Flying Monkeys and New Albanians
Wasn't it the flying monkeys in the 1939 classic movie version of L. Frank Baum's The Wizard of Oz who began their march with the chant of "Oh-Eeh-Oh, Ohhhh-Eeh-Oh?"
Perhaps the reason neither The Tribune nor The Courier-Journal saw fit to cover last night's meeting is their foreknowledge that little traditional news was expected to result.
A nasty little contretemps threatened to make last night's meeting a rancorous one after Greg Roberts reported that the mayor had reversed his position on the hiring of an ordinance enforcement officer (OEO). I'm quite certain that Greg will be reevaluating the credibility of his source on this one as it turns out nothing of the sort was ever contemplated.
The originator of this tempest (you know who you are) did a disservice to the city, the administration, and the council. But most of all, you damaged Mr. Roberts and the East Spring Street Neighborhood Association, who have done so much to get the OEO position on the front burner. This blogger, too, contributed to the tempest, by repeating the report and even though this Web log couched the matter in proper journalistic fashion with "weasel words" like "reportedly" and "if true," the activist call for action was inappropriately provocative and we regret our part in it.
The public comment portion of the evening was led off by Valla Ann Bolovschak, about whom more later. Her performance was one every citizen should have seen and we'll be addressing the substance of her comments in a follow-on posting.
A certain Ms. Behr (sp-truly, I haven't a clue how to spell it), urged the council to explore the idea of synchronizing the city's traffic lights, particularly along Spring and State streets, saying that with gas prices so high, it would save money and make it much more convenient to move through town, much as she is able to do where she works in Louisville, Ky. Of course, readers of this blog know that the appropriate forum for such suggestions/complaints is the Board of Public Works, which meets at 10:30 every Tuesday.
Council members briefly mentioned that it should be brought to the BPW, but did not actually suggest to the concerned citizen that she address that body. More to the point, why didn't one or more members (maybe the one who serves her district), offer to forward her suggestion onward to the BPW? It may have been an inappropriate forum, but the lady clearly didn't realize that before and I'm not certain she knows that now.
Mr. Roberts then addressed the Council, admitting his confusion and frustration with the continued delay in hiring an OEO, touching off a prayer meeting, of sorts, in which various council members professed their great sympathy and recited a litany of complaints. One admitted that during this council's term, the condition of the city in terms of cleanliness and safety had indeed deteriorated and that they now saw the virtue of an OEO. Mr. Coffey confessed that things were getting so bad he was even coming around to the idea of implementing a rental inspection program, and idea that a few years ago he apparently rejected out of hand.
The mayor spoke toward the end, reporting on various intergovernmental matters, including the CDBG and other matters in Indy and D.C. He also expressed great surprise about the fast-spreading rumor that he had somehow backed away from implementing the OEO. He then defended his own integrity against the charge that he was a protector of "slumlords" in the city and that he was dragging his feet on enforcement.
Encouragingly, the mayor challenged his nameless accusers, calling such charges "horse----," stopping short of spoiling the decorum of the evening but clearly referencing the figurative impact and literal stench of the once-common road apple.
But then, at least one of his accusers isn't nameless and that will be the subject of an upcoming posting. Isn't it curious, though, that this accuser always gathers her entourage and decamps the council meetings well before the time for communications from the mayor?
Perhaps the reason neither The Tribune nor The Courier-Journal saw fit to cover last night's meeting is their foreknowledge that little traditional news was expected to result.
A nasty little contretemps threatened to make last night's meeting a rancorous one after Greg Roberts reported that the mayor had reversed his position on the hiring of an ordinance enforcement officer (OEO). I'm quite certain that Greg will be reevaluating the credibility of his source on this one as it turns out nothing of the sort was ever contemplated.
The originator of this tempest (you know who you are) did a disservice to the city, the administration, and the council. But most of all, you damaged Mr. Roberts and the East Spring Street Neighborhood Association, who have done so much to get the OEO position on the front burner. This blogger, too, contributed to the tempest, by repeating the report and even though this Web log couched the matter in proper journalistic fashion with "weasel words" like "reportedly" and "if true," the activist call for action was inappropriately provocative and we regret our part in it.
The public comment portion of the evening was led off by Valla Ann Bolovschak, about whom more later. Her performance was one every citizen should have seen and we'll be addressing the substance of her comments in a follow-on posting.
A certain Ms. Behr (sp-truly, I haven't a clue how to spell it), urged the council to explore the idea of synchronizing the city's traffic lights, particularly along Spring and State streets, saying that with gas prices so high, it would save money and make it much more convenient to move through town, much as she is able to do where she works in Louisville, Ky. Of course, readers of this blog know that the appropriate forum for such suggestions/complaints is the Board of Public Works, which meets at 10:30 every Tuesday.
Council members briefly mentioned that it should be brought to the BPW, but did not actually suggest to the concerned citizen that she address that body. More to the point, why didn't one or more members (maybe the one who serves her district), offer to forward her suggestion onward to the BPW? It may have been an inappropriate forum, but the lady clearly didn't realize that before and I'm not certain she knows that now.
Mr. Roberts then addressed the Council, admitting his confusion and frustration with the continued delay in hiring an OEO, touching off a prayer meeting, of sorts, in which various council members professed their great sympathy and recited a litany of complaints. One admitted that during this council's term, the condition of the city in terms of cleanliness and safety had indeed deteriorated and that they now saw the virtue of an OEO. Mr. Coffey confessed that things were getting so bad he was even coming around to the idea of implementing a rental inspection program, and idea that a few years ago he apparently rejected out of hand.
The mayor spoke toward the end, reporting on various intergovernmental matters, including the CDBG and other matters in Indy and D.C. He also expressed great surprise about the fast-spreading rumor that he had somehow backed away from implementing the OEO. He then defended his own integrity against the charge that he was a protector of "slumlords" in the city and that he was dragging his feet on enforcement.
Encouragingly, the mayor challenged his nameless accusers, calling such charges "horse----," stopping short of spoiling the decorum of the evening but clearly referencing the figurative impact and literal stench of the once-common road apple.
But then, at least one of his accusers isn't nameless and that will be the subject of an upcoming posting. Isn't it curious, though, that this accuser always gathers her entourage and decamps the council meetings well before the time for communications from the mayor?
posted by All4Word at 1:11 PM
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