"At this time, I believe that accepting any stimulus funds will be a detriment to our sovereignty as a city...."
If you haven't taken a look at Councilman Nick Ibarra's Web log, "Zone 1 Matters," you are missing out on some true transparency on the part of an elected official.
After the discussion in Council chambers last night about three bills concerning improvements to the intersection at James River Freeway and National Avenue, Mr. Ibarra and Mr. Bailes voted against the second in a series of three bills related to the issue (see: Council bills 2009-115, 2009-116, and 2009-117).
2009-116, which still passed with a majority of Council voting to support it, authorized the City Manager to enter into a cost participation agreement with the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission (MHTC) for the intersection improvements. Part of that money will be received from the federal government's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). Under 2009-116, the City, by it's approval, has agreed to abide by the provisions of the ARRA.
Ibarra laid out the reasoning behind his legislative decision to vote against Council bill 2009-116 in an entry at his blog, this morning.
For future reference, a permanent link to the Councilman's Web log is in the sidebar here. There is also a permanent link to Councilman Robert "Bob" Stephens blog in the sidebar, however, Mr. Stephens is not updating his blog as regularly as Mr. Ibarra.
Related: "Donations extend pools' hours News-Leader.com Springfield News-Leader"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Monday, May 18, 2009
Hallsville, Ohio Indian Summer Festival 1975
Schedule from first festival in 1974
I'm posting this because some of my husband's cohorts have heard him talk about organizing the Indian Summer Festival in Hallsville, Ohio.
The first festival was in 1974 but, I found this old newspaper clipping from 1975 and wanted to recreate it here. Some of you who have heard, in particular, the story about Porkchop the rodeo clown and Thunderchicken the Sky-diving clown, will get a kick out of the story, since you know even more of the background than what was provided in this article.
Here's the article, recreated:
Clown to bring festival glimpse to shopping area
HALLSVILLE-- Persons who haven't made it to the Hallsville Indian Summer Festival yet can get a glimpse of one festival feature Friday evening at the Chillicothe Mall.
Porkchop, the rodeo clown from Wiley's Flying W. Rodeo, will arrive at the mall by helicopter about 6:15 p.m. Friday, weather permitting. The helicopter will set the clown down behind the Borden Burger restaurant, where he will put on a short show with a trained donkey, pass out free festival ride tickets, candy and hamburger coupons.
The clown will leave the shopping center about 6:30-6:45 to return by helicopter to Hallsville for the 7 p.m. rodeo performance. Donations from merchants in the mall and in the Kingston-Hallsville area made the special show possible.
The second annual festival opened Wednesday afternoon with a small crowd but an exciting program, according to festival organizers.
A flag ceremony presented by the Air National Guard at the festival opening drew an excellent response, according to festival officials.
"I saw several people choking back tears," said Larry Melton, an officer on the festival committee. "It should have been on national television. For a little old dinky festival like this, it was way over our heads."
The festival drew an opening crowd estimated at 300.
"The weather was not that great, but it was better than last year's," said Mrs. Robert Haynes, another committee official. "Last year, it practically rained us out. This year, we are in a better spot and more organized."
In addition, Mrs. Haynes said, many events for which admission was charged last year are free this year.
There also are new attractions.
The United Methodist Church is sponsoring a bean dinner in a tipi hand-painted by Hallsville youth. The church also is using a log cabin built by church men for a food booth. A country store sponsored by the Hallsville youth center is operating again this year. In addition, Army Reserve members will bake bread in field ovens at the festival Saturday, and sell the bread to raise money for the youth center.
The festival originated last year to raise money for a youth center to serve the rural Colerain-Green Township area. The goal is to acquire land and build a youth center building.
Tonight's festival activities include a karate demonstration at 6 p.m. by black belt instructor Don Madden and his students. During Wednesday night's demonstration, Porkchop the clown and Thunderchicken the Sky-diving clown added to the show by sparring with the karate experts.
The rodeo performance tonight will be held 7-9 p.m.. There also will be bingo throughout the evening and a gospel sing featuring the Joint Heirs.
Friday activities will begin at 4:30 p.m. Thunderchicken will parachute onto the festival grounds at 5 p.m., then offer hot air balloon rides for children at 6 p.m. Another karate demonstration and another rodeo performance will begin at 7. Bingo and another gospel sing also will be held.
--End--
Jackie's note: Larry tells me he built the tipi where the beans were served. He also said that he was the one who built the log cabin. The paper reported it was built by "church men."
Hallsville, Ohio Indian Summer Festival Schedule of Events, 1974
Thursday, Sept. 29
5:30 Opening Ceremonies
Flag raising by Mt. Logan Livestock 4-H Club. Advisors: Harold Schwalbach, Don Clever, and Ronnie Montgomery
6:00 Indian Princess Parade with judging immediately after.
7:30 Karate Demonstration.
8:00 Talent Show, Two classes -- 13 and under and 13 and over, Prizes! ! Any Talents Invited! ! Midway Open All Evening.
Friday, Sept. 30
6:99 Hog Calling Contest
7:00 Karate Demonstration
8:00 ALL STAR Wrestling
9:00 Square Dancing (with cake auction at intermission)
Midway Open All Evening
Saturday, Oct. 1
8:30 a.m. 10 Mile Hike for Hallsville Community Center.
2:00 Fun Games For All Ages
4:00 Karate Demonstration
5:00 Parade Lineup
6:00 Parade
8:00 Square Dancing 'til Midnight. Cake Auction at intermission.
Flea Market All Day Saturday ($5.00 per space). Call Bob Anderson 655-2629. Midway Open All Evening.
Sunday, Oct. 2
12:00 Horse Show.
12:00 Midway Opens
2:00-6:00 Ride all rides for $200.
7:30 Tent Worship Service
Amusements Provided by Nolan Shows Inc.
All Proceeds go to Hallsville Community Center
--End--
Jackie's Note: Coming soon: "Melton's Feats Rival Daniel Boone" -- (Ha)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'm posting this because some of my husband's cohorts have heard him talk about organizing the Indian Summer Festival in Hallsville, Ohio.
The first festival was in 1974 but, I found this old newspaper clipping from 1975 and wanted to recreate it here. Some of you who have heard, in particular, the story about Porkchop the rodeo clown and Thunderchicken the Sky-diving clown, will get a kick out of the story, since you know even more of the background than what was provided in this article.
Here's the article, recreated:
Clown to bring festival glimpse to shopping area
HALLSVILLE-- Persons who haven't made it to the Hallsville Indian Summer Festival yet can get a glimpse of one festival feature Friday evening at the Chillicothe Mall.
Porkchop, the rodeo clown from Wiley's Flying W. Rodeo, will arrive at the mall by helicopter about 6:15 p.m. Friday, weather permitting. The helicopter will set the clown down behind the Borden Burger restaurant, where he will put on a short show with a trained donkey, pass out free festival ride tickets, candy and hamburger coupons.
The clown will leave the shopping center about 6:30-6:45 to return by helicopter to Hallsville for the 7 p.m. rodeo performance. Donations from merchants in the mall and in the Kingston-Hallsville area made the special show possible.
The second annual festival opened Wednesday afternoon with a small crowd but an exciting program, according to festival organizers.
A flag ceremony presented by the Air National Guard at the festival opening drew an excellent response, according to festival officials.
"I saw several people choking back tears," said Larry Melton, an officer on the festival committee. "It should have been on national television. For a little old dinky festival like this, it was way over our heads."
The festival drew an opening crowd estimated at 300.
"The weather was not that great, but it was better than last year's," said Mrs. Robert Haynes, another committee official. "Last year, it practically rained us out. This year, we are in a better spot and more organized."
In addition, Mrs. Haynes said, many events for which admission was charged last year are free this year.
There also are new attractions.
The United Methodist Church is sponsoring a bean dinner in a tipi hand-painted by Hallsville youth. The church also is using a log cabin built by church men for a food booth. A country store sponsored by the Hallsville youth center is operating again this year. In addition, Army Reserve members will bake bread in field ovens at the festival Saturday, and sell the bread to raise money for the youth center.
The festival originated last year to raise money for a youth center to serve the rural Colerain-Green Township area. The goal is to acquire land and build a youth center building.
Tonight's festival activities include a karate demonstration at 6 p.m. by black belt instructor Don Madden and his students. During Wednesday night's demonstration, Porkchop the clown and Thunderchicken the Sky-diving clown added to the show by sparring with the karate experts.
The rodeo performance tonight will be held 7-9 p.m.. There also will be bingo throughout the evening and a gospel sing featuring the Joint Heirs.
Friday activities will begin at 4:30 p.m. Thunderchicken will parachute onto the festival grounds at 5 p.m., then offer hot air balloon rides for children at 6 p.m. Another karate demonstration and another rodeo performance will begin at 7. Bingo and another gospel sing also will be held.
--End--
Jackie's note: Larry tells me he built the tipi where the beans were served. He also said that he was the one who built the log cabin. The paper reported it was built by "church men."
Hallsville, Ohio Indian Summer Festival Schedule of Events, 1974
Thursday, Sept. 29
5:30 Opening Ceremonies
Flag raising by Mt. Logan Livestock 4-H Club. Advisors: Harold Schwalbach, Don Clever, and Ronnie Montgomery
6:00 Indian Princess Parade with judging immediately after.
7:30 Karate Demonstration.
8:00 Talent Show, Two classes -- 13 and under and 13 and over, Prizes! ! Any Talents Invited! ! Midway Open All Evening.
Friday, Sept. 30
6:99 Hog Calling Contest
7:00 Karate Demonstration
8:00 ALL STAR Wrestling
9:00 Square Dancing (with cake auction at intermission)
Midway Open All Evening
Saturday, Oct. 1
8:30 a.m. 10 Mile Hike for Hallsville Community Center.
2:00 Fun Games For All Ages
4:00 Karate Demonstration
5:00 Parade Lineup
6:00 Parade
8:00 Square Dancing 'til Midnight. Cake Auction at intermission.
Flea Market All Day Saturday ($5.00 per space). Call Bob Anderson 655-2629. Midway Open All Evening.
Sunday, Oct. 2
12:00 Horse Show.
12:00 Midway Opens
2:00-6:00 Ride all rides for $200.
7:30 Tent Worship Service
Amusements Provided by Nolan Shows Inc.
All Proceeds go to Hallsville Community Center
--End--
Jackie's Note: Coming soon: "Melton's Feats Rival Daniel Boone" -- (Ha)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Allow Newspaper to Do its Job, Mr. City Manager
In a rather scathing "Voice of the Day" letter in the "Springfield News-Leader" on Sunday, City Manager Greg Burris asked the Queen City's daily paper of note to "Allow task force to do its job." The task force the headline was referring to was the Police and Fire Pension Citizen's Task Force.
My suggestion to Mr. Burris would be, let the newspaper do its job, and consider giving your own Public Information Office some instruction on how to better perform their jobs.
Burris' letter followed, almost a month to the day, what I, personally, would call a tantrum, thrown by past Mayor Pro Tem Gary Deaver, in which he stated he was planning to wait until after he left his Council post to come back to a City Council meeting and "...discuss some of the coverage that I've felt that we've received on issues...in the past," in News-Leader editorials.
The News-Leader's quick response to Deaver's charges of inaccuracy on the part of past editorials, which were most recently, at the time, pertaining to a trash hauler agreement between the city and its two largest trash companies, was answered swiftly in a March 25, News-Leader "Our Voice" column:
Sunday's letter from Burris carried on this, apparent, traditional view on the part of the city, it's officials and certain Council members, by further displaying "the City's" disdain for communicating with the public through, what should be, or, at least, could be, the most valuable medium available to them, the daily paper. Burris wrote:
I would say to Mr. Burris, much more credibility is given to editorial comments in a newspaper when they are not rebutted, if wrong, than when they are rebutted.
The public wants the facts. The public wants the truth and, I have found, is quite ready to accept it when it is shared. Don't blame the newspaper for the City Management and the City Council's unwillingness to engage in discussion and to correct mistakes, when made. You, and the City, have no one to blame but yourselves for not being forthcoming when erroneous information is shared. Take responsibility for that fact.
When the public hears nothing from you, your employees or elected superiors, after faulty information is shared, they have no recourse but to believe that the information must have been correct.
But, all that said, I wonder, why is the City Manager of the City of Springfield writing letters to the News-Leader? Why aren't errors or misrepresentations (if they exist) being dealt with by the Public Information Office when they occur? Why are such errors, presumably, based on Mr. Deaver's comments, allowed to continue to build suspicion in the minds of the public with no rebuttal or correction on the part of the City?
Springfield's City Manager should let the daily newspaper of note in Springfield do its job and should be asking his own Public Information Office to do their jobs, they are under the manager's authority, the writers of News-Leader are not. Perhaps, instead of expecting writers of the newspaper to cease sharing information with the public about the pension issue, the City Manager should be addressing the City's Public Information Office about dealing with these issues as they arise? Is this a task beneath them?
What is the purpose of the meetings of the Police & Fire Pension Citizen's Task Force being open to the public? Why do they have their own City of Springfield provided Web page, with links to documents of the task force available for download to the public? Because, as the City's elected, appointed, and hired servants have inferred, they want the public to be informed or, because it's the law and since they have no choice anyway they might as well put a good spin on it? I ask these questions because the public keeps hearing lip service from "the City" about how citizen input is desired, about how the city desires this process, and that process, to be open and transparent but, sorry, actions speak much louder than words.
Blaming the newspaper, because they have done their job in reporting about city issues, including the police and fire pension issue, for police and firefighters retiring at the first available opportunity? Really? If confusion about the issue is to blame, it would behoove the City Manager's office and City Council to clear up the confusion. If, as Burris wrote, the News-Leader's editorials are culpable for, "scaring firefighters and police officers into retiring as soon as they hit eligibility," one would think the City Manager would wish to make addressing errors within those editorials a top priority.
I'm one person. I don't have a staffed Public Information Office behind me but, when I see a mistake in the News-Leader, somehow, free of charge, and all alone, with no support, I manage to report it at this Web log. It's amazing to me that the City, with all its staff, can't manage to do what I, often, do for nothing, all alone, here at this blog.
Take responsibility for those under your charge, Mr. Burris.
The News-Leader is not under your charge, but, would benefit from the attention of your staff when they need to make corrections. If there is not enough money in the general fund to properly address important issues of the City, hmmm, how did we get there? Oh, I know, it's the News-Leader's fault. Maybe, had they not reported on the State audit of the City, that pension sales tax might have passed in February, then the City could have afforded to address public relations through its Public Information Office.
Funny, everything bad that happens is, often, someone else's fault these days.
Allow the media in this city to do its job, which, whether you like it or not, happens to be reporting on your actions, the actions of those under you and the actions of those who are your elected superiors.
If the City's message is not accurately being portrayed or the City is having trouble retaining personnel, perhaps the City needs to look within.
In the end, I think everyone is just trying to do their jobs.
It continues to trouble me that the City appears to prefer taking an adversarial attitude toward the print press in this city, rather than working with them, to make sure factual information is shared and properly understood.
Oh, one more issue. Burris mentioned, again:
JackeHammer sent out an email inquiry to one of the spokesmen of the SOS group the City Manager claims the News-Leader "champions," inquiring about why the group declined to make a presentation to the Pension Task Force. Darin Chappell responded to that inquiry on Friday or Saturday:
A later email inquiry posted to Mr. Wright has not been answered.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My suggestion to Mr. Burris would be, let the newspaper do its job, and consider giving your own Public Information Office some instruction on how to better perform their jobs.
Burris' letter followed, almost a month to the day, what I, personally, would call a tantrum, thrown by past Mayor Pro Tem Gary Deaver, in which he stated he was planning to wait until after he left his Council post to come back to a City Council meeting and "...discuss some of the coverage that I've felt that we've received on issues...in the past," in News-Leader editorials.
The News-Leader's quick response to Deaver's charges of inaccuracy on the part of past editorials, which were most recently, at the time, pertaining to a trash hauler agreement between the city and its two largest trash companies, was answered swiftly in a March 25, News-Leader "Our Voice" column:
"Oddly, he [Deaver] had never asked us to clarify anything in numerous news stories and editorials, and he didn't ask to write anything to offer another opinion himself. He also never sought a correction on the issue...."
Sunday's letter from Burris carried on this, apparent, traditional view on the part of the city, it's officials and certain Council members, by further displaying "the City's" disdain for communicating with the public through, what should be, or, at least, could be, the most valuable medium available to them, the daily paper. Burris wrote:
"After I was asked to put together a citizen task force to study the police/fire pension issue, our city staff made a conscious decision to step back and let the task force do its work rather than engaging in the News-Leader's various pronouncements about the pension plan.
"I remain hesitant about responding, mainly because I don't want my response to infer that I'm giving the material credibility. But Sunday's self-aggrandizing editorial warrants comment for the sake of the task force and our public-safety employees."
I would say to Mr. Burris, much more credibility is given to editorial comments in a newspaper when they are not rebutted, if wrong, than when they are rebutted.
The public wants the facts. The public wants the truth and, I have found, is quite ready to accept it when it is shared. Don't blame the newspaper for the City Management and the City Council's unwillingness to engage in discussion and to correct mistakes, when made. You, and the City, have no one to blame but yourselves for not being forthcoming when erroneous information is shared. Take responsibility for that fact.
When the public hears nothing from you, your employees or elected superiors, after faulty information is shared, they have no recourse but to believe that the information must have been correct.
But, all that said, I wonder, why is the City Manager of the City of Springfield writing letters to the News-Leader? Why aren't errors or misrepresentations (if they exist) being dealt with by the Public Information Office when they occur? Why are such errors, presumably, based on Mr. Deaver's comments, allowed to continue to build suspicion in the minds of the public with no rebuttal or correction on the part of the City?
Springfield's City Manager should let the daily newspaper of note in Springfield do its job and should be asking his own Public Information Office to do their jobs, they are under the manager's authority, the writers of News-Leader are not. Perhaps, instead of expecting writers of the newspaper to cease sharing information with the public about the pension issue, the City Manager should be addressing the City's Public Information Office about dealing with these issues as they arise? Is this a task beneath them?
What is the purpose of the meetings of the Police & Fire Pension Citizen's Task Force being open to the public? Why do they have their own City of Springfield provided Web page, with links to documents of the task force available for download to the public? Because, as the City's elected, appointed, and hired servants have inferred, they want the public to be informed or, because it's the law and since they have no choice anyway they might as well put a good spin on it? I ask these questions because the public keeps hearing lip service from "the City" about how citizen input is desired, about how the city desires this process, and that process, to be open and transparent but, sorry, actions speak much louder than words.
Blaming the newspaper, because they have done their job in reporting about city issues, including the police and fire pension issue, for police and firefighters retiring at the first available opportunity? Really? If confusion about the issue is to blame, it would behoove the City Manager's office and City Council to clear up the confusion. If, as Burris wrote, the News-Leader's editorials are culpable for, "scaring firefighters and police officers into retiring as soon as they hit eligibility," one would think the City Manager would wish to make addressing errors within those editorials a top priority.
I'm one person. I don't have a staffed Public Information Office behind me but, when I see a mistake in the News-Leader, somehow, free of charge, and all alone, with no support, I manage to report it at this Web log. It's amazing to me that the City, with all its staff, can't manage to do what I, often, do for nothing, all alone, here at this blog.
Take responsibility for those under your charge, Mr. Burris.
The News-Leader is not under your charge, but, would benefit from the attention of your staff when they need to make corrections. If there is not enough money in the general fund to properly address important issues of the City, hmmm, how did we get there? Oh, I know, it's the News-Leader's fault. Maybe, had they not reported on the State audit of the City, that pension sales tax might have passed in February, then the City could have afforded to address public relations through its Public Information Office.
Funny, everything bad that happens is, often, someone else's fault these days.
Allow the media in this city to do its job, which, whether you like it or not, happens to be reporting on your actions, the actions of those under you and the actions of those who are your elected superiors.
If the City's message is not accurately being portrayed or the City is having trouble retaining personnel, perhaps the City needs to look within.
In the end, I think everyone is just trying to do their jobs.
It continues to trouble me that the City appears to prefer taking an adversarial attitude toward the print press in this city, rather than working with them, to make sure factual information is shared and properly understood.
Oh, one more issue. Burris mentioned, again:
"We invited the Save Our Springfield group the News-Leader champions to present its plan, which includes a "bias" toward a tax trade-off. (They declined the offer)."
JackeHammer sent out an email inquiry to one of the spokesmen of the SOS group the City Manager claims the News-Leader "champions," inquiring about why the group declined to make a presentation to the Pension Task Force. Darin Chappell responded to that inquiry on Friday or Saturday:
"I cannot speak for everyone, but I decided not make a presentation on my own account for two reasons:
First, the SOS plan was never designed to be a permanent solution to the problem. It was only supposed to offer a temporary band aid to allow the City time to do what they are now doing. So, going before the task force to tell them what they really cannot use for the final solution seems a bit pointless.
Second, I do not think that it would serve SOS for me to be the one to make the presentation, even if it needed to be made, given the recent events between the City and myself.
So, for both of those reasons, I told Mark Wright that I would not be presenting anything.
In the final analysis, I believe we accomplished all we set out to do in that we got the people thinking about other options besides tax increases...got the City to establish the task force...got the Mayor to sign on to much of our platform (including reopening the police and fire academies), and most importantly, let the City know that we're watching."
A later email inquiry posted to Mr. Wright has not been answered.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Saturday, May 16, 2009
"Fine Feathers"
I have one of these lovely [Enid] Collins of Texas "Box Bags."
Mom gave it to me two or three years before she passed. I had always admired it. I got it out today and dusted it off. It has a golden peacock with topaz, clear, and amber stones, and a golden sun with topaz stones on it. The purse's title is "fine feathers."
After I cleaned it up I did a google search for Original box bags by Collins of Texas and found out it's a pretty special little bag. I couldn't find any "fine feathers" bags on the internet. Do you think that makes it one of the more rare box bags she made?
Anyway, I was already planning on using it for the summer, now I'll be even more proud of my little box bag than before I found out about its history.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mom gave it to me two or three years before she passed. I had always admired it. I got it out today and dusted it off. It has a golden peacock with topaz, clear, and amber stones, and a golden sun with topaz stones on it. The purse's title is "fine feathers."
After I cleaned it up I did a google search for Original box bags by Collins of Texas and found out it's a pretty special little bag. I couldn't find any "fine feathers" bags on the internet. Do you think that makes it one of the more rare box bags she made?
Anyway, I was already planning on using it for the summer, now I'll be even more proud of my little box bag than before I found out about its history.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This Week at Baptist Press: Marijuana and "Gaiety"
New Marijuana Report Released
There's been a lot of discussion about the idea of legalizing marijuana these days. I've even seen polls on "FaceBook" regarding the subject. I don't know how much support there is for legalizing the drug but, "Baptist Press" (BP) published a story on how the potency of marijuana continues to grow.
The federal Office of National Drug Control Policy released a report May 14. The report stated THC levels in marijuana have reached the highest lever ever in the history of scientific analysis on the drug. Scientific analysis, according to the report, first began in the late 1970s. THC is the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana.
BP reported:
BP also cited a news report from the New York Daily News titled, "Debunking the myths about marijuana: Experts share the facts about today's stronger pot," in which myths about marijuana, such as it not being addictive, are debunked. Read all about the report's findings, including The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws' rebuttal in this BP article.
Harvey Milk Day?
Another BP article outlines concerns about a California house resolution which would create "Harvey Milk Day," a "day of special significance," in public schools, if passed. Parents would not be required to agree to their children's participation in the mandated, commemorative activities meant to recognize Milk's accomplishments and contributions to the state of California. Milk was an "openly homosexual San Francisco alderman whose murder in 1978 made him an icon of the "gay rights" movement," the BP report said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There's been a lot of discussion about the idea of legalizing marijuana these days. I've even seen polls on "FaceBook" regarding the subject. I don't know how much support there is for legalizing the drug but, "Baptist Press" (BP) published a story on how the potency of marijuana continues to grow.
The federal Office of National Drug Control Policy released a report May 14. The report stated THC levels in marijuana have reached the highest lever ever in the history of scientific analysis on the drug. Scientific analysis, according to the report, first began in the late 1970s. THC is the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana.
BP reported:
The federal agency also noted:
"According to the NIDA [National Institute for Drug Abuse], heavy marijuana use impairs a person's ability to form memories, recall events, and shift attention from one thing to another. THC also disrupts coordination and balance by binding to receptors in the cerebellum and basal ganglia, parts of the brain which regulate balance, posture, coordination of movement, and reaction time. Through its effects on the brain and body, marijuana intoxication can cause accidents. Studies show that approximately 6 to 11 percent of fatal accident victims test positive for THC. In many of these cases, alcohol is detected as well.
"Other recent studies show marijuana use can be a risk factor for the onset of schizophrenia in vulnerable individuals, and may be associated with other mental disorders, including depression and anxiety," the Office of National Drug Control Policy stated."
BP also cited a news report from the New York Daily News titled, "Debunking the myths about marijuana: Experts share the facts about today's stronger pot," in which myths about marijuana, such as it not being addictive, are debunked. Read all about the report's findings, including The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws' rebuttal in this BP article.
Harvey Milk Day?
Another BP article outlines concerns about a California house resolution which would create "Harvey Milk Day," a "day of special significance," in public schools, if passed. Parents would not be required to agree to their children's participation in the mandated, commemorative activities meant to recognize Milk's accomplishments and contributions to the state of California. Milk was an "openly homosexual San Francisco alderman whose murder in 1978 made him an icon of the "gay rights" movement," the BP report said.
"Lawmakers are pursuing the legislation despite the fact that a statewide poll conducted in March by Survey USA found 69 percent of Californians opposed establishing a "Harvey Milk Day" and only 19 percent favored the idea, [Pastor of East Clairemont Southern Baptist Church, Chris] Clark pointed out....
"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed a virtually identical Harvey Milk Day bill in 2008 because popular opinion was running against creating the holiday, Clark said. He and [President of the SaveCalifornia.com advocacy group, Randy] Thomasson both expressed hope that Schwarzenegger would veto this year's version once it passes the state Assembly." - BP, "'Harvey Milk Day' exposes children in schools to 'gay' activist agenda, critics say"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nixa Sucker Days
Music, luscious scents, local crafts, food, fun, and politickin'
I don't know if "sucker" fish are supposed to be served cold and hard, or how many people got cold, hard, fried fish today but, we were in the first part of the line, and we refused to let it spoil the fun as we headed up and down, up and down the roped off section of Main Street in Nixa today.
My husband lured me into attending Nixa's 52nd annual Sucker Days event with promises of plenty of craft booths. I think we managed to check out every booth, including two "Scentsy" Wickless Product booths.
The first booth I visited was warming "grape granita" scented wax. It was a wonderful scent. When asked, the "Scentsational" Consultant Tammy Tipton said, "yes," it was a personal favorite. I picked up some literature on how to become a "Scentsational" Consultant from Tammy and later found "Escential" Consultant Lisa Young running another "Scentsy" booth. There I got a brochure outlining the products.
Because the candle scents are warmed with a low-watt light bulb, there is no fire involved, no fire hazard, and another nice perk is, you don't have to live with the smell of the smoke after you blow out the candle. The scents are infused in candle wax and sold in bars or bricks. You break off a section of the bar, place it into one of their truly adorable, decorative warmers and you're done. They also sell plug in warmers, the plug in warmers are cute too. I don't know how many plug in warmer styles are available but Tammy told me there are 40 different warmer designs. The 80 different scents they boast are strong and rich. Scentsy also carries "car candles" and room spray. If you think you're interested in these products, go to Scentsy's Web site, visit Tammy Tipton's page or Lisa Young's page. Both Web pages have a link to an online catalog.
If you are a chocoholic you might think about contacting Independent Chocolatier Jennifer Barnett. Who doesn't love chocolate!? Jennifer said making chocolate and baking was something she loved to do anyway so, selling this special line of Dove Chocolate (unavailable at the store) was a perfect fit for her.
For the candy maker, Barnett sells a professional grade tempering unit, top quality chocolate molds, and transfer sheets; for the romantic, there is a Heart Fondue Set; for celebrations, the company features a "Girl's Night Out Kit," including a decadent chocolate martini mix; Surprise visitors? No problem. Try making a quick but fancy dessert with "Dove" mousse mix. You can view the Dove products here.
I also visited with "Jordan Essentials Bath and Body" representative Bo Yoachum. Jordan Essentials used to be known as "Country Bunny Bath and Body." Yoachum said when the company decided to go into international sales, the name Country Bunny did not translate well, so they changed it. You can look at the Jordan Essentials Catalog here. They have bath, body and spa products.
There were lots of other booths, too numerous to mention.
Grace Community Worship Center had a booth set up, they were passing out sample cookbooks to those standing in line waiting for cold, hard sucker fish (sorry, I'm sure I'll forget about it after a warm dinner).
The Nixa Police gave me a black plastic cup with their name in white, a pen, and pamphlet on speeding was snuggled inside. Thanks guys!
AND what would an event like Sucker Days be without some good old Ozarks politickin'!? :)
My husband's ulterior motive to get me to Sucker Days was his desire to pass out brochures for 7th district congressional seat candidate Jeff Wisdom, and, that he did, along with a few other volunteers. Wisdom's campaign manager Jeremy Boyt was on hand in lieu of Wisdom, himself. Wisdom is in the Navy Reserves and had training today so, was unable to attend.
Jack Goodman was on hand, and I saw several Robin Carnahan stickers on blouses and shirts in the crowd. Goodman is also running for the 7th district congressional seat, and Carnahan is running for Kit Bond's old Senate spot against Republican Roy Blunt.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I don't know if "sucker" fish are supposed to be served cold and hard, or how many people got cold, hard, fried fish today but, we were in the first part of the line, and we refused to let it spoil the fun as we headed up and down, up and down the roped off section of Main Street in Nixa today.
My husband lured me into attending Nixa's 52nd annual Sucker Days event with promises of plenty of craft booths. I think we managed to check out every booth, including two "Scentsy" Wickless Product booths.
The first booth I visited was warming "grape granita" scented wax. It was a wonderful scent. When asked, the "Scentsational" Consultant Tammy Tipton said, "yes," it was a personal favorite. I picked up some literature on how to become a "Scentsational" Consultant from Tammy and later found "Escential" Consultant Lisa Young running another "Scentsy" booth. There I got a brochure outlining the products.
Because the candle scents are warmed with a low-watt light bulb, there is no fire involved, no fire hazard, and another nice perk is, you don't have to live with the smell of the smoke after you blow out the candle. The scents are infused in candle wax and sold in bars or bricks. You break off a section of the bar, place it into one of their truly adorable, decorative warmers and you're done. They also sell plug in warmers, the plug in warmers are cute too. I don't know how many plug in warmer styles are available but Tammy told me there are 40 different warmer designs. The 80 different scents they boast are strong and rich. Scentsy also carries "car candles" and room spray. If you think you're interested in these products, go to Scentsy's Web site, visit Tammy Tipton's page or Lisa Young's page. Both Web pages have a link to an online catalog.
If you are a chocoholic you might think about contacting Independent Chocolatier Jennifer Barnett. Who doesn't love chocolate!? Jennifer said making chocolate and baking was something she loved to do anyway so, selling this special line of Dove Chocolate (unavailable at the store) was a perfect fit for her.
For the candy maker, Barnett sells a professional grade tempering unit, top quality chocolate molds, and transfer sheets; for the romantic, there is a Heart Fondue Set; for celebrations, the company features a "Girl's Night Out Kit," including a decadent chocolate martini mix; Surprise visitors? No problem. Try making a quick but fancy dessert with "Dove" mousse mix. You can view the Dove products here.
I also visited with "Jordan Essentials Bath and Body" representative Bo Yoachum. Jordan Essentials used to be known as "Country Bunny Bath and Body." Yoachum said when the company decided to go into international sales, the name Country Bunny did not translate well, so they changed it. You can look at the Jordan Essentials Catalog here. They have bath, body and spa products.
There were lots of other booths, too numerous to mention.
Grace Community Worship Center had a booth set up, they were passing out sample cookbooks to those standing in line waiting for cold, hard sucker fish (sorry, I'm sure I'll forget about it after a warm dinner).
The Nixa Police gave me a black plastic cup with their name in white, a pen, and pamphlet on speeding was snuggled inside. Thanks guys!
AND what would an event like Sucker Days be without some good old Ozarks politickin'!? :)
My husband's ulterior motive to get me to Sucker Days was his desire to pass out brochures for 7th district congressional seat candidate Jeff Wisdom, and, that he did, along with a few other volunteers. Wisdom's campaign manager Jeremy Boyt was on hand in lieu of Wisdom, himself. Wisdom is in the Navy Reserves and had training today so, was unable to attend.
Jack Goodman was on hand, and I saw several Robin Carnahan stickers on blouses and shirts in the crowd. Goodman is also running for the 7th district congressional seat, and Carnahan is running for Kit Bond's old Senate spot against Republican Roy Blunt.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Friday, May 15, 2009
Some Long Overdue Congrats!
I have been remiss in not congratulating the author of the Web log "busplunge" for being mathematically proven to have the best blog in Springfield.
My apologies for not giving him the clap for his great achievement upon its announcement, in March of this year. We should never be too busy or self-absorbed to recognize a peer's outstanding work.
Check the results of the mathematical contest here. If you are a blogger, you will find no one can win against the formidable "bus driver."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My apologies for not giving him the clap for his great achievement upon its announcement, in March of this year. We should never be too busy or self-absorbed to recognize a peer's outstanding work.
Check the results of the mathematical contest here. If you are a blogger, you will find no one can win against the formidable "bus driver."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thursday, May 14, 2009
'Sobering' Pension Discussions Deserve a Second Look for Clarification
If you, like me, were intrigued by a few short lines within Wes Johnson's article in today's "Springfield News-Leader": "'Sobering' pension fund issues discussed," then, you, like me, want to know more about Mehlville, Missouri's Firefighter pension fund.
Johnson wrote:
Well, with a little assistance from a reader of "JackeHammer," what I found out is that "Melville" is Mehlville and it is in Missouri. I read a few articles about the Mehlville suit and decision, and I sent off some questions to actuary Michael Zwiener, thinking there was more to the story than what I, and others, read in the News-Leader this morning.
"The pension fund is sponsored by the Mehlville, Missouri Fire Protection District. What that fund did was cease the future accrual of benefits," Zwiener wrote in an email response. "The benefits of retirees were not affected. The benefits of active members earned to date were not affected. What ceased was the accrual of additional benefits after the change date, which I believe was March 2006 (guessing). In lieu of post 2006 pension accruals, the District installed a defined contribution plan."
Zwiener said Aaron Hilmer was the key player in the changes to Mehlville's pension plan. Hilmer was elected to the Mehlville Fire District Board in 2005, along with Bonnie Stegman, to whom Hilmer gives partial credit for the changes.
In a "Budget & Tax News" article, published by the Heartland Institute in November, 2007, Hilmer wrote about the case.
"The August 27 ruling by St. Louis County Circuit Court Judge Thea A. Sherry struck down a lawsuit by the local firefighters union challenging the MFPD's decision to terminate its defined benefit plan and put every employee, current and future, in a defined contribution plan," Hilmer wrote.
He also stated the ruling set an important precedent, " for government bodies that hope to reduce pension costs and give employees more control over and flexibility in their retirement programs."
Hilmer wrote, after he and Stegman, of the Mehlville Fire District Board were elected, they began to work toward reforming the pension and disability plan.
"We hired a disability insurance provider to take over the disability portion, and after two years of union-filed lawsuits against that move, the change became final earlier this year when the Missouri Supreme Court declined to hear the case."
An email query to Assistant Fire Chief David Hall has not yet been answered. I will update should Hall respond to my request for a comment.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Johnson wrote:
"Task force chairman Jerry Fenstermaker asked Zwiener to explain how one community, the town of Melville, solved its firefighter pension fund shortfall.
Zwiener said the fire district's trustees looked at their funding shortfall and decided to simply stop paying future benefits.
"They switched to a defined contribution plan," similar to a 401(k) , and that switch was upheld in court, Zwiener said."
Well, with a little assistance from a reader of "JackeHammer," what I found out is that "Melville" is Mehlville and it is in Missouri. I read a few articles about the Mehlville suit and decision, and I sent off some questions to actuary Michael Zwiener, thinking there was more to the story than what I, and others, read in the News-Leader this morning.
"The pension fund is sponsored by the Mehlville, Missouri Fire Protection District. What that fund did was cease the future accrual of benefits," Zwiener wrote in an email response. "The benefits of retirees were not affected. The benefits of active members earned to date were not affected. What ceased was the accrual of additional benefits after the change date, which I believe was March 2006 (guessing). In lieu of post 2006 pension accruals, the District installed a defined contribution plan."
Zwiener said Aaron Hilmer was the key player in the changes to Mehlville's pension plan. Hilmer was elected to the Mehlville Fire District Board in 2005, along with Bonnie Stegman, to whom Hilmer gives partial credit for the changes.
In a "Budget & Tax News" article, published by the Heartland Institute in November, 2007, Hilmer wrote about the case.
"The August 27 ruling by St. Louis County Circuit Court Judge Thea A. Sherry struck down a lawsuit by the local firefighters union challenging the MFPD's decision to terminate its defined benefit plan and put every employee, current and future, in a defined contribution plan," Hilmer wrote.
He also stated the ruling set an important precedent, " for government bodies that hope to reduce pension costs and give employees more control over and flexibility in their retirement programs."
Hilmer wrote, after he and Stegman, of the Mehlville Fire District Board were elected, they began to work toward reforming the pension and disability plan.
"We hired a disability insurance provider to take over the disability portion, and after two years of union-filed lawsuits against that move, the change became final earlier this year when the Missouri Supreme Court declined to hear the case."
An email query to Assistant Fire Chief David Hall has not yet been answered. I will update should Hall respond to my request for a comment.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Springfield-Branson National Airport: Poised to Seize the Lion's Share of Federal Aviation Stimulus Funds Available in Missouri
It's unclear how many of the 125 temporary jobs created will benefit local workers
The Springfield News-Leader article in today's issue, covering the City Council's majority decision Tuesday to approve an emergency bill in a special Council meeting, for the purpose of accepting over $14.8 million in Federal Aviation Administration grant monies to build a new taxiway at the Springfield-Branson National Airport, includes information on why Councilman Nicholas Ibarra was the lone Councilmember to vote against accepting the grant. I have been unable to, for reasons I won't go into right now, contact Mr. Ibarra to discuss his reasons with him, personally.
I believe, since joining the City Council in April, Ibarra has voted against the use of any stimulus funds from the federal government, for any reason, within the City of Springfield.
In the past, Ibarra's reasoning for voting against the use of stimulus funds has included the complaint that the projects brought forth by the City do not serve to fullfill the intent of the stimulus funding to facilitate job creation.
According to the News-Leader, Ibarra noted the jobs would be temporary jobs and would end before Christmas, 2009.
Thanks to Councilman Scott Bailes, we also know the estimated 125 jobs created will not all benefit local construction workers.
"Gary (Cyr), I think when we spoke, you had mentioned 125 employed with this stimulus money, and then you mentioned Illinois Paving, do they bring their own employees from out of state?" Bailes asked.
Cyr, the airport manager, was unable to give a clear estimate on the number of local workers who would be employed on the project, citing the fact that there are many components to the project.
"They have some out of state (employees), and then local talent," Cyr said. "When I say 125, that's probably the average of a month's time frame. They may exceed that at certain points when we're doing multiple tasks out there....We did an analysis this morning with our consultants to, what do we think would be a benchmark number on average, per month, of employees that will be working out there."
Further, Cyr added, airport administration will update the number of jobs created.
"We'll be doing updates on a weekly basis on the number of employees that are on the job," Cyr said. He described the components within the project as involving dirt work; lime treated sub-grade; asphalt; concrete; lighting; painting; and striping. "We're anticipating that, probably, we're going to average somewhere with 125 plus employees during the course of this project."
Of the $28 million in aviation stimulus project funds, allotted to the state by the federal government, Springfield will bring home the lion's share.
City Manager Greg Burris said this was due to Cyr and his staff's preparedness.
"The reason that the Springfield-Branson National Airport is getting such a large percentage of these monies that are available in Missouri, is a direct result of Gary and his staff, the airport board, being exceptionally well prepared to do this. I mean, they had done the planning, they were ready to move forward on this," Burris said.
Cyr said the airport had not expected to be able to go ahead with the project until 2010.
"This was designed and talked about 4 years ago," Cyr noted. "The funding was not there, in place, to do it at that time....The stimulus money is allowing us to jump ahead and address this with the support of the FAA because it is a safety concern."
Although the explanation for Council Bill 2009-108 included the original estimate of $18.6 million and a net expenditure adjustment to approximately $14.9 million, it did not include a list of bidders for the project.
Related: CityConnect: "City Council Approves Airport Stimulus Project"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Springfield News-Leader article in today's issue, covering the City Council's majority decision Tuesday to approve an emergency bill in a special Council meeting, for the purpose of accepting over $14.8 million in Federal Aviation Administration grant monies to build a new taxiway at the Springfield-Branson National Airport, includes information on why Councilman Nicholas Ibarra was the lone Councilmember to vote against accepting the grant. I have been unable to, for reasons I won't go into right now, contact Mr. Ibarra to discuss his reasons with him, personally.
I believe, since joining the City Council in April, Ibarra has voted against the use of any stimulus funds from the federal government, for any reason, within the City of Springfield.
In the past, Ibarra's reasoning for voting against the use of stimulus funds has included the complaint that the projects brought forth by the City do not serve to fullfill the intent of the stimulus funding to facilitate job creation.
According to the News-Leader, Ibarra noted the jobs would be temporary jobs and would end before Christmas, 2009.
Thanks to Councilman Scott Bailes, we also know the estimated 125 jobs created will not all benefit local construction workers.
"Gary (Cyr), I think when we spoke, you had mentioned 125 employed with this stimulus money, and then you mentioned Illinois Paving, do they bring their own employees from out of state?" Bailes asked.
Cyr, the airport manager, was unable to give a clear estimate on the number of local workers who would be employed on the project, citing the fact that there are many components to the project.
"They have some out of state (employees), and then local talent," Cyr said. "When I say 125, that's probably the average of a month's time frame. They may exceed that at certain points when we're doing multiple tasks out there....We did an analysis this morning with our consultants to, what do we think would be a benchmark number on average, per month, of employees that will be working out there."
Further, Cyr added, airport administration will update the number of jobs created.
"We'll be doing updates on a weekly basis on the number of employees that are on the job," Cyr said. He described the components within the project as involving dirt work; lime treated sub-grade; asphalt; concrete; lighting; painting; and striping. "We're anticipating that, probably, we're going to average somewhere with 125 plus employees during the course of this project."
Of the $28 million in aviation stimulus project funds, allotted to the state by the federal government, Springfield will bring home the lion's share.
City Manager Greg Burris said this was due to Cyr and his staff's preparedness.
"The reason that the Springfield-Branson National Airport is getting such a large percentage of these monies that are available in Missouri, is a direct result of Gary and his staff, the airport board, being exceptionally well prepared to do this. I mean, they had done the planning, they were ready to move forward on this," Burris said.
Cyr said the airport had not expected to be able to go ahead with the project until 2010.
"This was designed and talked about 4 years ago," Cyr noted. "The funding was not there, in place, to do it at that time....The stimulus money is allowing us to jump ahead and address this with the support of the FAA because it is a safety concern."
Although the explanation for Council Bill 2009-108 included the original estimate of $18.6 million and a net expenditure adjustment to approximately $14.9 million, it did not include a list of bidders for the project.
Related: CityConnect: "City Council Approves Airport Stimulus Project"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
The New Council: A Chemistry of Respect
Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes....
Okay, I could tell you the cold, hard, factual details about the City Council luncheon today, I've got it on tape and I have most of the handouts that were available but, I'd like to touch on something a little different. Besides, I might follow up on Wes' report after it comes out in tomorrow's News-Leader.
I'd rather look at the attitude and chemistry of the new Council tonight. I like it.
I see a true consideration and respect for other members on the part of our new Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem. Almost a deference to them that can only be described as a humbleness of spirit on the part of the Mayor and his new Pro Tem. It's a refreshing change.
Twice today, I witnessed the Pro Tem defer to Councilman Doug Burlison, who offered some good suggestions, and I think Mr. Burlison has, sometimes, felt a bit shut out in the past.
This is not to say that our past Mayor, Tom Carlson, did not allow other Councilmembers to speak, he did, but, while that is true, there never seemed to be the level of respect we are witnessing on the part of the new Mayor.
I don't really think I am the only one who got a sense there was a certain feeling of entitlement on the part of the old Council. Often, they seemed to decide how they wanted to act, with little regard to the sentiment of the public. I also don't think I am the only person within this city that sensed a certain arrogance on the part of some of the past members. Sure, they were all, personally, likeable people but, they didn't seem to be very approachable to the general public.
Another attitude I like is the respectful but firm manner in which our new Mayor deals with the City Manager. I know it is pretty early to pass any judgement on the way the new Council works but, Mayor O'Neal has already set a precedent of establishing his and the Council's unquestionable authority over Springfield's fledgling City Manager. The effect seems to be a more genuine deference to the wishes of the Council on the part of the manager. He seems a bit more tentative in recommending certain actions and time lines than he has in the past, and I believe, he may be starting to take his place, under the authority of the City Council, a bit more seriously than in his first days as manager.
All this is good news to me, in part, because I am going to be letting go of covering the City Council more and more as time goes by. I'm going through my own changes. The last 4 months has been a transitional time for me. [Really the last year, considering I lost my little dog and my sweet Mother in late December, 2007 and early April, 2008.]
I really enjoyed the work I was doing for the Community Free Press but, it became more and more clear to me that they really needed to use staff personnel for the increasing work load they were requesting of me, if, as it became apparent was the case, they were not willing to pay me appropriately for the work I was taking very seriously and spending more and more time upon. It was good business for them but, not good common sense for me.
Here's the confession: I loved what I was doing, so much so, in fact, I've been doing it for free as I have been slowly and quietly weaning myself from continuing in the same manner as I have been able to perform in the past. You see, I'm not a rich person who can afford to keep sacrificing my time in the endeavor, regardless of how much I enjoy(ed) it and regardless of how much I enjoy(ed) offering information as a community service to those who were and continue to be interested in city business.
Anyway, no promises. I'll write about the city if and when I have time or, if and when I feel like it. There's a big, broad, beautiful world out there and I have interests in other areas too. Life is good.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Okay, I could tell you the cold, hard, factual details about the City Council luncheon today, I've got it on tape and I have most of the handouts that were available but, I'd like to touch on something a little different. Besides, I might follow up on Wes' report after it comes out in tomorrow's News-Leader.
I'd rather look at the attitude and chemistry of the new Council tonight. I like it.
I see a true consideration and respect for other members on the part of our new Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem. Almost a deference to them that can only be described as a humbleness of spirit on the part of the Mayor and his new Pro Tem. It's a refreshing change.
Twice today, I witnessed the Pro Tem defer to Councilman Doug Burlison, who offered some good suggestions, and I think Mr. Burlison has, sometimes, felt a bit shut out in the past.
This is not to say that our past Mayor, Tom Carlson, did not allow other Councilmembers to speak, he did, but, while that is true, there never seemed to be the level of respect we are witnessing on the part of the new Mayor.
I don't really think I am the only one who got a sense there was a certain feeling of entitlement on the part of the old Council. Often, they seemed to decide how they wanted to act, with little regard to the sentiment of the public. I also don't think I am the only person within this city that sensed a certain arrogance on the part of some of the past members. Sure, they were all, personally, likeable people but, they didn't seem to be very approachable to the general public.
Another attitude I like is the respectful but firm manner in which our new Mayor deals with the City Manager. I know it is pretty early to pass any judgement on the way the new Council works but, Mayor O'Neal has already set a precedent of establishing his and the Council's unquestionable authority over Springfield's fledgling City Manager. The effect seems to be a more genuine deference to the wishes of the Council on the part of the manager. He seems a bit more tentative in recommending certain actions and time lines than he has in the past, and I believe, he may be starting to take his place, under the authority of the City Council, a bit more seriously than in his first days as manager.
All this is good news to me, in part, because I am going to be letting go of covering the City Council more and more as time goes by. I'm going through my own changes. The last 4 months has been a transitional time for me. [Really the last year, considering I lost my little dog and my sweet Mother in late December, 2007 and early April, 2008.]
I really enjoyed the work I was doing for the Community Free Press but, it became more and more clear to me that they really needed to use staff personnel for the increasing work load they were requesting of me, if, as it became apparent was the case, they were not willing to pay me appropriately for the work I was taking very seriously and spending more and more time upon. It was good business for them but, not good common sense for me.
Here's the confession: I loved what I was doing, so much so, in fact, I've been doing it for free as I have been slowly and quietly weaning myself from continuing in the same manner as I have been able to perform in the past. You see, I'm not a rich person who can afford to keep sacrificing my time in the endeavor, regardless of how much I enjoy(ed) it and regardless of how much I enjoy(ed) offering information as a community service to those who were and continue to be interested in city business.
Anyway, no promises. I'll write about the city if and when I have time or, if and when I feel like it. There's a big, broad, beautiful world out there and I have interests in other areas too. Life is good.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Monday, May 11, 2009
City of Springfield Weekly Calendar
Monday, 5/11/2009
10:00 AM James River Commons Community Improvement District Board of Directors Busch Municipal Building, 5th Floor Conf. Rm., 840 Boonville Contact: Matthew Schaeffer, (417) 864-1100
Cancelled 12:00 PM Partnership Industrial Center West Administrative Council Chamber of Commerce , 202 John Q. Hammons Parkway Contact: Greg Williams, (417) 862-5567
4:00 PM Library Board Buildings & Grounds Committee Brentwood Branch Library , 2214 Brentwood Boulevard Contact: Debbie Eckert, (417) 883-5366
Tuesday, 5/12/2009
9:00 AM Board of Equalization Greene County, Room 113, 940 North Boonville Contact: Richard Struckhoff, (417) 868-4055
12:00 PM Airport Plaza Community Improvement District Public Hearing Busch Municipal Building, 2nd Floor West Conf. Rm., 840 Boonville Contact: Neil Guion, (417) 886-2000
12:00 PM Special Council Meeting Busch Municipal Building, 4th Floor Conf. Rm., 840 Boonville Contact: Anita Climer, (417) 864-1654
12:15 PM (or immediately following Special Council Meeting) Council Lunch Busch Municipal Building, 4th Floor Conf. Rm., 840 Boonville Contact: Anita Climer, (417) 864-1654
2:00 PM Administrative Review Busch Municipal Building, Room 285, 840 Boonville Contact: Daniel Neal, (417) 864-1036
5:00 PM Watershed Work Session Watershed Offices , 320 North Main Contact: Loring Bullard, (417) 866-1127
5:15 PM Sister Cities Association Busch Municipal Building, 1st Floor Conf. Rm, 840 Boonville Contact: Sister City Office, (417) 864-1191
5:30 PM Sherman Avenue Project Area Committee Busch Municipal Building, 2nd Floor West Conf. Rm., 840 Boonville Contact: Marti Fewell, (417) 864-1039
Wednesday, 5/13/2009
8:00 AM Downtown Springfield Community Improvement District Board of Directors Busch Municipal Building, 4th Floor Conf. Rm., 840 Boonville Contact: Barb Baker, (417) 831-6200
Cancelled 5:30 PM Landmarks Board Old City Hall, Council Chambers, 830 Boonville Contact: Daniel Neal, (417) 864-1036
6:00 PM Police Fire Pension Fund Citizens Task Force Busch Municipal Building, 4th Floor Conf. Rm., 840 Boonville Contact: Brenda Cirtin, (417) 864-1650
Thursday, 5/14/2009
8:30 AM Police and Fire Pension Review Committee Busch Municipal Building, 4th Floor Conf. Rm., 840 Boonville Contact: Evelyn Honea, (417) 864-1002
9:30 AM School Crossing Protection Committee Meeting Busch Municipal Building, Traffic Eng.1st Floor Conference Rm, 840 Boonville Contact: Mandy Taylor , (417) 864-1801
4:00 PM Library Board Programs/Services/Technology Committee Library Center , 4653 South Campbell Contact: Debbie Eckert, (417) 883-5366
6:00 PM Art Museum Board of Directors Art Museum , 1111 East Brookside Contact: Jerry Berger, (417) 837-5700
6:00 PM Police Fire Pension Fund Citizens Task Force - Team 2 Sub-Committee Busch Municipal Building, 2nd Floor East Conf. Rm., 840 Boonville Contact: Brenda Cirtin, (417) 864-1650
7:00 PM Planning and Zoning Commission Old City Hall, Council Chambers, 830 Boonville Contact: Mike MacPherson, (417) 864-1831
Friday, 5/15/2009
9:30 AM Public Housing Authority Madison Towers, Northeast Meeting Room, 421 West Madison Contact: Tom Barnett, (417) 866-4329
Tuesday Special Council Meeting Agenda
1. ROLL CALL
2. EMERGENCY BILL
3. COUNCIL BILL 2009-108. (Ibarra)
A special ordinance authorizing the City Manager to enter into and accept a grant from the United State Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, to the City, by and through its Airport Board, in the amount of $14,878,026 for the purpose of providing funds for the Springfield-Branson National Airport Board to design and construct a new parallel taxiway to the southwest of Runway 14/32 at the Springfield-Branson National Airport; amending the budget provided for the Springfield-Branson National Airport Board for Fiscal Year 2008-2009 in the amount of $14,878,026; and declaring an emergency.
4. ANY AND ALL MATTERS WHICH FALL WITHIN THE JURISDICTION OF THE COUNCIL.
5. ADJOURN
Source: Louise Whall, Director of Public Information, City of Springfield
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
10:00 AM James River Commons Community Improvement District Board of Directors Busch Municipal Building, 5th Floor Conf. Rm., 840 Boonville Contact: Matthew Schaeffer, (417) 864-1100
Cancelled 12:00 PM Partnership Industrial Center West Administrative Council Chamber of Commerce , 202 John Q. Hammons Parkway Contact: Greg Williams, (417) 862-5567
4:00 PM Library Board Buildings & Grounds Committee Brentwood Branch Library , 2214 Brentwood Boulevard Contact: Debbie Eckert, (417) 883-5366
Tuesday, 5/12/2009
9:00 AM Board of Equalization Greene County, Room 113, 940 North Boonville Contact: Richard Struckhoff, (417) 868-4055
12:00 PM Airport Plaza Community Improvement District Public Hearing Busch Municipal Building, 2nd Floor West Conf. Rm., 840 Boonville Contact: Neil Guion, (417) 886-2000
12:00 PM Special Council Meeting Busch Municipal Building, 4th Floor Conf. Rm., 840 Boonville Contact: Anita Climer, (417) 864-1654
12:15 PM (or immediately following Special Council Meeting) Council Lunch Busch Municipal Building, 4th Floor Conf. Rm., 840 Boonville Contact: Anita Climer, (417) 864-1654
2:00 PM Administrative Review Busch Municipal Building, Room 285, 840 Boonville Contact: Daniel Neal, (417) 864-1036
5:00 PM Watershed Work Session Watershed Offices , 320 North Main Contact: Loring Bullard, (417) 866-1127
5:15 PM Sister Cities Association Busch Municipal Building, 1st Floor Conf. Rm, 840 Boonville Contact: Sister City Office, (417) 864-1191
5:30 PM Sherman Avenue Project Area Committee Busch Municipal Building, 2nd Floor West Conf. Rm., 840 Boonville Contact: Marti Fewell, (417) 864-1039
Wednesday, 5/13/2009
8:00 AM Downtown Springfield Community Improvement District Board of Directors Busch Municipal Building, 4th Floor Conf. Rm., 840 Boonville Contact: Barb Baker, (417) 831-6200
Cancelled 5:30 PM Landmarks Board Old City Hall, Council Chambers, 830 Boonville Contact: Daniel Neal, (417) 864-1036
6:00 PM Police Fire Pension Fund Citizens Task Force Busch Municipal Building, 4th Floor Conf. Rm., 840 Boonville Contact: Brenda Cirtin, (417) 864-1650
Thursday, 5/14/2009
8:30 AM Police and Fire Pension Review Committee Busch Municipal Building, 4th Floor Conf. Rm., 840 Boonville Contact: Evelyn Honea, (417) 864-1002
9:30 AM School Crossing Protection Committee Meeting Busch Municipal Building, Traffic Eng.1st Floor Conference Rm, 840 Boonville Contact: Mandy Taylor , (417) 864-1801
4:00 PM Library Board Programs/Services/Technology Committee Library Center , 4653 South Campbell Contact: Debbie Eckert, (417) 883-5366
6:00 PM Art Museum Board of Directors Art Museum , 1111 East Brookside Contact: Jerry Berger, (417) 837-5700
6:00 PM Police Fire Pension Fund Citizens Task Force - Team 2 Sub-Committee Busch Municipal Building, 2nd Floor East Conf. Rm., 840 Boonville Contact: Brenda Cirtin, (417) 864-1650
7:00 PM Planning and Zoning Commission Old City Hall, Council Chambers, 830 Boonville Contact: Mike MacPherson, (417) 864-1831
Friday, 5/15/2009
9:30 AM Public Housing Authority Madison Towers, Northeast Meeting Room, 421 West Madison Contact: Tom Barnett, (417) 866-4329
Tuesday Special Council Meeting Agenda
1. ROLL CALL
2. EMERGENCY BILL
3. COUNCIL BILL 2009-108. (Ibarra)
A special ordinance authorizing the City Manager to enter into and accept a grant from the United State Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, to the City, by and through its Airport Board, in the amount of $14,878,026 for the purpose of providing funds for the Springfield-Branson National Airport Board to design and construct a new parallel taxiway to the southwest of Runway 14/32 at the Springfield-Branson National Airport; amending the budget provided for the Springfield-Branson National Airport Board for Fiscal Year 2008-2009 in the amount of $14,878,026; and declaring an emergency.
4. ANY AND ALL MATTERS WHICH FALL WITHIN THE JURISDICTION OF THE COUNCIL.
5. ADJOURN
Source: Louise Whall, Director of Public Information, City of Springfield
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Better Late than Never? This Week at Baptist Press: On Pollster Bias and Autism
This week, at "Baptist Press" (BP), Kelly Boggs laid out the reasons liberal bias in the media is now, more or less, an accepted and foregone conclusion but, he didn't stop there. Media bias, wasn't the entire point this week. While he pointed to several journalists' admissions about the liberal bias that taints reporting, Boggs pointed out another area that hasn't been so forthcoming in admitting a similar bias. Polling organizations.
In "Pollsters can spin their data too," Boggs pointed out, "...a recent report on a poll conducted by Gallup organization reveals that poll takers can spin their results with the best public relations firms in the land."
After citing Obama's approval rating after his first 100 days, Boggs noted Obama's rating was not compared to past presidents' approval ratings in the same way George W. Bush's approval rating was compared to past presidents after the same time period in office.
Boggs also looked at the headlines after Obama's first 100 days in office, with a 56 percent approval rating, and after Bush's first 100 days in office with a 62 percent approval rating.
Obama headline:
Bush headline:
Boggs made a very good case for his conclusion. Read his conclusion and the whole article, for yourself, by clicking the story link provided above.
------------------------------------------------------
Then, because I know I have at least one avid reader who has an interest in autism research, check out "God's gift of hope in a struggle with autism," written by Richard Nations. It's a heart warming story about one family's expectations of their son, who was diagnosed with asperger's syndrome, and how they got so much more than they expected.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In "Pollsters can spin their data too," Boggs pointed out, "...a recent report on a poll conducted by Gallup organization reveals that poll takers can spin their results with the best public relations firms in the land."
After citing Obama's approval rating after his first 100 days, Boggs noted Obama's rating was not compared to past presidents' approval ratings in the same way George W. Bush's approval rating was compared to past presidents after the same time period in office.
"Gallup was careful to put Bush's first 100 days into "perspective" in an obvious attempt to downplay his positive poll numbers by comparing him to all elected presidents since Eisenhower. In fact, Gallup sought to further qualify Bush's positive poll numbers by saying, "In general, the rating a president receives early in the term are quite favorable, but decline over time." No such comparisons or qualifiers were offered for Obama's poll numbers." -Kelly Boggs, BP
Boggs also looked at the headlines after Obama's first 100 days in office, with a 56 percent approval rating, and after Bush's first 100 days in office with a 62 percent approval rating.
Obama headline:
"In First 100 Days, Obama Meets or Exceeds Expectations"
Bush headline:
"After 100 days, Bush's Job Approval Rating on Par With Previous Presidents'."
Boggs made a very good case for his conclusion. Read his conclusion and the whole article, for yourself, by clicking the story link provided above.
------------------------------------------------------
Then, because I know I have at least one avid reader who has an interest in autism research, check out "God's gift of hope in a struggle with autism," written by Richard Nations. It's a heart warming story about one family's expectations of their son, who was diagnosed with asperger's syndrome, and how they got so much more than they expected.
"God promises "For I know the plans I have for you" -- [this is] the Lord's declaration -- "plans for [your] welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." (Jeremiah 29:11 HCSB)"
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Saturday, May 09, 2009
Recommended Reading 12: Rasmussen Summarizes Last Week's Key Polls
Find out what the public thinks about a variety of issues
Rasmussen Reports™: The Most Comprehensive Public Opinion Data Anywhere
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Rasmussen Reports™: The Most Comprehensive Public Opinion Data Anywhere
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Friday, May 08, 2009
Involved Springfield Citizen Kick Starts City Council Discussions on Community Improvement Districts
An involved Springfield citizen spoke to the City Council under the auspices of commenting on Council Bill 2009-099. The City Council will vote on that bill at their May 18 Council meeting.
But, Fred Ellison's comments had little to do with the bill he signed up to comment on, instead, Ellison addressed points involved in the philosophical debate surrounding the more general use of Community Improvement Districts (CIDs).
Why is it important?
Well, if I may refresh your memory, back at the Council luncheon on April 28, following some comments on CIDs by Councilmen Nick Ibarra and Doug Burlison, Mayor Jim O'Neal advised City Manager Greg Burris that the Council would like to engage in a philosophical discussion on the issue of CIDs before they vote on many more of them.
"It's (the CID) an interesting political creature and I understand there's some philosophical discussion behind that," O'Neal said at the luncheon. "We'd (the City Council would) like to have that discussion before we vote on many of these."
At the luncheon meeting, a majority of the City Council voted to authorize the Mayor to sign a petition to create the Shoppes at James River (SJR) Community Improvement District. That step is a necessary, preliminary step for the creation of the SJR CID but, it did not actually create the district, that will be considered by Council at a later date. Councilmen Ibarra and Burlison were opposed to the harbinger of the creation of such a district.
Councilman Doug Burlison expressed a concern about the continuing approval of such districts' potential to have a negative effect on passage of any sort of a sales tax, which might be initiated, as a cure for the police and firefighter pension plan (See: "JackeHammer:" CID, TIF, & TDD; Tools in the City's Tool Box).
Councilman Nick Ibarra didn't like the idea that a citizen frequenting a business within a CID receives no notification they are paying a higher sales tax rate at the CID business than what they would pay at a competing business, not located within a CID (See: above noted previous entry).
In light of these future, requested discussions, having a citizen taxpayer define his own philosophical objections to the use of CIDs should be of great interest to the City Council. So, for the sake of future reference, I felt it might be valuable to lock Mr. Ellison's comments into a more accessible and permanent form.
Ellison brought up some interesting points in relation to Community Improvement Districts. He noted that only property owners within any given CID have a say in the creation of the CID; People leasing properties within a proposed CID have no voice in the creation of the district; and a CID creates a competitive advantage for the businesses within it.
"You're allowing a business, another entity, to use the taxpayer to pay for improvements on their properties," Ellison said. "That's an expense that that business no longer has to bear on itself and, therefore, it gives them a competitive advantage over other businesses that may be existing within the same line of business."
Ellison also suggested that businesses within a CID should post notice to their customers that they are paying a higher sales tax rate within the district.
"I think that businesses within a CID should be forced to disclose the fact that they're charging a higher sales tax rate than other businesses within the City of Springfield," Ellison said.
Another suggestion Ellison had was that there should be a minimum number of property owners. He noted, in the case of the CID discussed at the prior City Council luncheon, there was only one property owner, other than the City's own interest in the district.
"I don't think that's what the State statute intended," Ellison noted.
While Ellison did not note it, it could be noted that, generally, a "community" implies more than one or even two involved parties. According to Ellison, the State statute does not define how many participants must be involved in order to form a CID.
When a "community" of business owners wants to initiate a CID, it is generally initiated because it enables the property owners within the CID to ask registered voters within that district to approve an additional sales tax, specifically earmarked for developmental improvements to the property in question. Supposedly, it pertains to improvements which would be beneficial to the entire "community" zoned within the particular district.
As Ellison noted, over 50% of the property owners in both number and assessed value are required to petition to create the CID, however, only the registered voters within the CID are allowed to vote for approval or denial of the imposition of the additional sales tax within their district, though, in most or, at least, many cases, other taxpayers within the City, who did not have a vote on the sales tax rate, but, who might frequent the businesses within it, have had no say in the higher tax rate and are not notified of its existence.
In the case of the Shoppes at James River CID, there was only one property owner besides the City of Springfield, and that is why it was required that the Mayor be authorized to sign the petition calling for the formation of that Community Improvement District.
If the City Council later approves a CID sales tax initiative be placed on the ballot for the Shoppes at James River CID and it succeeds, the SJR district would use the proceeds of the additional sales tax to improve a storm water basin owned by the City, and take over the ongoing maintenance of the basin.
Without an initial 1 percent CID sales tax, Developer Tom Rankin has said he would be unable to pay the $300,000 required by the City for the developments' initial use of the basin, the improvements which would be required to it, and the ongoing maintenance they have agreed to provide for that basin.
"We can't afford to spend that kind of money without getting some return," Rankin said at the luncheon (again, see: "JackeHammer:" CID, TIF, & TDD; Tools in the City's Tool Box
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
But, Fred Ellison's comments had little to do with the bill he signed up to comment on, instead, Ellison addressed points involved in the philosophical debate surrounding the more general use of Community Improvement Districts (CIDs).
Why is it important?
Well, if I may refresh your memory, back at the Council luncheon on April 28, following some comments on CIDs by Councilmen Nick Ibarra and Doug Burlison, Mayor Jim O'Neal advised City Manager Greg Burris that the Council would like to engage in a philosophical discussion on the issue of CIDs before they vote on many more of them.
"It's (the CID) an interesting political creature and I understand there's some philosophical discussion behind that," O'Neal said at the luncheon. "We'd (the City Council would) like to have that discussion before we vote on many of these."
At the luncheon meeting, a majority of the City Council voted to authorize the Mayor to sign a petition to create the Shoppes at James River (SJR) Community Improvement District. That step is a necessary, preliminary step for the creation of the SJR CID but, it did not actually create the district, that will be considered by Council at a later date. Councilmen Ibarra and Burlison were opposed to the harbinger of the creation of such a district.
Councilman Doug Burlison expressed a concern about the continuing approval of such districts' potential to have a negative effect on passage of any sort of a sales tax, which might be initiated, as a cure for the police and firefighter pension plan (See: "JackeHammer:" CID, TIF, & TDD; Tools in the City's Tool Box).
Councilman Nick Ibarra didn't like the idea that a citizen frequenting a business within a CID receives no notification they are paying a higher sales tax rate at the CID business than what they would pay at a competing business, not located within a CID (See: above noted previous entry).
In light of these future, requested discussions, having a citizen taxpayer define his own philosophical objections to the use of CIDs should be of great interest to the City Council. So, for the sake of future reference, I felt it might be valuable to lock Mr. Ellison's comments into a more accessible and permanent form.
Ellison brought up some interesting points in relation to Community Improvement Districts. He noted that only property owners within any given CID have a say in the creation of the CID; People leasing properties within a proposed CID have no voice in the creation of the district; and a CID creates a competitive advantage for the businesses within it.
"You're allowing a business, another entity, to use the taxpayer to pay for improvements on their properties," Ellison said. "That's an expense that that business no longer has to bear on itself and, therefore, it gives them a competitive advantage over other businesses that may be existing within the same line of business."
Ellison also suggested that businesses within a CID should post notice to their customers that they are paying a higher sales tax rate within the district.
"I think that businesses within a CID should be forced to disclose the fact that they're charging a higher sales tax rate than other businesses within the City of Springfield," Ellison said.
Another suggestion Ellison had was that there should be a minimum number of property owners. He noted, in the case of the CID discussed at the prior City Council luncheon, there was only one property owner, other than the City's own interest in the district.
"I don't think that's what the State statute intended," Ellison noted.
While Ellison did not note it, it could be noted that, generally, a "community" implies more than one or even two involved parties. According to Ellison, the State statute does not define how many participants must be involved in order to form a CID.
When a "community" of business owners wants to initiate a CID, it is generally initiated because it enables the property owners within the CID to ask registered voters within that district to approve an additional sales tax, specifically earmarked for developmental improvements to the property in question. Supposedly, it pertains to improvements which would be beneficial to the entire "community" zoned within the particular district.
As Ellison noted, over 50% of the property owners in both number and assessed value are required to petition to create the CID, however, only the registered voters within the CID are allowed to vote for approval or denial of the imposition of the additional sales tax within their district, though, in most or, at least, many cases, other taxpayers within the City, who did not have a vote on the sales tax rate, but, who might frequent the businesses within it, have had no say in the higher tax rate and are not notified of its existence.
In the case of the Shoppes at James River CID, there was only one property owner besides the City of Springfield, and that is why it was required that the Mayor be authorized to sign the petition calling for the formation of that Community Improvement District.
If the City Council later approves a CID sales tax initiative be placed on the ballot for the Shoppes at James River CID and it succeeds, the SJR district would use the proceeds of the additional sales tax to improve a storm water basin owned by the City, and take over the ongoing maintenance of the basin.
Without an initial 1 percent CID sales tax, Developer Tom Rankin has said he would be unable to pay the $300,000 required by the City for the developments' initial use of the basin, the improvements which would be required to it, and the ongoing maintenance they have agreed to provide for that basin.
"We can't afford to spend that kind of money without getting some return," Rankin said at the luncheon (again, see: "JackeHammer:" CID, TIF, & TDD; Tools in the City's Tool Box
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Congratulations to Springfield City Clerk Brenda Cirtin
Mayor Jim O'Neal announced at the last City Council meeting (May 4) that Springfield City Clerk Brenda Cirtin had received the 2009 Quill Award from the International Institute of Municipal Clerks.
O'Neal said she received the award for exemplifying the goals and philosophies contained in the International Institute's Code of Ethics and Constitution.
Those goals were exemplified, O'Neal reported, by:
> Cirtin's participation in the International Institute of Municipal Clerks
> Service work in teaching other members
> Her participation in training programs to further her knowledge in her field
> Activities that enhance her profession
"I've worked with Brenda going back many years," O'Neal said. "I believe we can all attest to her professionalism and committment to (her) work and the City of Springfield."
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Thursday, May 07, 2009
May the Police-Fire Pension Fund Citizen's Task Force Web site be with you
The City has provided a Police-Fire Pension Fund Citizen's Task Force Web site where documents can be downloaded and you can keep your finger on the pulse of the force.
I'll also place a link for it in the side bar.
Now, May "the Force" Be With You.
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I'll also place a link for it in the side bar.
Now, May "the Force" Be With You.
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Wednesday, May 06, 2009
On Being Positive
Being positive is just one of the tips found in this article from "Copyblogger," my newest, favorite writing resource.
Fortin (in the above article) was talking about selling a product but, isn't being positive about more than writing to sell a product? Isn't is about a life style? Isn't it about finding that silver lining (or rainbow) on (or beyond) the dark cloud of whatever you happen to be looking at, any given moment in time?
Maybe, like my Mom said, your Mom or Grandma said, "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all."
I'm not selling a product, here, unless it is my own credibility, which, I recognize, has to be built over a period of time. So, how can I say something nice when I am sharing an opinion, based on my understanding of a serious issue?
I think the way any subject is treated "nicely" is marked by how fair one can be to all sides of an issue. Have I, first, removed myself and my own opinion from the issue by reporting it, to the best of my ability, with unbiased fairness? Have I given readers enough fair and factual information to form their own opinions?
If I have been fair, factual, and respectful to the different philosophies involved in forming an opinion in favor or opposition to one side of a particular issue, I think I have come a long way toward treating the subject "nicely."
There's nothing nasty about fairly, factually, and respectfully reporting on all sides of an issue, and once you have done so, there's nothing nasty about sharing your own opinion regarding that fairly, factually, and respectfully described topic. You see, I suspect, most of the time, when there is a charge of bias on the part of a reporter or journalist, it has to do with whether the reader feels his own "side" was correctly, respectfully, and contextually represented.
If I've done all of those things, I think my opinion will be treated with respect. If I have treated others' differing opinions disrespectfully, have misrepresented the philosophy behind the formation of their opinions, or taken part of a discussion about a particular issue out of context, I can't really expect someone who opposes my opinion for fair, factual and legitimate reasons to respect my opinion either.
Sharing an opinion about an issue, a person, or even a business, can involve some strong language and there's nothing wrong with using strong words to describe a philosophy with which you disagree or deliver a review on a business, in my opinion, as long as you have fairly, factually and respectfully represented the philosophy you oppose or the business you are reviewing. If you have done that, you have left some room for others (your readers) to determine their own, educated opinions based on the facts. They might agree or disagree with your opinion, and that's their right too. My opinion is no more valuable than the next person's opinion and is only as valuable to another person as they make it.
I didn't go to journalism school but, I enjoy writing, and recognize it as a "craft" rather than an art form. Just like any craft, there are certain steps that must be taken, in order to deliver a good end product. You can mix and match some of the steps according to the type of end product you want to deliver but, there are some steps which simply must exist and can't be delivered out of order.
If you were making a wooden toy for a child, for instance, you wouldn't pick up the wood block and paint and decorate it before shaping the wood, and you wouldn't sand the wood block before you shaped it.
I thank God for any ability I have to write. If there's any good in it, it is because God blessed me with a certain amount of natural ability to do it but, that doesn't mean I can't learn a lot more about the craft and continue to improve on it.
So, I'm not an expert at writing. There are loads of people who know more about writing than I do. I don't pretend to be an expert at writing. I'm just a blogger. I don't even have a professional outlet for my writing at the moment but, I just can't give it up, it's in my blood. After all, I've been writing since I was about 12 years old. It is a part of my life, a part of me that, even if I wanted to, I simply couldn't stop performing.
I may not be able to afford the degree but I can always afford to learn about the craft of writing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fortin (in the above article) was talking about selling a product but, isn't being positive about more than writing to sell a product? Isn't is about a life style? Isn't it about finding that silver lining (or rainbow) on (or beyond) the dark cloud of whatever you happen to be looking at, any given moment in time?
Maybe, like my Mom said, your Mom or Grandma said, "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all."
I'm not selling a product, here, unless it is my own credibility, which, I recognize, has to be built over a period of time. So, how can I say something nice when I am sharing an opinion, based on my understanding of a serious issue?
I think the way any subject is treated "nicely" is marked by how fair one can be to all sides of an issue. Have I, first, removed myself and my own opinion from the issue by reporting it, to the best of my ability, with unbiased fairness? Have I given readers enough fair and factual information to form their own opinions?
If I have been fair, factual, and respectful to the different philosophies involved in forming an opinion in favor or opposition to one side of a particular issue, I think I have come a long way toward treating the subject "nicely."
There's nothing nasty about fairly, factually, and respectfully reporting on all sides of an issue, and once you have done so, there's nothing nasty about sharing your own opinion regarding that fairly, factually, and respectfully described topic. You see, I suspect, most of the time, when there is a charge of bias on the part of a reporter or journalist, it has to do with whether the reader feels his own "side" was correctly, respectfully, and contextually represented.
If I've done all of those things, I think my opinion will be treated with respect. If I have treated others' differing opinions disrespectfully, have misrepresented the philosophy behind the formation of their opinions, or taken part of a discussion about a particular issue out of context, I can't really expect someone who opposes my opinion for fair, factual and legitimate reasons to respect my opinion either.
Sharing an opinion about an issue, a person, or even a business, can involve some strong language and there's nothing wrong with using strong words to describe a philosophy with which you disagree or deliver a review on a business, in my opinion, as long as you have fairly, factually and respectfully represented the philosophy you oppose or the business you are reviewing. If you have done that, you have left some room for others (your readers) to determine their own, educated opinions based on the facts. They might agree or disagree with your opinion, and that's their right too. My opinion is no more valuable than the next person's opinion and is only as valuable to another person as they make it.
I didn't go to journalism school but, I enjoy writing, and recognize it as a "craft" rather than an art form. Just like any craft, there are certain steps that must be taken, in order to deliver a good end product. You can mix and match some of the steps according to the type of end product you want to deliver but, there are some steps which simply must exist and can't be delivered out of order.
If you were making a wooden toy for a child, for instance, you wouldn't pick up the wood block and paint and decorate it before shaping the wood, and you wouldn't sand the wood block before you shaped it.
I thank God for any ability I have to write. If there's any good in it, it is because God blessed me with a certain amount of natural ability to do it but, that doesn't mean I can't learn a lot more about the craft and continue to improve on it.
So, I'm not an expert at writing. There are loads of people who know more about writing than I do. I don't pretend to be an expert at writing. I'm just a blogger. I don't even have a professional outlet for my writing at the moment but, I just can't give it up, it's in my blood. After all, I've been writing since I was about 12 years old. It is a part of my life, a part of me that, even if I wanted to, I simply couldn't stop performing.
I may not be able to afford the degree but I can always afford to learn about the craft of writing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Do You Support Our Troops?
You have an opportunity to express your gratitude to a local weapons troop today.
Head down to Commercial Street to give them a big send off, let them know you love, appreciate, and care for them, between 9:45 and 10:15 am today.
If you have a flag to carry, carry it.
If you can wear red, wear red.
Get there early, parking may be a little difficult to find close to Commercial, be prepared to do a little walking, so wear comfortable shoes.
Tune in to KSGF, 1260 AM or 104.1 FM, for more details - Vincent David Jericho is broadcasting live from Commercial Street this morning.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Head down to Commercial Street to give them a big send off, let them know you love, appreciate, and care for them, between 9:45 and 10:15 am today.
If you have a flag to carry, carry it.
If you can wear red, wear red.
Get there early, parking may be a little difficult to find close to Commercial, be prepared to do a little walking, so wear comfortable shoes.
Tune in to KSGF, 1260 AM or 104.1 FM, for more details - Vincent David Jericho is broadcasting live from Commercial Street this morning.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
City Council Began Budget Discussions Tuesday
Kicked around the best way to tackle the issue
"This is the first in a series of meetings," City Manager Burris said at the Council luncheon today. He asked the City Council to give him an idea of how many meetings they thought they would like to hold in order to discuss and possibly make changes to Springfield's 2009-10 proposed fiscal budget.
On Friday, May 1, as the City Charter requires, Burris delivered a copy of the proposed budget to each member of the City Council. Councilman Jerry Compton, of course, received his copy a little later.
Springfield's Finance Director Mary Mannix Decker went through the budget, hitting the highlights and answering a few questions from Council members.
The City also released a new document with the budget. This year they published a smaller document, a summary, which targets the differences between last year's budget and the newly proposed budget. The document is 38 pages in length.
Also released today: a document outlining the repercussions of budgeted City contribution cuts to the City's non-profit service-agency partners.
Councilman Doug Burlison didn't believe the City Council would be able to give Burris a good idea about how many meetings they might want to hold to discuss the budget until they'd had a week to look it over, forming questions and comments. Other Council members agreed with Burlison.
Councilman John Rush felt he needed more time to understand the budget. He said he had been trying to figure out a systematic way of looking at it and had been unable to do so.
Decker said, in the past, they have gone over it page by page. And, while it is up to the City Council to decide their procedure, Decker suggested time might be better spent by considering specific critical issues.
They casually decided they would begin their discussion at the next City Council luncheon by looking over the changes from last year to this year's proposed budget and they specifically asked to hear from Parks Director Jodie Adams and the Director of the Springfield-Greene County Health Department Kevin Gibson.
Councilman Scott Bailes said discussing priorities would be more helpful to him as a starting point. He wondered about the wisdom of cutting the parks department in a couple of the areas cited. Bailes felt by instituting cuts at Mediacom Ice Park and other potential sales tax generating sites, if the Department would not be, not only absorbing the initial general fund budget contribution loss but, lose revenue from sales tax receipts. He wondered if the parks budget was restored in those areas, what might be cut in their stead. Burris noted the Parks Department had decided for themselves the areas in which they cut their budget to deal with the cut in contributions from the City, as proposed in the new budget.
All of the budget workshops will be televised on TV23 and available for viewing at their Web site.
In other news, Mayor Pro Tem Dan Chiles said he had talked with Mayor Jim O'Neal's wife over the telephone. She had indicated the Mayor had come through his hip replacement surgery very well. She said they are estimating the Mayor could be released from the hospital on Thursday or Friday.
Related: Proposed Springfield budget full of cuts Springfield News-Leader
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"This is the first in a series of meetings," City Manager Burris said at the Council luncheon today. He asked the City Council to give him an idea of how many meetings they thought they would like to hold in order to discuss and possibly make changes to Springfield's 2009-10 proposed fiscal budget.
On Friday, May 1, as the City Charter requires, Burris delivered a copy of the proposed budget to each member of the City Council. Councilman Jerry Compton, of course, received his copy a little later.
Springfield's Finance Director Mary Mannix Decker went through the budget, hitting the highlights and answering a few questions from Council members.
The City also released a new document with the budget. This year they published a smaller document, a summary, which targets the differences between last year's budget and the newly proposed budget. The document is 38 pages in length.
Also released today: a document outlining the repercussions of budgeted City contribution cuts to the City's non-profit service-agency partners.
Councilman Doug Burlison didn't believe the City Council would be able to give Burris a good idea about how many meetings they might want to hold to discuss the budget until they'd had a week to look it over, forming questions and comments. Other Council members agreed with Burlison.
Councilman John Rush felt he needed more time to understand the budget. He said he had been trying to figure out a systematic way of looking at it and had been unable to do so.
Decker said, in the past, they have gone over it page by page. And, while it is up to the City Council to decide their procedure, Decker suggested time might be better spent by considering specific critical issues.
They casually decided they would begin their discussion at the next City Council luncheon by looking over the changes from last year to this year's proposed budget and they specifically asked to hear from Parks Director Jodie Adams and the Director of the Springfield-Greene County Health Department Kevin Gibson.
Councilman Scott Bailes said discussing priorities would be more helpful to him as a starting point. He wondered about the wisdom of cutting the parks department in a couple of the areas cited. Bailes felt by instituting cuts at Mediacom Ice Park and other potential sales tax generating sites, if the Department would not be, not only absorbing the initial general fund budget contribution loss but, lose revenue from sales tax receipts. He wondered if the parks budget was restored in those areas, what might be cut in their stead. Burris noted the Parks Department had decided for themselves the areas in which they cut their budget to deal with the cut in contributions from the City, as proposed in the new budget.
All of the budget workshops will be televised on TV23 and available for viewing at their Web site.
In other news, Mayor Pro Tem Dan Chiles said he had talked with Mayor Jim O'Neal's wife over the telephone. She had indicated the Mayor had come through his hip replacement surgery very well. She said they are estimating the Mayor could be released from the hospital on Thursday or Friday.
Related: Proposed Springfield budget full of cuts Springfield News-Leader
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Friday, May 01, 2009
Zone 3 City Council Seat; How the Votes were Cast and the Tally
The City released the vote breakdown on the Zone 3 City Council seat late Friday afternoon.
Here are how the Council members voted:
O'Neal: Compton, Herd, Schilling, Scott
Ibarra: Bell, Cady, Compton, Herd
Rushefsky: Cady, Compton, Howey, Schilling
Stephens: Cady, Compton, Johnson, Scott
Burlison: Bell, Cady, Howey, Scott
Chiles: Cady, Compton, Schilling, Scott
Rush: Cady, Compton, Elkins, Scott
Bailes: Compton, Howey, Schilling, Scott
Vote totals for each candidate:
Bell: 2
Cady: 6
Compton: 7
Elkins: 1
Herd: 2
Howey: 3
Johnson: 1
Schilling: 4
Scott: 6
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Here are how the Council members voted:
O'Neal: Compton, Herd, Schilling, Scott
Ibarra: Bell, Cady, Compton, Herd
Rushefsky: Cady, Compton, Howey, Schilling
Stephens: Cady, Compton, Johnson, Scott
Burlison: Bell, Cady, Howey, Scott
Chiles: Cady, Compton, Schilling, Scott
Rush: Cady, Compton, Elkins, Scott
Bailes: Compton, Howey, Schilling, Scott
Vote totals for each candidate:
Bell: 2
Cady: 6
Compton: 7
Elkins: 1
Herd: 2
Howey: 3
Johnson: 1
Schilling: 4
Scott: 6
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The Three Finalists for the Zone 3 City Council Seat have been Announced
They are Jeremy Cady, Jerry Compton and Dan Scott.
Scott and Compton are both architects. Cady is a Web/graphic manager.
From the City's news release:
You can read the application information by clicking this link.
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Scott and Compton are both architects. Cady is a Web/graphic manager.
From the City's news release:
Each of the three candidates will be interviewed, in a random order, beginning at 6 p.m., Monday, in Council Chambers in Historic City Hall. Each candidate will be asked the same set of questions. The other two candidates will be sequestered while one is being interviewed so that they don't hear the questions or responses. City Council members were asked to submit questions or topics that are being used to develop the set of questions.
Mayor Jim O'Neal said he would like the Council to hold a vote Monday night following the presentations. A five-vote majority is required for the successful applicant.
The finalists were selected from a group of nine applicants who made presentations at a special City Council meeting on Wednesday, April 29. Each current Council member was asked to select his or her top four choices and those choices were narrowed to the top three finalists.
The finalist interviews, as well as the regular Council meeting, will air live on the City Web site: tv23.springfieldmo.gov and on TV23, the City's government access channel, on Mediacom Channel 23. Application information for the finalists is available.
You can read the application information by clicking this link.
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Thursday, April 30, 2009
May 4 City Council Agenda Available
If you are interested in reviewing the May 4 City Council agenda, it is now available for reading online.
The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. rather than 7 p.m., to allow time for the Council to deliberate and select a new Zone 3 Council member.
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The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. rather than 7 p.m., to allow time for the Council to deliberate and select a new Zone 3 Council member.
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Nuts and Bolts: City Council Zone 3 Candidate Selection
Each of the nine candidates vying for the Zone 3 City Council seat were given 5 minutes to address the City Council in a special meeting in Council chambers at noon on Wednesday. The meeting took about an hour's time, in total.
The City sent out a news release regarding the meeting. If you were unable to attend but, would like to listen to the candidates for yourself, the news release indicated it will air on "...the City's government access channel, Mediacom Channel 23, at 8:30 p.m. tonight; 3 p.m. Friday, May 1; and 4:30 p.m., Saturday, May 2." The meeting has already been posted at TV23. Click the "City Council link" from this page, then click the April 29, 2009 meeting link to view the meeting in its entirety.
Mayor Jim O'Neal outlined the process of selection. He said each Council member should form questions to be asked of the top three candidates, and submit the questions to City Clerk Brenda Cirtin's office. Then he, the City Clerk and the City Manager will go over the questions looking for commonalities, one assumes, so that the same question(s) will not be repeated.
Each Council member will vote for their top 4 picks from among the 9 candidates and turn their choices in by noon on Friday. After tallied, the top 3 candidates will be chosen from those 4. The Council will vote from among those 3 top candidates at the upcoming City Council meeting on May 4, after the Council's questions are asked of each of the 3 candidates. That meeting will start at 6 p.m. instead of the usual 7 p.m., to accommodate for the questioning and action of the Council on that issue.
It will require 5 votes for a candidate to be approved for the seat. If no candidate receives the required 5 votes, the candidate scoring the least votes from among the three will be eliminated from the contest, and a new vote will be taken from among the top two. It is unclear what will transpire if each of those two, remaining candidates were to receive 4 votes each from the Council. Without the Zone 3 Council member, there is an even number of voting members remaining. In total, eight members will approve the candidate.
The candidate who wins the seat will be sworn on May 18, at the following Monday night, scheduled Council meeting. Mayor O'Neal wanted to allow the new Council member time to advise and include family and friends at the ceremony. O'Neal suggested, however, the new member will be expected to get right to work after his approval at the meeting on May 4.
Most of this information is available to the public through City news releases. If you would like to receive them, you can subscribe to them at the City's Web site.
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The City sent out a news release regarding the meeting. If you were unable to attend but, would like to listen to the candidates for yourself, the news release indicated it will air on "...the City's government access channel, Mediacom Channel 23, at 8:30 p.m. tonight; 3 p.m. Friday, May 1; and 4:30 p.m., Saturday, May 2." The meeting has already been posted at TV23. Click the "City Council link" from this page, then click the April 29, 2009 meeting link to view the meeting in its entirety.
Mayor Jim O'Neal outlined the process of selection. He said each Council member should form questions to be asked of the top three candidates, and submit the questions to City Clerk Brenda Cirtin's office. Then he, the City Clerk and the City Manager will go over the questions looking for commonalities, one assumes, so that the same question(s) will not be repeated.
Each Council member will vote for their top 4 picks from among the 9 candidates and turn their choices in by noon on Friday. After tallied, the top 3 candidates will be chosen from those 4. The Council will vote from among those 3 top candidates at the upcoming City Council meeting on May 4, after the Council's questions are asked of each of the 3 candidates. That meeting will start at 6 p.m. instead of the usual 7 p.m., to accommodate for the questioning and action of the Council on that issue.
It will require 5 votes for a candidate to be approved for the seat. If no candidate receives the required 5 votes, the candidate scoring the least votes from among the three will be eliminated from the contest, and a new vote will be taken from among the top two. It is unclear what will transpire if each of those two, remaining candidates were to receive 4 votes each from the Council. Without the Zone 3 Council member, there is an even number of voting members remaining. In total, eight members will approve the candidate.
The candidate who wins the seat will be sworn on May 18, at the following Monday night, scheduled Council meeting. Mayor O'Neal wanted to allow the new Council member time to advise and include family and friends at the ceremony. O'Neal suggested, however, the new member will be expected to get right to work after his approval at the meeting on May 4.
Most of this information is available to the public through City news releases. If you would like to receive them, you can subscribe to them at the City's Web site.
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Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Recommended Reading 9: CID, TIF, & TDD; Tools in the City's Tool Box
Ibarra, Burlison call for greater CID awareness News-Leader.com Springfield News-Leader
I just have a few points to add to Johnson's article in today's News-Leader. Unfortunately, my allergies have been running amuck and yesterday I didn't feel up to recapping the meeting. So, I'll just add onto Johnson's accurate report.
Mayor Jim O'Neal wants to have a philosophical discussion about the use of community improvement districts (CIDs), tax increment financing (TIF), and transportation development districts (TDDs) before City staff asks for approval of many more projects involving the use of the development strategies.
"It's (the CID) an interesting political creature and I understand there's some philosophical discussion behind that," O'Neal said. "We'd like to have that discussion before we vote on many of these."
The comment came on the heels of a brief discussion raised by Councilman Nick Ibarra about the transparency, or lack of it, regarding community improvement districts. Ibarra asked Economic Development Director Mary Lilly Smith how the public knows when they are in a CID.
"There's no requirement that they post the sales tax at the register," Smith answered. She explained that the creation of the CID creates a new jurisdiction within the City.
After the creation of the district, those within it can seek an additional sales tax, in this case, The Shoppes at James River would use the proceeds of the sales tax to improve a storm water basin and take over the ongoing maintainence of the basin. The basin is currently the responsibility of the tax payer through the City. Developer Tom Rankin said he would be unable to pay the $300,000 for use of the basin, required improvements to it, and ongoing maintenance of it without an initial 1 percent tax.
"We can't afford to spend that kind of money without getting some return," Rankin said.
Smith explained that those who live within the district would not lose their ability to vote in support or opposition of the additional sales tax. Registered voters who live within the district would vote it up or down. Sometimes the districts, however, only contain the property owners, in which case, only the property owners would vote on whether to place an additional sales tax within the boundaries of the district.
By there being no requirement for the affected business owners to post the sales tax at the register, patrons who enter the district to make purchases within it are usually unaware they are paying a higher tax rate than they would at a store or restaurant not located within the community improvement district.
Councilman Doug Burlison was concerned about the CID's potential effect on any sort of a sales tax which might be initiated as a cure for the police and firefighter pension plan.
"If we're putting in an additional tax here and an additional tax there, that doesn't go unnoticed," Burlison said. He fears adding yet another community improvement district, with an additional 1 percent sales tax, will lessen the chance of passage of a pension sales tax for the pension fund.
The News-Leader article linked above lists the 7 existing CIDs within Springfield and the rate of additional sales tax each district charges.
The passage of Council Bill 2009-095 did not create a new CID. It authorized the Mayor to sign a petition to create the Shoppes at James River Community Improvement District. That step is a necessary, preliminary step for the creation of that district.
As a part of the explanation to the bill, the Planning and Development Department's Ralph Rognsdadt noted: "This resolution merely authorizes the Mayor to sign the petition to establish the CID. It does not establish the CID. The City Council will consider a bill to establish the district at a subsequent City Council meeting." At the time of the Council's consideration to establish the CID, the public will have an opportunity to speak.
The preliminary step was approved with Councilmen Ibarra and Burlison opposed.
City Manager Greg Burris indicated the budget should be the priority for the Council for the time being but, agreed the new Council needed to understand the development strategies.
"You do need to be aware of the tools we have in our tool box," Burris said. Burris said he will have a presentation prepared to facilitate a discussion about the development strategies in the near future.
For more information about Community Improvement Districts, Tax Increment Financing, Transportation Development Districts and other municipal development strategies click this link.
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I just have a few points to add to Johnson's article in today's News-Leader. Unfortunately, my allergies have been running amuck and yesterday I didn't feel up to recapping the meeting. So, I'll just add onto Johnson's accurate report.
Mayor Jim O'Neal wants to have a philosophical discussion about the use of community improvement districts (CIDs), tax increment financing (TIF), and transportation development districts (TDDs) before City staff asks for approval of many more projects involving the use of the development strategies.
"It's (the CID) an interesting political creature and I understand there's some philosophical discussion behind that," O'Neal said. "We'd like to have that discussion before we vote on many of these."
The comment came on the heels of a brief discussion raised by Councilman Nick Ibarra about the transparency, or lack of it, regarding community improvement districts. Ibarra asked Economic Development Director Mary Lilly Smith how the public knows when they are in a CID.
"There's no requirement that they post the sales tax at the register," Smith answered. She explained that the creation of the CID creates a new jurisdiction within the City.
After the creation of the district, those within it can seek an additional sales tax, in this case, The Shoppes at James River would use the proceeds of the sales tax to improve a storm water basin and take over the ongoing maintainence of the basin. The basin is currently the responsibility of the tax payer through the City. Developer Tom Rankin said he would be unable to pay the $300,000 for use of the basin, required improvements to it, and ongoing maintenance of it without an initial 1 percent tax.
"We can't afford to spend that kind of money without getting some return," Rankin said.
Smith explained that those who live within the district would not lose their ability to vote in support or opposition of the additional sales tax. Registered voters who live within the district would vote it up or down. Sometimes the districts, however, only contain the property owners, in which case, only the property owners would vote on whether to place an additional sales tax within the boundaries of the district.
By there being no requirement for the affected business owners to post the sales tax at the register, patrons who enter the district to make purchases within it are usually unaware they are paying a higher tax rate than they would at a store or restaurant not located within the community improvement district.
Councilman Doug Burlison was concerned about the CID's potential effect on any sort of a sales tax which might be initiated as a cure for the police and firefighter pension plan.
"If we're putting in an additional tax here and an additional tax there, that doesn't go unnoticed," Burlison said. He fears adding yet another community improvement district, with an additional 1 percent sales tax, will lessen the chance of passage of a pension sales tax for the pension fund.
The News-Leader article linked above lists the 7 existing CIDs within Springfield and the rate of additional sales tax each district charges.
The passage of Council Bill 2009-095 did not create a new CID. It authorized the Mayor to sign a petition to create the Shoppes at James River Community Improvement District. That step is a necessary, preliminary step for the creation of that district.
As a part of the explanation to the bill, the Planning and Development Department's Ralph Rognsdadt noted: "This resolution merely authorizes the Mayor to sign the petition to establish the CID. It does not establish the CID. The City Council will consider a bill to establish the district at a subsequent City Council meeting." At the time of the Council's consideration to establish the CID, the public will have an opportunity to speak.
The preliminary step was approved with Councilmen Ibarra and Burlison opposed.
City Manager Greg Burris indicated the budget should be the priority for the Council for the time being but, agreed the new Council needed to understand the development strategies.
"You do need to be aware of the tools we have in our tool box," Burris said. Burris said he will have a presentation prepared to facilitate a discussion about the development strategies in the near future.
For more information about Community Improvement Districts, Tax Increment Financing, Transportation Development Districts and other municipal development strategies click this link.
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Monday, April 27, 2009
Zone 3 City Council Seat will not be Filled on Wednesday After all
Councilman will not be sworn into office until May 18
Originally, Mayor Jim O'Neal expected to walk out of City Council Chambers on Wednesday afternoon with a newly appointed Zone 3 City Council person.
According to a news release from the City, the Mayor has come up with a new process for selecting the Zone Council member.
The news release outlines the procedure after the noon, Wednesday meeting:
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Originally, Mayor Jim O'Neal expected to walk out of City Council Chambers on Wednesday afternoon with a newly appointed Zone 3 City Council person.
According to a news release from the City, the Mayor has come up with a new process for selecting the Zone Council member.
The news release outlines the procedure after the noon, Wednesday meeting:
After the special meeting, the current members of the City Council will be asked to submit by noon, Friday, May 1, the names of the four candidates they each believe to be the best qualified for the Zone 3 seat. He also is asking the current Councilmembers to submit three or four questions they would like to ask each of the finalists.
On Friday, May 1, the votes from the current Councilmembers will be tallied and the top three candidates will be asked to have second interviews with the City Council at 6 p.m., Monday, May 4. These interviews will be at the beginning of the regular Council meeting, which will start an hour earlier than usual.
At the second interview, the Council will ask the candidates questions from the lists submitted by the Councilmembers. Following the individual interviews, the Council will make its selection of the new Zone 3 Councilmember.
The new Councilmember will be sworn into office at the City Council meeting on Monday, May 18.
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A Letter to all the Big Shots he could Think of in Washington
This "guy" doesn't get excited enough about something to write a letter to all the big shots he can think of very often but, he got excited enough to do it today. Even more exciting, he sent me a copy and authorized me to post it here.
Instead of an LTTE (letter to the editor) consider it an LTTB (letter to the blogger).
--------------------------------------
This entire Washington thing has gotten WAY out of hand to the point where MANY of us are just flabbergasted! When will we hear at least a PORTION of the TRUTH about how and why our economy ended up where it's at?
For a long time we heard it was "caused" by the sub prime mortgage fiasco. Many of us never bought that line at all. The sub-prime mortgage crisis is but a symptom of what is really wrong with our economy and our Country. And all of you in Washington know it and also know what the real problems are but, of course, you can't ever speak about them.
"FOLLOW THE MONEY" is all we have to do out here in fly over country to uncover the truth. Politicians and large corporations are the same thing, all about money and lavish life styles! Is it any wonder the people themselves ended up wanting to follow the lead of their Government and Corporations??? Money for nothing and chicks for free?
Just in CASE you all REALLY ARE as ignorant as you often seem to be, here are the reasons for the problems we face... PLEASE TRY to understand this...
1> ALL banks HAD regulatory oversight. Did any regulators have any problem at all with the way banks were lending money? Not that I ever heard about... Greed clouded everyone's vision.
2> Nearly everyone ALREADY KNEW the housing market was over heated in the early 2000's. The FED and Greenspan conspired to keep interest rates artificially low along with lower lending guidelines MANDATED by CONGRESS. All to keep the housing bubble pumped up. Greed clouded everyone's vision.
3> Barney Frank and Congress MANDATED that Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae lower lending requirements. Including, to a large extent, ignoring a potential buyers ability to repay the loan and, to a point, ignoring borrowers credit quality overall. An obvious recipe for disaster. Greed clouded everyone's vision.
4> The sub-prime lenders, themselves, seeing an opportunity to "game the system," because Congressional ineptitude gamed it to the max... writing BILLIONS of dollars of WORTHLESS loans. Now you want WHO to pay for this?! Greed clouded everyone's vision.
5> The ratings agencies... Giving these disastrous loans an Investment Grade rating?! The SAME agencies who were PAID by Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae to rate the loans in question?! WHAT?! Greed clouded everyone's vision.
6> And last, but certainly not least, the borrowers themselves... What were THEY thinking?! Many of them were spending WAY over their heads and KNEW it and DIDN'T CARE! We have taught an entire generation or two to have no personal responsibility for their own actions and this sort of behavior is the result. The "dumbing down of America" has its effects... And Greed clouded everyone's vision.
Many of us KNOW what is going on and OF COURSE many of us are very angry. The "loan sharks" are still out there today, lurking, swimming, watching... They are still led by CITI and B of A... In my opinion, this is all about unfettered GREED and CORRUPTION in GOVERNMENT AND BUSINESS.
Our economy will suffer far longer than anyone in Washington seems willing to talk about. Sooner or later ALL the truth will come out. All of it... Capitalism is fine, unchecked GREED and CORRUPTION are NOT! That is the problem. PLEASE FIX IT!
Gregory S. Phillips, Joplin
------------------------------------------------
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Instead of an LTTE (letter to the editor) consider it an LTTB (letter to the blogger).
--------------------------------------
This entire Washington thing has gotten WAY out of hand to the point where MANY of us are just flabbergasted! When will we hear at least a PORTION of the TRUTH about how and why our economy ended up where it's at?
For a long time we heard it was "caused" by the sub prime mortgage fiasco. Many of us never bought that line at all. The sub-prime mortgage crisis is but a symptom of what is really wrong with our economy and our Country. And all of you in Washington know it and also know what the real problems are but, of course, you can't ever speak about them.
"FOLLOW THE MONEY" is all we have to do out here in fly over country to uncover the truth. Politicians and large corporations are the same thing, all about money and lavish life styles! Is it any wonder the people themselves ended up wanting to follow the lead of their Government and Corporations??? Money for nothing and chicks for free?
Just in CASE you all REALLY ARE as ignorant as you often seem to be, here are the reasons for the problems we face... PLEASE TRY to understand this...
1> ALL banks HAD regulatory oversight. Did any regulators have any problem at all with the way banks were lending money? Not that I ever heard about... Greed clouded everyone's vision.
2> Nearly everyone ALREADY KNEW the housing market was over heated in the early 2000's. The FED and Greenspan conspired to keep interest rates artificially low along with lower lending guidelines MANDATED by CONGRESS. All to keep the housing bubble pumped up. Greed clouded everyone's vision.
3> Barney Frank and Congress MANDATED that Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae lower lending requirements. Including, to a large extent, ignoring a potential buyers ability to repay the loan and, to a point, ignoring borrowers credit quality overall. An obvious recipe for disaster. Greed clouded everyone's vision.
4> The sub-prime lenders, themselves, seeing an opportunity to "game the system," because Congressional ineptitude gamed it to the max... writing BILLIONS of dollars of WORTHLESS loans. Now you want WHO to pay for this?! Greed clouded everyone's vision.
5> The ratings agencies... Giving these disastrous loans an Investment Grade rating?! The SAME agencies who were PAID by Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae to rate the loans in question?! WHAT?! Greed clouded everyone's vision.
6> And last, but certainly not least, the borrowers themselves... What were THEY thinking?! Many of them were spending WAY over their heads and KNEW it and DIDN'T CARE! We have taught an entire generation or two to have no personal responsibility for their own actions and this sort of behavior is the result. The "dumbing down of America" has its effects... And Greed clouded everyone's vision.
Many of us KNOW what is going on and OF COURSE many of us are very angry. The "loan sharks" are still out there today, lurking, swimming, watching... They are still led by CITI and B of A... In my opinion, this is all about unfettered GREED and CORRUPTION in GOVERNMENT AND BUSINESS.
Our economy will suffer far longer than anyone in Washington seems willing to talk about. Sooner or later ALL the truth will come out. All of it... Capitalism is fine, unchecked GREED and CORRUPTION are NOT! That is the problem. PLEASE FIX IT!
Gregory S. Phillips, Joplin
------------------------------------------------
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A Timeline of the Police-Fire Pension Fund Citizen's Task Force Selection
Via emails, and even a couple of phone calls, it has come to my attention there was some confusion regarding the process of selection of the 6 final members of the Police-Fire Pension Fund Citizen's Task Force (or 7, including the Chair and Vice Chair selections).
I tried to clarify that process to the best of my ability in this previous entry but, I still received another phone call Friday evening from a citizen who had a lot of questions. He felt it might be helpful to have the Second-Round Applications list posted and still, further clarification.
I went directly to a newly elected member of the City Council to fill in some of the blanks on the process, and to assist in clarifying the issue, which appeared to revolve around whether all of the applicants were included in the process of selection undertaken by our newly elected and ongoing members of the City Council.
Councilman Nick Ibarra thought the confusion might be due to multiple lists, the original, plus the list of new applicants generated by the reopening of the application process for a brief window of time, immediately after the election of the new Council.
"The confusion, I believe, may be that there were two lists distributed. The lists were separated with one list being the original group of applicants, and the other being the new group. But all applicants, both old and new, were given to Council to be considered," Ibarra wrote in an email.
Based on information received in City news releases, from CityConnect entries, my own past reporting and information provided by Mr. Ibarra, this would be the timeline of the process:
Police-Fire Pension Fund Citizen Task Force Selection Timeline
> February 26, 2009, applicants were solicited for the purpose of forming the Task force, with a deadline of 5 p.m. March 9. (City news release, "Police Fire Task Force and Voter Survey")
> March 10, the City's Web log, CityConnect, posted an entry stating the first application period was closed, along with a memo sent from City Manager Greg Burris to the City Council with recommendations for the selection process. (CityConnect: "Burris Memo - Task Force Recommendations")
> March 24, CityConnect issued another entry specifying the City Council, prior to the election of April 7, would choose part of the task force but, reserve some selections for the Council which would be voted in on April 7. (CityConnect: "Council To Begin Task Force Selection Process")
> March 31, at a City Council luncheon, City Manager Greg Burris made his recommendations to the (previous) City Council regarding applicants. Also included was a draft "charge" of the task force. Council could either approve Burris' recommendations or chose their own from the list of applicants for the task force. The City Manager requested they turn in their selections by 5 p.m. April 3. (CityConnect: "Burris Recommends Task Force Members")
> April 7, eleven applicants were approved to sit on the task force. (JackeHammer: "Police-Fire Pension Citizen's Task Force Approved at City Council Luncheon") Two of the members were later disqualified, due to conflicts of interest, leaving 9 approved members. Those disqualified were Carol Mihalevich and Matt Morrow.
> April 9, the new City Council was sworn in. (City news release: "City Council Swearing-in Ceremony")
> April 10, the pension task force application process was reopened with a deadline for applications of 5 p.m. on April 16, 2009.
An April 20 deadline was set for the incoming and ongoing City Council members to turn in 6 more recommended members each for the police fire task force, so that the results could be tallied in preparation for discussion and selection of 6 more members at the following day's City Council luncheon, April 21.
The City news release, again, dated April 10, stated, "Mayor-elect Jim O’Neal said the new Council will be asked to select six individuals from the new applications, the remaining applicants in the original group of 54, and others who have been recommended by Councilmembers. Individuals who have already submitted applications do not need to re-apply if they still wish to be considered for service on the Task Force." (City news release: "Pension Task Force Applications Re-opened" (JackeHammer: "Pension Task Force Application Process Briefly Re-Opened")
> April 13, a CityConnect entry reminded citizens they had another opportunity to apply to be a member of the task force. (CityConnect, "Pension Task Force Still Taking Applications")
Author's note: For further insight, I asked Councilman Ibarra what he could tell me about the process between the reopening of the application process on April 10, and the April 21 meeting, in which the Council approved 6 new members to the force:
"The deadline for the second application process was the 16th of April at 5:00 p.m. The following day (April 17) the applications, both old and new, were delivered to me with my regular information drop off from the clerk’s office." Ibarra replied on April 27 (emphasis mine). "Additionally, Mr. Burris had attached a note requesting that Council have their choice of six candidates turned in for a tally by the following Monday at 5:00 p.m. (April 20) to ensure that the list of successful applicants could be discussed at the Tuesday luncheon."
> On April 21, our current City Council members selected 6 more applicants to sit on the task force. The following "Second-Round Applications" list was distributed to the City Council members, (asterisks marking details added by author for clarification):
Police-Fire Pension Fund Citizen's Task Force
Second-Round Applications*
4/21/2009 (Numbers in parenthesis represent the number of votes the applicant received from the currently sitting City Council. If no number appears, the applicant was a new applicant who had applied between April 10 and April 16 but, who received no votes from the current City Council.)
Charles Wayne Bair
Nathan Baker
Lorenzo Baldwin (3)**
Thomas Billings (1)
Burl Brown (1)
Becki Carr
Gordon Elliot (4)**
Fred Ellison (2)
Jerald Fensterbaker (2)
Ed Griesbaum (1)
Louis Griesmer (1)
Donald Gutierrez (1)
Doug Harpool (1)
Jack Hembree (2)
Carl Herd (3)**
Bob Horton (5)**
Nancy Howard (1)
Denny Hyde (5)**
Chris Jackson
Joy Jones
Glen Larson
Michael Lumby
William Mabary
Joe Passanise (1)
Brian Perdue
Mike Ramon (2)
John Reed (1)
Steven Reed
Micah Scott (1)
Mark D. Steele
Andy Stewart
Larry Stock (1)
Bradley Stokes (2)
Brad Sturges
Steven Thomas
David Trippe (5)**
Katherine Trombetta (1)
Derek White (1)
Daniel Williams
*My understanding is, this list represents all of the new applicants who applied after the new City Council reopened the application process, whether the applicants received any votes or not. Applicants from the previously known list of applicants were included on the "Second-Round Applicants" list only if they received a vote from the current City Council, which would have been turned in by the City Council by 5 p.m. on April 20, in preparation for the luncheon on the 21st.
**Mr. Burris recommended the 6 names which received 3 to 5 votes from the current City Council, be approved and added to the existing 9 task force members to make a force of 15. Councilman Doug Burlison made a motion Burris' recommendation be accepted and those 6 recommended applicants were approved unanimously by a voice vote of the City Council. (JackeHammer: "Police and Firefighter Pension Task Force Selection Complete")
> On April 22, Mayor Jim O'Neal announced and introduced the Chair and Vice Chair of the police fire pension task force as Jerry Fenstermaker and Jerry Harmison. Fenstermaker will be a non-voting member, according to the City's news release.
The official charge for the task force was posted at CityConnect and a video of the news conference, held by Mayor O'Neal, was aired by the City's TV23, it can also be viewed online by selecting it from the "Special Programming" category link. (City news release: "Police-Fire Task Force Chair, Vice-Chair Named") (CityConnect: "Pension Fund Citizens Task Force Now Set") (JackeHammer: "Updates: Special Council Meeting to be Re-Scheduled; Chair and Vice Chair Appointed to the Pension Task Force")
> April 24, the City announced the first meeting of the task force would take place from 6 to 8 p.m. on April 27. The meeting is open to the public and will be held in the 4th floor conference room at the Busch Municipal Building and will also be accessible for viewing online at TV23's Web site.
Following is the tentative agenda for the first Police-Fire Pension Fund Citizen's Task Force:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I tried to clarify that process to the best of my ability in this previous entry but, I still received another phone call Friday evening from a citizen who had a lot of questions. He felt it might be helpful to have the Second-Round Applications list posted and still, further clarification.
I went directly to a newly elected member of the City Council to fill in some of the blanks on the process, and to assist in clarifying the issue, which appeared to revolve around whether all of the applicants were included in the process of selection undertaken by our newly elected and ongoing members of the City Council.
Councilman Nick Ibarra thought the confusion might be due to multiple lists, the original, plus the list of new applicants generated by the reopening of the application process for a brief window of time, immediately after the election of the new Council.
"The confusion, I believe, may be that there were two lists distributed. The lists were separated with one list being the original group of applicants, and the other being the new group. But all applicants, both old and new, were given to Council to be considered," Ibarra wrote in an email.
Based on information received in City news releases, from CityConnect entries, my own past reporting and information provided by Mr. Ibarra, this would be the timeline of the process:
Police-Fire Pension Fund Citizen Task Force Selection Timeline
> February 26, 2009, applicants were solicited for the purpose of forming the Task force, with a deadline of 5 p.m. March 9. (City news release, "Police Fire Task Force and Voter Survey")
> March 10, the City's Web log, CityConnect, posted an entry stating the first application period was closed, along with a memo sent from City Manager Greg Burris to the City Council with recommendations for the selection process. (CityConnect: "Burris Memo - Task Force Recommendations")
> March 24, CityConnect issued another entry specifying the City Council, prior to the election of April 7, would choose part of the task force but, reserve some selections for the Council which would be voted in on April 7. (CityConnect: "Council To Begin Task Force Selection Process")
> March 31, at a City Council luncheon, City Manager Greg Burris made his recommendations to the (previous) City Council regarding applicants. Also included was a draft "charge" of the task force. Council could either approve Burris' recommendations or chose their own from the list of applicants for the task force. The City Manager requested they turn in their selections by 5 p.m. April 3. (CityConnect: "Burris Recommends Task Force Members")
> April 7, eleven applicants were approved to sit on the task force. (JackeHammer: "Police-Fire Pension Citizen's Task Force Approved at City Council Luncheon") Two of the members were later disqualified, due to conflicts of interest, leaving 9 approved members. Those disqualified were Carol Mihalevich and Matt Morrow.
> April 9, the new City Council was sworn in. (City news release: "City Council Swearing-in Ceremony")
> April 10, the pension task force application process was reopened with a deadline for applications of 5 p.m. on April 16, 2009.
An April 20 deadline was set for the incoming and ongoing City Council members to turn in 6 more recommended members each for the police fire task force, so that the results could be tallied in preparation for discussion and selection of 6 more members at the following day's City Council luncheon, April 21.
The City news release, again, dated April 10, stated, "Mayor-elect Jim O’Neal said the new Council will be asked to select six individuals from the new applications, the remaining applicants in the original group of 54, and others who have been recommended by Councilmembers. Individuals who have already submitted applications do not need to re-apply if they still wish to be considered for service on the Task Force." (City news release: "Pension Task Force Applications Re-opened" (JackeHammer: "Pension Task Force Application Process Briefly Re-Opened")
> April 13, a CityConnect entry reminded citizens they had another opportunity to apply to be a member of the task force. (CityConnect, "Pension Task Force Still Taking Applications")
Author's note: For further insight, I asked Councilman Ibarra what he could tell me about the process between the reopening of the application process on April 10, and the April 21 meeting, in which the Council approved 6 new members to the force:
"The deadline for the second application process was the 16th of April at 5:00 p.m. The following day (April 17) the applications, both old and new, were delivered to me with my regular information drop off from the clerk’s office." Ibarra replied on April 27 (emphasis mine). "Additionally, Mr. Burris had attached a note requesting that Council have their choice of six candidates turned in for a tally by the following Monday at 5:00 p.m. (April 20) to ensure that the list of successful applicants could be discussed at the Tuesday luncheon."
> On April 21, our current City Council members selected 6 more applicants to sit on the task force. The following "Second-Round Applications" list was distributed to the City Council members, (asterisks marking details added by author for clarification):
Police-Fire Pension Fund Citizen's Task Force
Second-Round Applications*
4/21/2009 (Numbers in parenthesis represent the number of votes the applicant received from the currently sitting City Council. If no number appears, the applicant was a new applicant who had applied between April 10 and April 16 but, who received no votes from the current City Council.)
Charles Wayne Bair
Nathan Baker
Lorenzo Baldwin (3)**
Thomas Billings (1)
Burl Brown (1)
Becki Carr
Gordon Elliot (4)**
Fred Ellison (2)
Jerald Fensterbaker (2)
Ed Griesbaum (1)
Louis Griesmer (1)
Donald Gutierrez (1)
Doug Harpool (1)
Jack Hembree (2)
Carl Herd (3)**
Bob Horton (5)**
Nancy Howard (1)
Denny Hyde (5)**
Chris Jackson
Joy Jones
Glen Larson
Michael Lumby
William Mabary
Joe Passanise (1)
Brian Perdue
Mike Ramon (2)
John Reed (1)
Steven Reed
Micah Scott (1)
Mark D. Steele
Andy Stewart
Larry Stock (1)
Bradley Stokes (2)
Brad Sturges
Steven Thomas
David Trippe (5)**
Katherine Trombetta (1)
Derek White (1)
Daniel Williams
*My understanding is, this list represents all of the new applicants who applied after the new City Council reopened the application process, whether the applicants received any votes or not. Applicants from the previously known list of applicants were included on the "Second-Round Applicants" list only if they received a vote from the current City Council, which would have been turned in by the City Council by 5 p.m. on April 20, in preparation for the luncheon on the 21st.
**Mr. Burris recommended the 6 names which received 3 to 5 votes from the current City Council, be approved and added to the existing 9 task force members to make a force of 15. Councilman Doug Burlison made a motion Burris' recommendation be accepted and those 6 recommended applicants were approved unanimously by a voice vote of the City Council. (JackeHammer: "Police and Firefighter Pension Task Force Selection Complete")
> On April 22, Mayor Jim O'Neal announced and introduced the Chair and Vice Chair of the police fire pension task force as Jerry Fenstermaker and Jerry Harmison. Fenstermaker will be a non-voting member, according to the City's news release.
The official charge for the task force was posted at CityConnect and a video of the news conference, held by Mayor O'Neal, was aired by the City's TV23, it can also be viewed online by selecting it from the "Special Programming" category link. (City news release: "Police-Fire Task Force Chair, Vice-Chair Named") (CityConnect: "Pension Fund Citizens Task Force Now Set") (JackeHammer: "Updates: Special Council Meeting to be Re-Scheduled; Chair and Vice Chair Appointed to the Pension Task Force")
> April 24, the City announced the first meeting of the task force would take place from 6 to 8 p.m. on April 27. The meeting is open to the public and will be held in the 4th floor conference room at the Busch Municipal Building and will also be accessible for viewing online at TV23's Web site.
Following is the tentative agenda for the first Police-Fire Pension Fund Citizen's Task Force:
TENTATIVE AGENDA
1. Individual introductions
2. Assign members to three teams
3. Deliverables / Assignments
4. Task force communications
5. Next steps
(City news release: "Pension Task Force First Meeting Date")
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Saturday, April 25, 2009
This Week at Baptist Press: Boggs on "T-E-A Bagging"
It seems appropriate to note that Kelly Boggs of Baptist Press weighed in on the Tea Party tempest this week. Boggs never seems to mind rolling up his sleeves and punching the partisan air. He pulled no punches with Janeane Garofalo this week.
Boggs took Janeane Garofalo to task for her myopic pronouncement:
"...The protests took issue with the president because it is he that is leading the way of the expansion of government. Racism had nothing to do with it." Boggs wrote, by way of explaining why the TEA party protests were going on across the country. He also explained what the acronym TEA stands for, "...the letters T-E-A were an acronym for Taxed Enough Already. I know Ms. Garofalo might find it hard to believe but we ignorant conservatives actually know what an acronym is."
Read the article here.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Boggs took Janeane Garofalo to task for her myopic pronouncement:
"Let's be very honest about what this is about. It's not about bashing Democrats. It's not about taxes. They have no idea what the Boston Tea Party was about," Garofalo opined, "They don't know their history at all. This is about hating a black man in the White House. This is racism straight up...."
"...The protests took issue with the president because it is he that is leading the way of the expansion of government. Racism had nothing to do with it." Boggs wrote, by way of explaining why the TEA party protests were going on across the country. He also explained what the acronym TEA stands for, "...the letters T-E-A were an acronym for Taxed Enough Already. I know Ms. Garofalo might find it hard to believe but we ignorant conservatives actually know what an acronym is."
Read the article here.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Friday, April 24, 2009
Ten Applicants to Vie for the Zone 3 Council Seat Wednesday at Noon
In a news release this afternoon the City identified the ten applicants who seek the Zone 3 City Council seat, which was vacated by Ralph K. Manley on April 20. They will speak to the Council on Wednesday, April 29 in the City Council Chambers. The meeting is open to the public.
They are (and information below is straight from the City's news release with the addition of a hot link to the application information):
. Chris Bell
· Jeremy W. Cady
· Jerome W. Compton
· Perry J. Elkins
· Carl E. Herd
· Frank E. Howey
· Brian W. Johnson
· Mike Schilling
· Daniel E. Scott
· John E. Sellars
The City Council will hold a special meeting at noon, Wednesday, April 29, 2009, in Council Chambers to hear five-minute presentations from the applicants....
The applicant selected to fill Mr. Manley's unexpired term will serve until April 2011. At that point, the Zone 3 Councilmember would be eligible to run for a full four-year term.
The full application information will be posted on the City's Web site: www.springfieldmo.gov/cityconnect after 6 p.m. today.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
They are (and information below is straight from the City's news release with the addition of a hot link to the application information):
. Chris Bell
· Jeremy W. Cady
· Jerome W. Compton
· Perry J. Elkins
· Carl E. Herd
· Frank E. Howey
· Brian W. Johnson
· Mike Schilling
· Daniel E. Scott
· John E. Sellars
The City Council will hold a special meeting at noon, Wednesday, April 29, 2009, in Council Chambers to hear five-minute presentations from the applicants....
The applicant selected to fill Mr. Manley's unexpired term will serve until April 2011. At that point, the Zone 3 Councilmember would be eligible to run for a full four-year term.
The full application information will be posted on the City's Web site: www.springfieldmo.gov/cityconnect after 6 p.m. today.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Special Council Meeting Now Set to Hear Zone 3 Applicants
The meeting, originally set for Tuesday of next week is now scheduled for noon on Wednesday, April 29.
The Special Council meeting has been called to give each applicant for the Zone 3 City Council seat, which was vacated abruptly by Ralph K. Manley, an opportunity to speak to the Council for 5 minutes each on their own behalf.
After hearing from the applicants, the City Council is expected to vote a new Zone 3 Council person into that seat.
The meeting is open to the public and will be held in the City Council Chambers on the third floor of the Historic City Hall.
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The Special Council meeting has been called to give each applicant for the Zone 3 City Council seat, which was vacated abruptly by Ralph K. Manley, an opportunity to speak to the Council for 5 minutes each on their own behalf.
After hearing from the applicants, the City Council is expected to vote a new Zone 3 Council person into that seat.
The meeting is open to the public and will be held in the City Council Chambers on the third floor of the Historic City Hall.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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