solutions that use our own money to create the illusion of progress. We need leadership that trusts you with our own dollars, cuts unnecessary spending, and focuses on the fundamentals.
If we save even $1,000 per household per year and let families spend it locally, we will see stronger businesses, more resilient families, and a town that actually feels like home again. This is why I’m running for City Council in the May 19 recall election. I’m a husband, father, and longtime Benson resident who believes in self-reliance and practical decisions. I will fight every day for transparency, accountability, and Benson First priorities.
My vision is different. As a council member, I will fight to take back control of the agenda so elected officials, not unelected staff, set the priorities. I will make every decision pass the Benson First test:
- Does this actually help the families already living here?
- Does it protect our water, our roads, our safety, and our quality of life?
- Or are we just growing government on the backs of taxpayers?
Vote Mark Boyle Special Recall Election May 19, 2026
Protect what’s ours , before it’s gone. Benson First, always!
If the City cuts waste, and saves the average family just $83 a month ($1,000 a year), that’s almost $200,000 every single month flowing back into our local economy. That’s real economic stimulus for our small businesses on 4th Street, our restaurants, mechanics, and shops, money spent by the people who actually live here, not filtered through City Hall programs that often deliver little return.