Coffey Brake, or, If I Could Save Time in a Bottle
with apologies to Jim Croce
Unreported from last Thursday's City Council meeting is this howler from The Hon. Dan Coffey, council representative for the 1st District of New Albany:
"Quality of life will happen regardless."
Sure, Danny.
While engaged in a colloquy with city attorney Shane Gibson, who was attempting to explain the necessity of the city sticking to its promises and paying 21% of the cost of Scribner Place, making the YMCA a reality, adding a first-class city-owned recreation and swimming facility, and laying the groundwork for future private economic development, Mr. Coffey objected to Gibson's view that city ownership of the aquatic center was a "quality of life" issue.
You see, Gibson was looking out for the citizens of New Albany, who would have to stand in line behind YMCA members in access to the pool if it becomes the fiefdom of a private agency. Gibson points out that a private pool adds far less to the welfare and quality of life of New Albany citizens than would a public aquatic center.
I would point out that economic development in the blighted areas of the 1st and 3rd districts would be far less likely if the city sends the signal that it has abandoned all pretense of utilizing the irreplaceable resource that is our downtown. Creating a city that not only provides, but nurtures quality of life issues is job number one for a city council member.
Dan Coffey just doesn't get it. He thinks quality of life just happens.
Quality of Life is a broad term that can include many things from health and safety to arts, heritage and education. In the New Economy, Quality of Life matters, as knowledge and technology workers want to live and work in attractive, clean areas with abundant recreational and cultural opportunities...landscape, recreation and historic resources, along with livable communities are considerable assets for companies looking to locate, expand or start-up. *
One measure comes to us from the Six Nations, who are the oldest living participatory democracy on Earth. This line from a speech to the United Nations by Oren Lyons is instructive: "Our leaders were instructed to be men of vision and to make every decision on behalf of the seventh generation to come; to have compassion and love for those generations yet unborn."
Lyons, an Onandaga chief, told journalist Bill Moyers in a 1991 PBS interview, "When we were given these instructions, among many of them, one was that when you in sit in council for the welfare of the people, you counsel for the welfare of that seventh generation to come. They should be foremost in your mind, not even your generation, not even yourself, but those that are unborn. So that when their time comes here they may enjoy the same thing that you are enjoying now."
Here's another instructive excerpt:
Oren Lyons: We are now. We are now. Now is us. We're the seventh generation. I'm sitting here as the seventh generation because seven generations ago those people were looking out for me. Seven generations from now someone will be here, I know. So each generation makes sure that seven generations is coming, all the time.
Bill Moyers: And that's accountability, right?
Oren Lyons: And that's accountability. We're accountable. We, you, I, we're accountable.
Bill Moyers: To people on going?
Oren Lyons: Yes we are. And they are going to call us. They're the ones that are going to say, "Why did you do this?" Or "Why did you not do this?" **
I'm here to tell Mr. Coffey, quality of life doesn't just happen. As an elected official, it is his responsibility to use the resources of this community to build. It is not his prerogative to sit on his ass and rely on "someone else" to do it. He must be accountable to the second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh generations.
Dan Malloy, mayor of Stamford, Conn., says quality of life is "the esprit de corps of a community. " One online dictionary defines esprit de corps as: A common spirit of comradeship, enthusiasm, and devotion to a cause among the members of a group. The literal translation of this French euphemism is: esprit (spirit) + de (of) + corps (group, body). What is Dan Coffey's common spirit of comradeship? What is Dan Coffey's enthusiasm? What is Dan Coffey's devotion to a cause?
Economist/sociologist Richard Florida's thesis is that, in the new global economy, the regions that succeed will be those that are magnets for the highly educated, highly mobile, innovative people that high-wage, high-growth companies need to hire. These are cool and distinctive places that welcome newcomers, offer a wide range of quality lifestyle amenities, celebrate their diversity and allow people to validate their identities as creative people. These places offer not just one hot industry or a couple of hot companies, but an array of potential employers for talented people who define themselves in terms of their professions, not their companies. Almost always, they have a thriving urban core that serves as a source of energy and social interaction. Most also have great universities that attract a steady flow of young people and new ideas. ***
Such an economy doesn't leave people behind. But it won't tolerate obstructions. Get out of the way, Dan Coffey. New Albany is moving and it won't allow you to stop it. Why are you so bent on preventing new jobs and private investment from coming into the 1st and 3rd districts?
* Source: Mission statement, Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development.
** Source: http://www.ratical.org/many_worlds/6Nations/OL070391.html
*** Source: http://www.creativeclass.org/_flight_article_pearlstein042505.shtml
NEXT TIME: I Guess Tasmanian Devil Wranglers Don't Swim.
Unreported from last Thursday's City Council meeting is this howler from The Hon. Dan Coffey, council representative for the 1st District of New Albany:
"Quality of life will happen regardless."
Sure, Danny.
While engaged in a colloquy with city attorney Shane Gibson, who was attempting to explain the necessity of the city sticking to its promises and paying 21% of the cost of Scribner Place, making the YMCA a reality, adding a first-class city-owned recreation and swimming facility, and laying the groundwork for future private economic development, Mr. Coffey objected to Gibson's view that city ownership of the aquatic center was a "quality of life" issue.
You see, Gibson was looking out for the citizens of New Albany, who would have to stand in line behind YMCA members in access to the pool if it becomes the fiefdom of a private agency. Gibson points out that a private pool adds far less to the welfare and quality of life of New Albany citizens than would a public aquatic center.
I would point out that economic development in the blighted areas of the 1st and 3rd districts would be far less likely if the city sends the signal that it has abandoned all pretense of utilizing the irreplaceable resource that is our downtown. Creating a city that not only provides, but nurtures quality of life issues is job number one for a city council member.
Dan Coffey just doesn't get it. He thinks quality of life just happens.
Quality of Life is a broad term that can include many things from health and safety to arts, heritage and education. In the New Economy, Quality of Life matters, as knowledge and technology workers want to live and work in attractive, clean areas with abundant recreational and cultural opportunities...landscape, recreation and historic resources, along with livable communities are considerable assets for companies looking to locate, expand or start-up. *
One measure comes to us from the Six Nations, who are the oldest living participatory democracy on Earth. This line from a speech to the United Nations by Oren Lyons is instructive: "Our leaders were instructed to be men of vision and to make every decision on behalf of the seventh generation to come; to have compassion and love for those generations yet unborn."
Lyons, an Onandaga chief, told journalist Bill Moyers in a 1991 PBS interview, "When we were given these instructions, among many of them, one was that when you in sit in council for the welfare of the people, you counsel for the welfare of that seventh generation to come. They should be foremost in your mind, not even your generation, not even yourself, but those that are unborn. So that when their time comes here they may enjoy the same thing that you are enjoying now."
Here's another instructive excerpt:
Oren Lyons: We are now. We are now. Now is us. We're the seventh generation. I'm sitting here as the seventh generation because seven generations ago those people were looking out for me. Seven generations from now someone will be here, I know. So each generation makes sure that seven generations is coming, all the time.
Bill Moyers: And that's accountability, right?
Oren Lyons: And that's accountability. We're accountable. We, you, I, we're accountable.
Bill Moyers: To people on going?
Oren Lyons: Yes we are. And they are going to call us. They're the ones that are going to say, "Why did you do this?" Or "Why did you not do this?" **
I'm here to tell Mr. Coffey, quality of life doesn't just happen. As an elected official, it is his responsibility to use the resources of this community to build. It is not his prerogative to sit on his ass and rely on "someone else" to do it. He must be accountable to the second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh generations.
Dan Malloy, mayor of Stamford, Conn., says quality of life is "the esprit de corps of a community. " One online dictionary defines esprit de corps as: A common spirit of comradeship, enthusiasm, and devotion to a cause among the members of a group. The literal translation of this French euphemism is: esprit (spirit) + de (of) + corps (group, body). What is Dan Coffey's common spirit of comradeship? What is Dan Coffey's enthusiasm? What is Dan Coffey's devotion to a cause?
Economist/sociologist Richard Florida's thesis is that, in the new global economy, the regions that succeed will be those that are magnets for the highly educated, highly mobile, innovative people that high-wage, high-growth companies need to hire. These are cool and distinctive places that welcome newcomers, offer a wide range of quality lifestyle amenities, celebrate their diversity and allow people to validate their identities as creative people. These places offer not just one hot industry or a couple of hot companies, but an array of potential employers for talented people who define themselves in terms of their professions, not their companies. Almost always, they have a thriving urban core that serves as a source of energy and social interaction. Most also have great universities that attract a steady flow of young people and new ideas. ***
Such an economy doesn't leave people behind. But it won't tolerate obstructions. Get out of the way, Dan Coffey. New Albany is moving and it won't allow you to stop it. Why are you so bent on preventing new jobs and private investment from coming into the 1st and 3rd districts?
* Source: Mission statement, Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development.
** Source: http://www.ratical.org/many_worlds/6Nations/OL070391.html
*** Source: http://www.creativeclass.org/_flight_article_pearlstein042505.shtml
NEXT TIME: I Guess Tasmanian Devil Wranglers Don't Swim.
posted by All4Word at 8:17 PM
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