There was a city council meeting last night. People said some things, and then they voted some. The council members were well behaved, except for this one short tempered guy, Dan Coffey, not finding any information and getting all huffy about it when people laughed at him. I think he may need a filing cabinet or something. Another one, long haired dude named Price, just voted “no” most of the time, even when it was about letting handicapped people use the sidewalk and shit.This fellow from the newspaper was there, and here’s what he thought about it.
Yeah, and a bunch of contractors also turned out after the fact to give a detailed explanation of why a city with a Tree Board doesn’t use it at all, but this isn’t the same neglecting kind of thang as having codes the city won’t enforce, and those scraggly trees at the church had to come down, and if we really wanted to know what was happening before it happens, we’d all go to the Board of Works meeting on Tuesday morning – the BOW can’t help it if no one comes and the newspaper guy doesn’t report it, and this is all transparent enough for rock and roll in an 1860’s era river town – and I came away feeling really good about detailed explanations that occur when it's over and done.
Then I got lumped in with a bald headed guy. Turns out we're hypocrites, so I'm thinking, hmm, maybe it's time I go back to being a beer expert. If tree removal is the only expenditure of political capital in 2 & 1/2 years, then maybe that wallet's skint, anyway.
Change I can believe in -- cool beans. Where did I hear that one before? It sure wasn't New Albany. Here, it's only, "thank you ... may I have another?"
Change I can believe in -- cool beans. Where did I hear that one before? It sure wasn't New Albany. Here, it's only, "thank you ... may I have another?"
Since all of the paving money was not allocated can you work on getting the alley behind BSB paved. I almost lost a fork lift in there yesterday and Connor's customers are having a hard time dodging the forklift filled hole.
ReplyDelete...or maybe just pull up the asphalt and use the good cobblestone already there. But oh, that wouldn't make the pavers happy would it.
ReplyDeleteIf I may be allowed one brief point of clarification: I believe that you were probably lumped in with a shaved-head dude, rather than a bald one. For an illustration of this point, please see Pardon The Interruption on ESPN. As Michael Wilbon has explained vis-a-vis Tony Kornheiser, the two styles are not the same. Kornheiser is bald, whereas Wilbon is shaved.....for those who care about such things.
ReplyDeleteInteresting analysis, Meatbe, but "bald" was correct. The shaved head is just proper grooming for a bald guy, and undoubtedly a favor to the sighted world.
ReplyDeleteLike The New Albanian, I've discovered a hole in my purse where I've been storing, unspent, any political capital I've accumulated over the past six years. Turns out all that's left are wooden nickels. I suspect a burglary, but I could be wrong.
R. I'd like to compliment you on one of your most succinct and insightful commentaries on a city council meeting since you’ve begun live blogging. Very informative.
ReplyDeleteThis is off topic, but can somebody tell me if Northside Christian Church is also in the restaurant business? Not to take anything away from the One So. In. award recipients, but is a church the most appropriate venue for a secular business luncheon? Aren't there plenty of actual tax-paying restaurants and events establishments in Floyd and Clark counties whose business this is? Of all organizations, you'd think the Chamber of Commerce would want to patronize one of their own. Maybe restaurants should consider including religious services on their menus.
ReplyDeleteI've taken notice of that myself, RuthAnne. I'd suggest they are patronizing one of their own.
ReplyDeleteI'm not clear on how the process works, but Bryan Wickens of ROCK was a finalist in their competition for professional of the year this week.
Even if the selection process was handled independently of the staff and board, I think a theocracy advocate receiving the honor is somewhat indicative of who the 1SI audience is.
Thanks, Jeff. I didn't realize ROCK was involved.
ReplyDeleteDon't know why I was surprised at the Tribune story, since church has essentially become a business -especially the mega churches. They are very good at marketing and many of them have corporate CEO's among their active members -David Novak of YUM at SE Christian, for example. Soon they'll have corporate logos on their buildings
'Tis often difficult to separate the two, especially since so many work so hard to combine them.
ReplyDeleteNext year, we should nominate and vote like hell for the director of some actual communist organization and see what happens.
It always interests me that affiliating with some organizations is poo-pooed as it may create the appearance of tacit approval but when the same folks affiliate themselves with other organizations, it's not considered that at all.
All,
ReplyDeleteI don't know all the reasons they have the event at the church, but one of them is simple — room. I'm pretty sure The Grand or Kye's doesn't hold that many people.
1si gives its annual report at The Grand, and it's about half the crowd that normally attends the biz awards. That room at the church is pretty damn big.
As for the contest, you can nominate businesses at will, but then that business or person still must fill out an entry form (containing several questions). Then, those entries are judged by about 10 people, independently.
I have judged the past few years.
Cheers, Shea.
Given 1SI's proclivity for bonding itself to religious causes (see: ROCK) an its unquestioning support of the downtown bridge, I'm again asking myself if the last year's worth of "engagement" woth them has done me any real good.
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking about changing my last name to Stemler. Maybe I could sell cups of beer to bridge workers until retirement.
Thanks for the info, Shea. I can't say I feel any better knowing that a significant enough portion of ten or so people think advocating theocracy is worthy of professional praise or that 1SI would consider the nomination legitimate.
ReplyDeleteI guess those voters better hope that their views are never deemed out of line with the imaginary "culture" who's reclamation is being sought.
Forced religious participation, sexual orientation discrimination, etc. = award finalist? 1SI would do well to decry such things as a matter of economic development, let alone basic human rights.
1SI's policy wing would probably again claim that they don't do social issues. That they don't seem to make the connection that economic development, tax, education, and transportation policies are all social policies is reason enough to hoist a major caution flag.