Baird flips, connector road flops, and the ochlocracy rules.

This happened Tuesday.

Here's the plan commission's climbdown ...

New Albany commission amends plan, removes controversial road from park project, by Daniel Suddeath (N and T)

New Little League fields and a Floyd County park are closer to becoming a reality; however, more hurdles will have to be cleared before the joint project comes to fruition.

But there won’t be a road in the middle of the park ... The New Albany Plan Commission voted 6-4 Tuesday to amend its comprehensive plan to remove the section that called for the completion of Highland Oaks Drive from Kamer Miller Road to Charlestown Road.

 ... and here's the explanation proffered by a crucial "swing" voter.

Councilwoman Shirley Baird, who is also a member of the commission, voted against the variance for the park in April. She said Tuesday the residents of Highland Oaks overwhelmingly opposed the road extension; therefore, Baird voted for the amendment.

Mrs Baird may have been right as to the specific merits of the non-road, but I doubt she'd apply the same logic to a human rights issue, i.e., 9 out of 10 New Albany's supposed "Democrats" oppose same sex marriage, therefore ... well, you get my drift, even if they don't.

So, refresh my memory: First the Mt. Tabor roundabout, then Highland Oaks Drive. How many residents of the Spring, Elm and Market corridors have to fill a meeting to get two-way streets?

Or does "quality of life" even apply to us?

Ochlocracy ... from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ochlocracy (Greek: ὀχλοκρατία, okhlokratía; Latin: ochlocratia) or mob rule is the rule of government by mob or a mass of people, or the intimidation of legitimate authorities. As a pejorative for majoritarianism, it is akin to the Latin phrase mobile vulgus meaning "the fickle crowd", from which the English term "mob" was originally derived in the 1680s.

Ochlocracy ("rule of the general populace") is democracy ("rule of the people") spoiled by demagoguery, "tyranny of the majority", and the rule of passion over reason, just like oligarchy ("rule of a few") is aristocracy ("rule of the best") spoiled by corruption, and tyranny is monarchy spoiled by lack of virtue. Ochlocracy is synonymous in meaning and usage to the modern, informal term "mobocracy", which emerged from a much more recent colloquial etymology.