Celebrate the New Albany Street Piano, while remembering Team Gahan's dismal reaction to it.

It is fitting and proper for Hannegan to say what she does in the commentary linked below, in which she applauds the playing of a new tune.

Consider also this summary, posted last week by NAC's Jeff Gillenwater.

First, there was a request to place a piano on a public sidewalk in New Albany; a fun, harmless, and completely normal happening around the world. Then there were months of city officials sidestepping and ignoring that request. Then there were additional weeks and multiple meetings of artificially constructed and wholly irrelevant hurdles put in place. Then there was media attention and, by New Albany standards, an expression of public support for the piano and exasperation with the City sizable enough to embarrass the officials involved. And then there was finally approval, with an almost equally embarrassing rearguard attempt to claim officials had supported it all along. I wish any of that was out of the ordinary but it's a near perfect example of what ordinary is here, even and especially when the stakes are much higher. Playing a new tune couldn't be any more welcome.

As any teacher knows, there's always an important lesson to be learned, and in this instance it must be remembered that in the aftermath of a board of works meeting last week in which the street piano finally was set free, Hannegan Roseberry absorbed a fair share of intemperate social media abuse from Team Gahan.

This is very unfair, and someone needs to say it aloud. It might as well be me.

Hannegan didn’t know about the "free the piano" Facebook page, because I did it on my own without asking her, secure in the knowledge that my sub-par “photoshopping” skills immediately would identify it as mine – to my anonymous Twitter parodist (why is a masked Rogar acceptable if my signed satire is not?), if to no one else.

Furthermore, Hannegan also didn’t know about Michael Wimmer’s protest piano project. In fact, I believe they only met for the first time as she walked past on her way to the meeting.

So, in short: If any of you wish to “bully” someone, my advice is to leave her out of it and come straight to the source of your displeasure: Me.

Why?

Because I’m the thorn in your paw.

I’m the one exposing your chicanery and detailing your errors.

I’m the one creating serious doubts in the minds of the voters ... one at a time, little by little.

I’m the occupant of your anxiety closet, instigating your existential crisis, and keeping those Tums shareholders happy.

I’m the one throwing my head back and laughing, because I'm old enough to remember Democrats like Hubert Humphrey, "The Happy Warrior."

Let's be blunt: Your wounds are self-inflicted. It didn't need to be this way. You did it to yourselves, and in the end, it's all good, because there'll be an election in November.

Team Gahan will seek to buy it by flashing photos of a pool on TIF plastic, payable by our grandchildren, as the self-interested cadres pretend to be democratic, (lower case) and masquerade as Democrats (upper case).

The Republican will counter by saying, "I'm not Gahan," offering as an alternative our county government's chronic austerity and disinvestment.

The remainder of us will get to work building something tangible, absent the Kool-Aid spiked with Walt Disney.

Kudos to Hannegan for her perseverance. Let's just not forget who put her through this ridicuously unnecessary wringer: Team Gahan.

Newly dubbed: Celebrate the New Albany Street Piano.

ROSEBERRY: Time to play a new tune: Let's shift the narrative on the New Albany street piano, by Hannegan Roseberry (News and Tribune)

More than three months ago, I approached the New Albany Board of Works with the idea of installing a street piano. Little did I know, Pandora’s Box of political jockeying was about to be opened.

The goal of this project was to spread music and joy, not to ignite a firestorm surrounding City Hall. Over the past four months, I have inadvertently served as whipping post/pied piper/musical Robin Hood for quirky arts in New Albany. I’ve made some people unhappy with me by chronicling my experience, and I’ve made others very excited that this fun project is coming to fruition.