While we may have been on opposite sides recently, at large councilman John Gonder is intelligent, well intentioned and conscientious. Saturday morning, he’ll be convening a meeting. As explained at his blog:
The committee formed to address the issue of rental registration and code enforcement will hold its first meeting this Saturday morning, August 23, at 10:00 A.M. in the Elsa Strassweg Auditorium in the Library.
This meeting is expected to be brief. It is intended to simply outline where the committee is headed.
Those interested are welcome, and encouraged to attend.
Of course, Gonder played a prominent role in the (perhaps) concluded smoking ban saga, which turned on a swing vote by none other than Dan Coffey. The extent to which Gonder cultivated this amazing turnabout is unknown, although it’s fair to surmise that all the council’s quasi-progressives were forced to grudgingly raid their comic book collections to achieve the elimination of workplace smoking through Coffey’s surreal swing vote.
The reason I muse aloud about these topics has much to do with my personal feelings about rental property registration, inspection, reform, and whatever other action is necessary to establish three simple facts.
Owning a rental property is a business
Rental housing is a matter of public health
This business is indeed the city’s business
I made several predictions with respect to the smoking ordinance, and the majority proved correct. Last evening Coffey was overheard commenting that the council was about to establish a strong rental property registration package, and in honor of this, I’ll make another prognostication (and hope I’m wrong).
When push comes to shove, Coffey will unceremoniously kneecap any meaningful rental property reform, and while doing so, he’ll laugh at – not with – Gonder.
Like I said, I hope I’m mistaken. But color me skeptical. I see the miraculous smoking conversion as a one-off, the true price of which we’ll never know. Now we’re going to get the real Cappuccino, once again … and to the detriment of all.
Just my 'pinion, dog.
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4 comments:
Subject: Guns, sticking to.
As the rental property registration locomotive leaves the station, presumably to pick up a few boxcars of rental property inspection, a tank car or two of meaningful enforcement, and possibly a caboose of carrot-like incentives for responsible landlords, let's hope Mr. Gonder serves as the Pinkerton agent to guard against train robbers.
Wonder if the council's newbies still believe in compromising to achieve consensus after Thursday's bloodbath?
I'm curious. Does anyone agree (irrespective of Thursday's drama) that it's time to start identifying candidates for 2011?
Is the abogado y licenciado resident in the current 5th inclined to put up his name for nomination?
A4W,
In a word, YES! As a matter of fact, I've been casting about for the past few weeks.
I've got some nibbles but sadly, no keepers as yet.
But then there is that nasty redistricting issue lying about ie; will the 2001 electionbe a legal one??
No one seems to know.
I would never stand in the way of our local librero. ;)
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