Live blogging: City council meeting of March 19.

Recusal, or not to recusal.


High drama as the meeting starts: Dan Coffey brings Cheetoh's to share with fellow obstructionist, Steve Price. Welcome to the show. I will endeavor to shake off the effects of pre-meeting dinner and report the evening's events.

CALL TO ORDER: Dan calls us to order.

PRAYER AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Members of ROCK chant louder.

ROLL CALL: Jack Messer is absent.

APPROVAL OR CORRECTION OF THE FOLLOWING MINUTES:
Common Council public hearing minutes for March 2, 2009 - approved
Common Council regular meeting minutes for March 2, 2009 - approved

COMMUNICATIONS – PUBLIC:

1. Lloyd Wimp will wait until non-agenda item speaking.

2. John Naville - Z-09-05, John Kraft, attorney for the funeral home and The Gary (McCartin), said he could not be here tonight. Council agreed to proceed, and it is requested that the docket be put on the April meeting to be allowed fair representation.

Jeff Gahan: It was not removed and put back on. Gahan Benedetti says that her brother should be allowed fair representation. Recusal questions? Gahan forcefully defends keeping it on the agenda. Coffey looks desperately to keep it off, but ... he cannot pull it. Only the one introducing it can pull it. Benedetti now desperate to get it off. Attorney Robison now consulted: Research indicates there is no rule compelling a wait, although continuances always previously granted. Gahan has no apparent intention of backing off.

3. Paula, a resident of Lexington Drive. Compliments the council. Addresses The Gary's project. He has applied again for the Wendy's move, and no mention has been made of a meeting with neighbors, which previously was mentioned as necessary. Supports maintaining the character of the neighborhood (64 households) - current value of properties almost $10 million ... and they vote! Uneasy shiftin all around as the magic words are uttered.

4. Kelton Reiter (sic) - another Lexington Drive resident.

5. Carol Armstrong - Lexington Drive ... what's interesting here is that she speculates aloud what the qualifications of city council members are when it comes to development and redevelopment issues. Steve Price playing with his pen. I believe this is a suitable answer.

6. Bob Dusch - "End run" to develop commercially. Explains that zoning laws exist to protect property owners. Waste of neighborhood and council time. "We will have been sold out for a hamburger joint ... Wendy's isn't even owned locally." Mrs. Benedetti is now singled out. She ran as Diane MCCARTIN Benedetti. How can she vote on bro's project? Tribune pointed out the seeming conflict of interest ... "appearance is important."

Benedetti responds: (1) Yes I ran on that basis. I have no capital gain. Voted him down before. I did my research (she gets very hysterical) ... wants to make "solutions not problems." Doesn't have an e-mail address because "I don't want people e-mailing me ... I want them calling me." Now says that brother and the others have actually spoken with Bob. She now gestures to the crowd like Steve Price always does. Now she denigrates downtown New Albany as comparison. She cherishes the exurb. BIG BIG time grandstanding. BIG BIG time grandstanding. No capital gain, no conflict of interest.

COFFEY intervenes: "No more personal attacks." He says that the council can't be emotional, but must be dispassionate.

Amazing stuff here. The most flagrant Coffey hypocrisy in months - the flamethrower posing as peacemaker.

7. David Campbell - Lexington Drive. "Proposal continues to fall short." He is consistently the best and most articulate opponent of The Gary's plans, outlining zoning precedents and citing legalities. He is the only speaker who asks that a consideration of PUD standards be a part of this discussion.

8. Jeff Roudenbush - Kroger open 24 hours ... well, maybe it isn't ... JR has lived in the area, and also likes Frosties. Says that 3 issues come up. One, "plenty of vacant space already." Disagrees: Says that vacancies are a part of vibrant economies, and don't preclude new construction. (principles of adaptive reuse?) Two: Currently wasting huge infrastructure expenditure in NA ... area in question built to handle bigger volumes of traffic than current used. JR supports further building of the area according to ability to add traffic (doesn't question the utility of vehicular traffic?) and says that zoning should have been changed then to accommodate The Gary's every whim. Three: Does anyone know how much good a new Wendy's might do for NA? JR likes Wendy's!! Maybe they'll shop some more!! Maybe people will flock to Wedny's in the new location. Wendy's might leave altogether IF WE DON'T ACT SOON!! We need to "fight NIMBY." "Principles of development."

9. Earl Cummings of Savannah Drive - lived there for ten years. Accurately describes the exurban march of business and the vacancies it leaves behind. Responds to the "move if you don't like it mantra": "Well, I don't want to move." He thinks it's just about money ... no one came to him and talked to him. No one consulted. He articulates the case against green field sprawl from a decidedly blue-collar, non-snob perspective. Against developing every last piece of property for a few more dollars.

10. Bryan Wickens of ... "a New Albany resident." Important to continue thwarting sex issues. Thanks everyone on behalf of children, families, grandparents and house pets.

11. Laurie lives nearby The Gary's epic, and opposes it. Period.

12. Evan Campbell - Lexington Drive. PUD & Wendy's. We've all "felt personally attacked these 19 months." "Dehumanizing" words from Kraft (previously), and cites "outrageous claims" about the usefulness of Wendy's. Keeps coming before the council without a break. Hilarious digression ... who is here "crying out" for a Wendy's? (But it isn't fast food, it's Wendy's). What about the requirements? Very impassioned and funny material.

13. Paul Hearst - Lafayette Drive again. Asks questions. Forceful, older man.

Benedetti says he should go to the stormwater board for relief.