[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VELyaPdotCQ[/youtube]
Before I get into the topics at hand (Isn’t that Aerosmith song kickass!?) I want to talk a little bit about the past municipal election.
Precinct Problems
While I can tolerate computer problems with a new system (E-Polling) running out of ballots is unacceptable. It turns off voters. When Auditor Bob Litz was contacted about the problem, he blamed someone else. Sorry, that isn’t how it works. The buck stops with you. #1 don’t put political signs in your yard and #2 don’t run out of ballots.
School Board
Todd and Kate rightfully won this race, they were both supported by the unions, and they get it. Do I agree with them on every issue. NO. But I can guarantee they will both be strong voices on the school board.
Aspiring Candidates
Jesse Vavreck, who you may or may not know from running for the legislature in District 13 got handed his walking papers from the Knudson campaign early on. He actually took out petitions to run for the At-Large council seat, and I think he would have been a great candidate. But he got a call from the Quen and bailed. While I am disappointed that Jesse let the Quen push him around, I am even more disappointed that De, who complained SHE COULDN’T FIND ANYONE to run against Kermit, discouraged Jesse from running. I think he would have added a whole new dimension to the debate, he of course would have stolen votes from De (he is a democrat, and very progressive).
“100 Eyes on Silliness”
Patrick Lalley, “Kermit Staggers supporters are not involved in politics on any other level.”
Yup, Pat went there. He said this on election night about Kermit’s supporters. Obviously he knows nothing about Kermit’s supporters, they are very in tune with the issues, and never miss an election. He did however say I was a supporter and do know my stuff, then said this,
“But he is a little strange and would agree.”
Okay, I am very strange, but casting Staggers’ supporters as weirdos? C’mon Pat. Let’s talk weird. You ride your bike to work everyday (kudos) but hire someone to shovel your drive. WTF?!
$4 million shot down for the Events Center
This is interesting for a number of reasons, the council is starting to reposition themselves on issues. Some are realizing that the public voted for a $115 million dollar EC to be paid for with strictly bonds paid back in interest and principal payments. Others, like the mayor, think we should chip away at our hard earned tax dollars, which take away from infrastructure projects, to pay for the place. This will get interesting once the Three Musketeers get involved . . .
The Three Musketeers
Okay, I am making an early prediction, but I can guarantee you will see an alliance between councilors Anderson, Jamison and Staggers. Don’t get me wrong, they will not always agree. But they will be a voting block force.
Michelle and Sue are ‘Swing’ voters, and never give a hint where they are going, but could support the Musketeers.
Karsky – I give up.
Diamond Jim and Tex Golfing will always have the mayor’s back.
Can’t wait for the sparks to fly. It is important to note, that Dr. Staggers knows the charter, knows state law, knows history and taxation, he also knows council procedures. I advise the Mayor to brush up on these topics before Kermit is sworn in.
Pretty rockin’!
I’m sure what upsets Pat Lalley is that Staggers supporters don’t subscribe to the Argus. But then again not many do anymore.
Speaking of the argus, did they change that 10 article online limitation? Looks like they now periodical give you a new 10. Wonder how that works at places like the library.
Speaking of Kermit, (didn’t vote for him or Dee) there will be times when his votes align with Anderson and Jamison but calling them the three musketeers is a little silly. Although, it would better than a reprisal of his role as Dr. No.
I think the argus hands out a new 10 on the first of each month. There is a way to get around that…but given the local political views they spew, why bother? I will give Ellis a break tho…he seems to get it. Too bad….we need a newspaper that does not bow to it’s advertisers and employers that don’t use unpaid furloughs to cover multi-million dollar CEO compensation packages.
Nice analysis. I think your predictions are “spot on.” Although – correct me if I am wrong – but I think Diamond Jim may have given to the Karsky campaign thus “the return of favor” will be a playing card once again. IE Entenman was the force behind getting Karsky on this council and we saw the ramifications of that with the EC vote. My suggestion to Karsky since he has now figured out a way to actually be voted in – start answering your damn email. People voted you in. Your responsibility is to them, not yourself, the Mayor, Jim Entenman or anyone else.
Anooner – If you delete your browsing history and clear your browser’s cookies, the number resets itself.
The AL website just relies on cookies to track people for their monthly usage? A freshman computer science major could write a program to record and track IP addresses.
How is running out of ballots at 10am a “glitch” on election day? What is more important than having ballots on election day? It’s not about whiny voters, it’s about Bob Litz and other employees not doing their job. Inexcusable. Own the problem. You’re in charge and we’re paying you to have ballots on election day.
What did you expect from Mr. Litz? He transitioned into a typical politician in short order when he got on the council. The flip-flopping began right away (think Lake Ave. vacation @ 12th St. issue) and the finger-pointing followed shortly…the cronyism came naturally. The bull flies from both sides of his mouth concurrently…and it is always the fault of someone else.
Yeah, running out of ballots isn’t very wise, and quite frankly kinda amateur. I mean how hard is it to get enough ballots to a precinct when you know voter turnout is going to be low? Really? It is pretty simple, you are handed the ballot language, you send it to the printer and they print the ballots, then you distribute them.
This is an interesting break thru;
http://jenholsen.blogspot.com/2012/04/improper-election-behavior.html
I do know that both Sue and Michelle took E-Polling training, they were visible in a media video taking the class. At the time CR asked me if they were going to partake in volunteering, and I told her ‘doubtful’ that that would be improper. I assumed they were taking the class for knowledge reasons. So now we have councilors giving money to other candidates and councilors delivering ballots. Unbelievable.
You will have to watch the replay of Kermit’s interview on ‘100 Eyes’ good stuff.
://www.argusleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F99999999%2FMULTIMEDIA%2F100419010&template=livestream&nclick_check=1
They should take $2 million of that money and plug it into finishing Phase 3 of the Downtown River Greenway project when they are doing Phase 2. At least the section in front of the new hotel. For once, let’s save some money and stop with the piecemeal approach.
They should scale back that project all together. I am still puzzled why we needed a bridge at that location and amphitheatre. I think he could have spent a lot less and upgraded the bike trail and landscaping, and left it at that.
On a separate note, Kermit said today on the ‘100 Eyes’ show that De NEVER called him with concessions. Weird.
There are some that do not believe in the River Greenway project. I have seen some of the things they have lined up to do down there and it is pretty wonderful for ALL ages. Live music, things for kids and families, etc. I personally love this project and the people it will bring DT that will spend $$. We have had a river running through our DT that we have somewhat underutilized. If it is there – let’s do something to enhance its surroundings. I guess I would hope that people would hold off on forming an opinion until at least the 1st phase of this project is completed and we see what the possibilities and opportunities it may bring to our DT and our community.
I should mention to that Ellis clarified yesterday how the River Greenway project came about. He talked about it on the ‘100 Eyes’ show. He referenced the contracts that the council was asked to approve from the mayor’s office, and at the time they were only referenced as ‘Appendixes’ so the councilors wanted to know what they were (this I believe was in 2005) That is when it came out what was cooked up with the Zip Tower demolition and the deal with Cherapa. The River Greenway was NEVER something that the public wanted, this was something the Cherapa and other DT developers wanted. Sure, like I said above, it needed to be cleaned up and redone, but not to this much extravagance.
L3wis, all due respect, but it’s not like the RG project has gold pissers and valet parking. It’s a once in a generation project that was worth doing when the EC was going in and it still is now that it’s not. You also have to engineer (and sometimes re-engineer) to also last a generation. You make these things interesting with good design and it will get enough buzz to bring people in just to see it. I would think as an artist you’d appreciate that mindset.
Hey, artistically, I think it is fantastic (if only they could pour those steps straight 🙂 But just like homeowners having to pay for trimming blvd trees and fixing city sidewalks adjacent to their homes, I think the adjacent property owners (hotels, restaurants, Cherapa, etc.) should help pay for the upgrades. Not specifically the bike trail, but the ‘EXTRA’ landscaping and rockscaping. How is it any different?