Wednesday, September 09, 2009

Wheee! Bike lanes, redistricting and commentary from the city council's A#1 barbecued bologna vendor.

Tribune reporter Daniel Suddeath returns from his holiday to the first of two big stories.

CHANGING LANES: Section of Spring Street now featuring bike paths, two lanes

Spring Street is a little bit safer for cyclists, as Mayor Doug England confirmed Wednesday bike lanes will be finished along the New Albany route this week ...

... The way it looks right now, the lane changes are confusing, City Council President Dan Coffey said. He feels the bike lanes were added to appease a certain segment of New Albany. “The mayor is going to do anything he can to help the progressives out because he figures they’re going to help get him re-elected,” Coffey said.
Suddeath then turns to story number two, an old saw back in the news:

2007 redistricting plan used for new city boundaries

A few precincts have been shuffled, but there’s still plenty of controversy surrounding a redistricting ordinance that’s being used to file New Albany’s voting boundaries.


Floyd County Clerk Linda Moeller announced the changes Wednesday, as six New Albany precincts have been moved as ordered in a December 2007 City Council ordinance. In a news release, Moeller stated the Floyd County Election Board had to request the changes through the Statewide Voter Registration System, or SVRS, in Indianapolis.

Unfortunately for Suddeath, he seems to have spent quite a lot of time on the phone with Coffey, who is capable of being just as, er, "creative" with facts when it comes to counting voters as he is when chasing bicyclists on his big blue tricycle.
“The council gave this group an opportunity, they actually drew their own map, but they had no support from the public and no support from the council,” Coffey said.
Seems to me that our Cappuccino is becoming unsettled. Wonder why?

9 comments:

Larry M. Summers said...

I drew up a plan eerily similar to what was used on Spring St. The two bike lanes will allow for a much smoother transition to two way traffic. Coffey is so clueless that he wouldn't know a good idea if it smacked him in the face.

If we are going to be competitive in the future, we must meet the need of individuals that want to live downtown. This downtown is about to explode and the infrastructure really should be put in place to handle it.

Highwayman said...

So once again as it concerns fair & legal elections, this Council via its President is perfectly willing to ignore a Federal judges opinion, Indiana State Statute, and the US Constitution for so long as the silent majority remains silent!



The rule of law means nothing! The future of our city means nothing! Honesty, integrity, and upholding the oath taken when accepting the office means nothing!



To the silent majority I say remain so and you deserve every drop of water in your basements, every drug house on your block, every rodent taking up residence in the uncontrolled piles of refuse, and every pot hole we drive thru.



Or as Gomer would say, "For shame, for shame, for shame!!"



Oh, and bye the bye, to those of you descending on Washingington D.C., if you have the nerve take a walk in the neighborhoods just outside the protected area surrounding the Capitol at dusk and say hello to what our city will look like in a few years if we continue to withhold funds for infrastructure, police, and building controls.

Iamhoosier said...

There is an error in Daniel's story on redistricting.

Prior to this redistricting, District "2" was the largest, not "4".

Iamhoosier said...

According to Mr. Coffey, when a politician listens to a constituent that he(Coffey)doesn't like, it's only politics.

Also, the "plaintiff's" plan was called politically motivated because some council members would be in the same district even though that plan had a variance of less than 50. The current plan has a variance 10 times worse and all council members are protected.

Politics, anyone?

Daniel S said...

Sorry, had that right at the top and missed it at the bottom.

Tommy2x4 said...

“The mayor is going to do anything he can to help the progressives out because he figures they’re going to help get him re-elected,”

can we sign this guy up for the "Tool Academy?"

Jeff Gillenwater said...

A simple question that should be asked of each council member: Why (or why not) is the 2007 plan better for citizens than the one drawn up by the council appointed committee?

lawguy said...

RB -

Come by the office and see me.

I sued the City of Jeffersonville in Federal Court in 2002(ish) and was part of the team that got their redistricting accomplished. We went to trial, and the Federal Judge enacted our propsed plan.

Enough is enough with this nonsense here...I'm happy to help get involved if you want me.

- Pete

SBAvanti63 said...

I'm surprised that Dan Coffey even knows about the bike lanes and lane changes. I wouldn't have thought that he would even cross State Street into the heart of downtown where "them people" shop, eat, drink and live.