Archive for December, 2008
Every city has a parking problem
Wednesday, December 10th, 2008
Miles City, MT has a parking problem.
Who doesn’t?
Miles City has a posted two-hour parking limit on Main Street downtown. Now the city has decided to enforce it.
The City Council agreed at a special flood-plain meeting Saturday to have police begin enforcing the limit starting Tuesday morning.
Mayor Joe Whelan said the issue surfaced a few months ago because a business owner complained that employees were using spaces in front of her business that were meant for customers. Whelan says police responded, issuing tickets to those in violation.
The city then received calls from business owners and employees complaining they were caught unawares. At that point, Whelan says, he asked police to suspend enforcement until the issue could be discussed by the council.
Is there a business district ANYWHERE that doesn’t have a problem with business owners complaining about employees parking on the street in spaces which should be used by customers?
ANYWHERE?
Drunkin' Fishermen
Tuesday, December 9th, 2008
How do you educate a fisherman about new laws they must obey?
“Since you’re supposed to be educating people, I picked this up in a bar in St. Germain. It’s a beer coaster that’s printed by the St. Germain Lakes Association. This is a good way, ’cause most fishermen will go to a bar. This is education; you should try some of this stuff.”
Not much I can add to that idea.
Old White Guys
Monday, December 8th, 2008
It is a generalization … but local governments around the country are run by old white guys.
ClarksvilleOnline.Com has opined on this generalization…
Montgomery County has numerous appointed decision-making and regulatory boards, committees,commissions and councils. Citizens are appointed to all of these entities. However the public is not well-informed of whom among it are making decisions as their representative. This does not meet with the intent nor approval of the state law. The city government is equally at fault in this regard. Appointments are not well publicized and the selection pool seems rather restricted. With the vast array of talents present in our community, it would seem that widening the selection pool should not be a difficult task.
“Should not be a difficult task?”
No, it shouldn’t be a difficult task. But, the truth is most people would rather go to the dentist than get involved in their local government.
For the most part it is the old white guys who get involved. It is the old white guys who put their names on the ballots. It is the old white guys who volunteer to serve on the citizen committees. Believe me, the old white guys wish others would get involved so they wouldn’t have to do it all.
But, it is easier to trash the old white guys instead of getting off your butt and doing something about it yourself.
Run for Office … Now!
Friday, December 5th, 2008
I’ve been conversing with an Internet acquaintance. He has been thinking about running for his City Council. I asked if he had taken out the nomination papers. He hadn’t. He is waiting to see if the incumbent is going to run again.
I contend a candidate for office is not running AGAINST the incumbent. The candidate is running FOR an office.
Electors deserve a choice. Two thirds of local elections are unopposed. That is not healthy for Democracy.
Run Jim … Run Amber … Run Everyone … Run … Run … Run!
Medical Marijuana
Thursday, December 4th, 2008
I received the following from IMMLY (Is My Medicine Legal Yet):
COULD WISCONSIN BE NEXT?
On Nov. 4, Michigan became the 13th state to legalize medical marijuana
when 63% of its voters approved a grassroots-supported ballot
initiative. Now, a quarter of all Americans live in a medical marijuana
state.
But even though 80% of Wisconsin residents approve of legalizing medical
marijuana for seriously ill patients, the state does not allow voters to
ratify a program through the ballot initiative process, as Michigan did.
Instead, medical marijuana supporters must urge the state Legislature to
pass a bill in both houses that also would be supported by the governor.
Unfortunately, attempts to get a well-thought-out bill through the state
Legislature have failed in past years, even with bipartisan support
among lawmakers.
But Gary Storck, spokesman for Is My Medicine Legal Yet? (IMMLY), said
he’s “fairly confident” that a Democratically controlled state
Legislature will legalize medical marijuana in the next session. “It’s
becoming more of a mainstream issue,” Storck said. “And it would be
really wrong to delay something that got such strong support in
Michigan. I think it would be incredibly cruel to string it out. The
groundwork has already been done.”
He said the Legislature should act quickly to save people’s lives. “I
know people who are having a really hard time every day because they
don’t have legal access to medical marijuana,” Storck said. “Their
situations are so dire that they’re not going to see it in their
lifetime, even if it is passed in the next session.”
While most medical marijuana users are coping with cancer treatments,
glaucoma, HIV/AIDS and chronic pain, Storck added that veterans with
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or brain injuries may also benefit
from medical marijuana use. Other research indicates that using
marijuana may forestall Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
What’s more, Storck argued that the state as a whole would benefit
economically from cannabis research and a legal medical marijuana
industry. “It’s an industry with a lot of jobs,” Storck said. “And we
can have it here really easily.”
Storck is also encouraged by the U.S. Supreme Court’s refusal on Dec. 1
to review a case concerning California’s medical marijuana law. He said
it shows that even the highest court in the land has decided to respect
state laws in this area, despite a 2005 court decision that seemed to
give the federal government more power over state-level medical
marijuana programs. “This is a case with ramifications in Wisconsin,”
Storck said. “There isn’t a gray area anymore. The Supreme Court said
that law enforcement should uphold state law first.”
Storck said that a Milwaukee-area NORML chapter is in the works; those
who are interested can contact him at www.immly.org or the state chapter
of NORML at www.winorml.org.
Let us hope this portion of the War on Drugs can be rectified.
Secrecy Or Emergency?
Wednesday, December 3rd, 2008
Every now and then an issue arises that isn’t “on the agenda.” Most states allow for an amended agenda to be posted or changed on short notice for emergencies.
WichitaLiberty.Com opined on a last minute agenda change …
At today’s Wichita City Council meeting, Councilmember Jim Skelton revealed that the plan for the downtown Wichita arena TIF district had changed. A provision for up to $10 million in parking was added.
I had looked at the agenda report less than 24 hours before the start of the meeting. The plan for parking spending was not mentioned. I looked right now, and yes, it’s there.
There’s a problem when things change so quickly. Citizens can’t prepare themselves on such short notice. That’s a problem for openness and transparency in government.
This problem is in addition to the apparent uncertainty as to what’s needed for this TIF district to succeed.
The TIF district passed, with all city council members voting in favor.
City Blog?
Tuesday, December 2nd, 2008
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer asked the question…Can a city run a news blog?
Earlier this month, we told you the Seattle Police Department started a news blog.
Newcastle did one better. The city of about 9,000 people is now home to one of the few blogs in the country run by, well, a city.
“The local newspaper, the ‘Newcastle News,’ prints once a month. So there’s a huge gap,” said Doug Alder, spokesman for the city and author of the month-old blog. “People are hungry for this.”
I’m all in favor of city run blogs. I certainly know that newspapers don’t always get the story right. I’ve read the Blogging Mayor of Round Lake, Bill Gentes for some time.
Readers just need to consider the source … just as anything else they read or hear or see.
I sure wish blogs were around when I was an elected official. I would have had one.
A sign of things to come?
Monday, December 1st, 2008
Times are getting tough … real tough. Local governments are looking at ways to control spending. Since 75-80% of local government costs are wages and benefits, guess where local officials are looking?
The PressDemocrat.Com tells us what is happening in Sonoma County, CA…
Members of the union representing about 2,700 Sonoma County government workers have voted overwhelmingly to authorize their contract negotiating team to call a strike, if they see fit.
“The overwhelming support for strike authorization demonstrates that county workers will not resolve these negotiations without a solution for affordable health care,” said Ken Tam, a regional parks planner who also serves on the Service Employees International Union’s negotiating team.
Union officials did not release the total number of members voting on the issue, but said that more than 81 percent of those who cast votes in the one-week balloting had approved the measure.
The dispute stems from unresolved contract negotiations, largely over medical insurance cost-sharing, on an agreement that expired in June. Negotiations broke down in late October, and the union’s bargaining team refused to put the county’s final proposal to a vote of the membership.
Instead, union leaders asked members to approve a resolution authorizing negotiators to call a strike if they believe talks aren’t getting anywhere. Negotiators for the county and the union are expected to begin a new round of contract talks in February.
If there is no resolution, county supervisors have already approved plans to impose the administration’s proposal on employees represented by the SEIU, beginning in May. That unilateral action converts the county’s share of health care premiums for employees to a $500 monthly contribution, eliminating the current payment that is equal to 85 percent of the employee’s health plan choice.
This could be coming to your location soon!
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