There was little of significance on the agenda last night at council, so little in fact that members wondered why President Marty Bender had even bothered to hold the meeting. You see, there seems to be a cycle to the business of council not unlike various rhythms of life and, in council’s case, they peak during the budget season when there is a parade of paper and people to the table.
Well, John Crawford. He offered his support to me when I fought the changes to Calhoun Street, so our last contact was as allies. I also was a strong supporter of a downtown ballpark, so he voted as I probably would have, and I loath smoking, so I have only a few qualms about his effort to force health on us. Additionally, the chats I had with him during his tenure on council informed me that he was very astute, well educated, deeply caring about Fort Wayne and tough.
It was a fresh start last night, all smiles, laughter, joking. City council had not been in session for three weeks and members greeted each other as old friends, almost like a class reunion.
The Skybridge and the Embassy. I am still not happy with the arrangement the city has with the new downtown hotel people concerning our access to the sky bridge. “Due to security concerns” the hotel will only make it accessible to we unwashed masses on those rare occasions when the Embassy is hosting an event. Since we paid for the damn bridge we should be able to use it during some sort of regular hours, say 6am to 10pm. Park in the garage near the Marriott and walk from there to the Grand Wayne Parking Garage. Why not? You paid for it and during heavy rain or snowfall it could be a life-saver.
Well, that is what Mitch Harper said last night at city council. “Government is the problem.” Government, however, is not the problem, instead it is those who either do not know the rules or who do not bother to play by them. Ignoramuses or cheaters. Mitch was ticked when he condemned all government. He was angry, so he was abrupt, perhaps a bit too abrupt. I think what he meant to say was that certain members of city council simply have no idea of Robert’s Rules of Order and, consequently, cause meetings to resemble a replay of a keystone cops skit. The resulting confusion, according to Mitch, makes council look stupid and inept. The rambling cacophonies waste time, cause the public to “dial out,” and hinders progress.
Except for a visit last night by Ian Roland and Jeff Krull, it was a pretty uneventful night to the casual observer. It was a a committee session with ordinances introduced, rationalized or explained by city officials and passed out of committee. The usual stuff with no great ideological or person skirmishes. Tom Smith was away, and Glynn Hines presided. Tim Pape barely attended. He arrived just in time for his committee bills to be read, whisked through them with abandon and then settled back into his chair as if having crossed a finish line.
Blow for blow, topic for topic, insult for insult, last night’s City Council meeting was the most interesting I have seen in the year that I have been following that august body.
There is an old Roger’s Friendly Market on Fairfield just south of Casa d’Angelo, south of Lutheran Park, north of the Oakdale neighborhood. It is a battle field.
Developers want to tear down half of the 18,000 square foot building and convert the rest to a strip mall and filling station. It will look nice, but will not match the neighborhood surrounding it. In fact, it will look like something in from Aboite and nothing like the 1920s architecture surrounding it. Additionally, it is surrounded by single family homes, mostly three bedroom two story homes with porches and kids. The building has been vacant and has attracted some of the illegal activity that vacant buildings seem to welcome.
City council is more interesting to me than any movie, any TV program, many social events. There is occasional drama, humor and pathos, not to mention combat. I am there defending my tax dollar and the character of my city. You should be, too.
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Well, that is what Mitch Harper said last night at city council. “Government is the problem.” Government, however, is not the problem, instead it is those who either do not know the rules or who do not bother to play by them. Ignoramuses or cheaters. Mitch was ticked when he condemned all government. He was angry, so he was abrupt, perhaps a bit too abrupt. I think what he meant to say was that certain members of city council simply have no idea of Robert’s Rules of Order and, consequently, cause meetings to resemble a replay of a keystone cops skit. The resulting confusion, according to Mitch, makes council look stupid and inept. The rambling cacophonies waste time, cause the public to “dial out,” and hinders progress.
Except for a visit last night by Ian Roland and Jeff Krull, it was a pretty uneventful night to the casual observer. It was a a committee session with ordinances introduced, rationalized or explained by city officials and passed out of committee. The usual stuff with no great ideological or person skirmishes. Tom Smith was away, and Glynn Hines presided. Tim Pape barely attended. He arrived just in time for his committee bills to be read, whisked through them with abandon and then settled back into his chair as if having crossed a finish line.
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