Yesterday following the Bored of Public Works and (variable) Safety meeting, word began spreading that dates had been set for (insert words here) to (insert more words here) Jeff Speck's comprehensive Downtown Street Network Proposal.
But which words?
It shouldn't come as very much of a surprise to even the most casual of observers that a City Hall team largely disinterested in intellectual pursuits would gleefully obfuscate the nature of any such gathering. Consequently, depending on what you read, who wrote it and where you saw it, these interminably drawn out, politically contrived events might be classified in one (or more) of three ways:
Public hearing
Public meeting
Public information session
The Bookseller explains why meeting meanings matter in a Gahanist context.
Again the term "public meetings" is being used. As conducted by the Gahan administration, these are a far cry from public hearings where citizens and stakeholders give testimony or testimonials or are able to ask questions in front of all who are in attendance.
The "public meetings" on recreational facilities, including the pool, were a shameful exercise in shoving things down our throats and stifling debate.
I'm for the Speck plan and though I'm not confident that Gahan is, too, there's a slight presumption that the idea is to carry it out. But either way, opponents and proponents should be able to speak, in public, to the decision-makers.
Will that be the case?
The Bookseller asked Larry Summers, city engineer, for details.
Can we expect Jeff Speck to be at these meetings?
Larry promptly answered.
At these three meetings, you can expect your local traffic expert and City Engineer to present the study to the public as I did at the BOW. Subsequently, I'll listen to public comments on the study to incorporate them into our understanding of the study. Mr. Speck was booked for many months out so he will not be present; however, I know this document rather well and should be able to answer any questions from the public.
Reading this, I felt chills run up and down my spine. Sure enough, these fears were confirmed in an e-mail from city employee and bored of works member Cheryl Cotner:
John & Larry will be giving their presentation and then will open it up to the public for questions.
That's right.
John Rosenbarger, the city's foremost traffic charlatan, and the fraudulent shyster who gave us the Main Street deforestation boondoggle -- the time server whose proboscis makes Pinocchio's nose look like a deviated septum -- will be trotted out to "support" Speck's proposals, most of which serve as a concise and all-encompassing refutation of Rosenbarger's entire sham of a career.
As for the three-month long timing, it's the clearest indication to date that Mayor Jeff Gahan intends to do nothing about the city's streets until after elections have concluded in 2015. As bridge-borne traffic dislocations draw ever closer, Gahan intends to squander his entire four year term ... and pretend otherwise.
Regime change now ... but first, a lamentation: Ripe, splatter-prone tomatoes are out of season, making it difficult to decide on a fruit or vegetable to throw at John Rosenbarger during these events. Whatever you decide, my advice is to buy early, permitting an advanced state of decomposition to proceed.
Rotten fruit, meet the Rasputin of Redevelopment. Aim carefully. He uses that nose like a baseball bat, and has enjoyed too many years to practice.
I feel so VERY sorry for Larry.
***Downtown Street Network Proposal "Public Information Session" Dates***
Thursday, January 29, 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. at the New Albany-Floyd County Public Library (180 W. Spring St.; Strassweg Auditorium)
Saturday, February 21, 10:30 a.m. - Noon at the Carnegie Center (201 E. Spring St.)
Wednesday, March 18, 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. at the Pepin Mansion on Main Street (1003 E. Main St.)
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