Apologies to The Bard (a guest column)

Doing a daily blog, or even a semi-regular posting, is not for everyone. But original thinking is inherent in most of us. This blog is pleased to present another view of the most recent city council meeting, offered this afternoon by netizen iamhoosier. Thanks, Mark.

Praise, burial, comedy, masquerading. All happened last night at the Common Council meeting.

First, there was a “comedy” as I read the agenda. An old cover letter was inadvertently used and was “signed” by Larry Kochert. The comedy, it turns out, foreshadowed a masquerade by Council President Gahan. Mr. Naville, attorney for the pawn shop, rose to speak during the Council’s discussion and question phase, after failing to be present at the earlier “agenda items” slot, for which he had signed up. It was suggested (I believe by Mr. Gahan) that Naville be allowed to speak. Mr. Bob Caesar (ain’t this great?) said, “If he speaks, they all speak.” Gahan froze for a moment and almost seemed ready to agree. Steve Price suggested that Mr. Naville could be questioned (which would be the proper way). Naville said that he was told at a previous meeting that it was better that he spoke when the ordinance came up (which, I do believe he was told). Gahan, again momentarily froze and then allowed the attorney to speak. And speak. And speak. Eerily reminiscent of some of the disorganized Council meetings under a past President.

I also come to praise Councilmember Steve Price. He made an excellent point about how “some” people seem to get approval (or not) with little justification. He said, “It sometimes make you wonder, just a little, if something “else” is going on”. I could not agree more. Of course, when it came time to vote, he voted to overrule the recommendation. (that was the burial)

Enough of the cuteness. The above is probably not near as “cute” as I thought when I wrote it.

Mr. Gahan is an intelligent man. I am willing to write off last night as a fluke or a just a plain mistake. I believe fairness dictates that anyone speaking for or against a proposal should be allowed to speak in the same portion of the meeting. The discussion period, before a vote, should only be for discussion among the Council and any questions they may have of the parties involved. Set it up correctly and it will help eliminate the errors of last night and make it more fair for everyone involved.

Mr. Price, just what “else” was going on with you? Really, I don’t think he is dishonest. He does seem like a nice guy but I am sure he doesn’t even see how ironic his statement and his vote is.

The pawn shop variance or rezoning (even debate about that last night) failed on a 5-3 vote. Messer, McLaughlin, and Price voting to allow the pawn shop. Mr. Naville may have lost it for the pawn shop. His final statement basically accused the Council of not doing their jobs and just being a “rubberstamp” if they didn’t vote in his client’s favor. He was very strong about it. In reality, I doubt that his ”accusation” lost it, anymore than my earlier statements against the variance won it. The votes did not change from the previous vote on this issue. Why in the world we would eliminate land from the industrial base just baffles me. I am just waiting for any of the 3 to mention the lack of industrial space in future meetings.

The Kochert Legacy Begins to Crumble

And now work begins on the other Larry's legacy...

A long-awaited and much-appreciated move by the new sewer board (created without the input of Diane McCartin-Benedetti, council member for D5) earns the top spot in Friday's editions of The Tribune.

Many have advocated for the city to use its financial and regulatory muscle to encourage preferred development. One of the most immediate ways for the city to do so is to impose or waive various fees.

The city-owned sewer enterprise moved Tuesday to waive the sewer tap-in fees for two Community Housing developments, signaling that they "get" the whole idea of progressive community development.

CHDO builds houses that are ecologically sound and centrally located. They then sell these houses to families eager to become part of the community by becoming homeowners. Every dime saved in construction makes it that much easier for CHDO to leverage its funds and to put more families into affordable housing.

There is nothing subpar about these houses. They are designed to fit within their neighborhoods. Affordable home ownership is, by consensus, a shared goal for this city, and the action taken to reduce the move-in cost of housing by $1,650 is a small price to pay to rebuild the housing stock in our city's urban core. Owner-occupied housing strengthens community. Kudos to the city administration, which urged the waiver, to CHDO and John Miller, who've long sought such relief, and to the unanimous board of Ron Carroll, Bill Utz, and Elizabeth Coyle, who saw the wisdom in preferring one type of development over another.

It's a small step, but an important one. Shadow5 joins the larger community in applauding this first step in smart growth policies.

You might ask what Larry Kochert has to do with all this. Mr. Kochert never understood that the decisions of officeholders can be made for the public good instead of for private benefit. He adamantly opposed all waivers during his service on the board. His rejection by his constituents and the rebuff he was handed when he requested to be appointed to the sewer board once again are signs that New Albany government is beginning to comprehend the whole idea of smart growth.

Kochert not only opposed waivers for preferred housing developments. He refused to even consider a tiered fee structure where applicants could demonstrate why they might deserve even a partial waiver.

The Kochert tyranny is over. This city council and this administration should get to work tearing down the rest of the Kochert legacy, including the anti-democratic tendencies apparent in their public meetings.