Tuesday, December 16, 2008

You Can Leave Your Shoes On

Who knew the international sign of disgust was to fling your footwear at the object of your disdain? As everyone knows by now, an Iraqi journalist offered that very critique of the blessedly departing colonial moron during a press event.

The present incarnation of the City Council, while not departing, is winding down its first year. This seems a good time to reflect on its progress to date.

The first significant decision of the Council was to choose Jeff Gahan as its president. That decision carried two major ramifications which unfolded over the course of the year. First was the shelving of the redistricting plan. A newly drawn Council District map would have had no effect on the current representation on the council, but could have yielded a different roster going into the elections of 2011. Although this issue appears dead, its reappearance should shock no one.

The second major plot point owing to Gahan's position was the smoking ordinance. That ordinance represented a principled stand on an issue about which there should be no debate. That there was debate can not be denied. The outcome of this issue was determined by a Mayoral veto. That decision could have proven an insurmountable obstacle to the necessary cooperation between any Mayor and any Council. It did not, and I am grateful for that. I will not make a categorical statement on future smoking legislation, but I'd be disinclined to revisit the issue in any form, any time, for any reason.

The issue which I feel is central to so many of our problems can be wrapped up in a package called code enforcement. The city, any city, can not sustain itself when housing stock deteriorates to the point it discourages people and families from seriously considering living in it.
Areas of New Albany have reached that point now and the question is, do those poorly maintained neighborhoods outweigh the well maintained areas. Does the potential resident, with no emotional background to influence their settling here, assess the city as a whole, and is that good or bad? Do these people see a city with some neighborhoods that could stand some improvement or do they see a city which has turned its back on certain areas? Can we expect sustainable prosperity if that is how the city is seen? Every city has good parts and bad parts. In a small community, such as New Albany, the fortunes of both parts are more closely tied together. That shared destiny should be one of our assets as a small city. As part of government, I see our responsibility to improve the substandard areas through any means available and to bring additional amenities which might make the city more livable. New amenities are a tall order in these austere times, but we should continue to try.

Enforcing extant ordinances is well within our capabilities. Failure to make a meaningful effort in that pursuit amounts to dereliction of duties. The Mayor has taken some advice from the Council committee formed to look at housing code enforcement. That committee cannot take credit for the results the Mayor will surely realize when he focuses the administration's attention to the issue, which he has scheduled to do early in January. It is past time when this issue must be addressed straight on. Nothing less than the future of the City depends on it.

My wife, one of her granddaughters, and I were in Bloomington Saturday. No surprise, but Bloomington offered a truly festive downtown replete with lights and plenty of people. What fiscal hocus pocus do they possess which eludes us? We saw something more surprising as we returned home through Salem. That magnet of prosperity had also adorned itself for the holidays with lights and presented, again, a festive downtown. It was too late for many to be out on the streets but when they were out they would see a town square of which they could be proud. With no dismissal of anyone's efforts in New Albany intended, I would suggest that our downtown looks drab in comparison. Several stores are nicely decorated for the season, with the new Winery exceptionally so.

To be sure, New Albany's problems can't be solved with lights and tinsel. We can find hope in the fact that several businesses have moved to downtown or have made substantial progress toward doing so. The YMCA is by far the most tangible sign of renewal. It is such a huge step forward, it is like JFK said of America, "we have tossed our cap over the wall of space." His meaning was that we were committted to the space race and would have no way to proceed but forward. The YMCA tosses our cap over the wall of downtown revitalization. Our task now is to smooth the path for anyone venturous enough to follow an entrepreneurial motivation to set up new business downtown. Luckily, unlike Louisville, New Albany will not find itself dancing a quarter billion dollar tune to the likes of the Cordish Group in pusuit of revival. It is unfathomable in light of the continual activity at the Y, that some in our community stood in opposition to this project. Thankfully, we have moved on.

My first step out of the gate this year was a stumble. I attempted to pass an ordinance early on giving the Council the authority to charter boards and commissions comprised of citizens. It turns out the Council already possessed such authority, and the proposed ordinance would have added an unneccesary item to the code book. That ordinance remains on the table and will be withdrawn at this year's final meeting. In its place, during January, a specific ordinance to establish a Chestnut Restoration Project will be introduced in its place. The purpose of this will be to reintroduce chestnut trees, albeit a blight resistant variety, into our floral census. These trees were nearly driven to extinction by a blight during the 1940-50s. Anyone with a negative view of trees is on alert to marshall their forces now. Bets anyone?

Some rumblings on the horizon suggest that the Pater Noster may soon depart from the Council's opening routine. I don't believe the civic arena is an appropriate venue for prayer. The prayer intoned at Council meetings is coerced and, therefore, stripped of its spiritual essence. I believe a more appropriate offering for that time slot would be a "civic prayer". That is, a short speech or presentation by local grade school students who would give a half minute or a minute on whatever topic they choose. It should be an honor to be chosen, and it would give students a chance to hone their public speaking and research skills. If my recollection of grade school is accurate, a half minute to a minute would feel like a lifetime under the circumstances.

Regardless of how people view the action or inaction of the Council, I can say that each member I have interacted with has the city's interests at heart. Each member has a certain role to fill and each member is open to input from citizens. While no one will satisfy all of our citizens all of the time, on balance I have been pleasantly surprised with the Council, especially under the trying fiscal situation we face. I think it has been a pretty good start. I think that start will provide a good base for progress in the next year. Of course I'm biased, but if I were sitting in the audience or assessing the Council's performance from home, I'd leave my shoes on, at least for now.

16 comments:

Iamhoosier said...

John,
Eloquence must be your middle name. Nicely written.

Now, having re-read your post a few times, I'm still trying to figure out "the pretty good start" part.

Redistricting went down and, according your post, for all intents and purposes is DEAD. Whatever happened to one person, one vote?

How much time was wasted on the smoking ordinance? What did it accomplish? The biggest "good" thing to come out of it was that the Council and Mayor did not fracture? Be still my heart.

Code enforcement? Is there a committee report? What's in it?

John, I have may have missed one meeting this past year. 12 months and all we have is a novelty lighter ordinance--that can't be and won't be enforced. Another wasted space in the code book.


Leave my shoes on? Just be glad my name isn't Al Bundy.

Jeff Gillenwater said...

If code enforcement is indeed a priority (and I hope it is), then the council should by now or very soon have a clearly marked pathway to doing whatever it can to remove barriers to enforcement and thus, excuses for non-enforcement. Accountability is established not by denying the tools necessary for success but by making sure they're provided.

Has there been a systematic review of the relevant local codes? Are they adequate? Problematic? Need to be updated? If so, have they been?

Has state law been reviewed so that the council is knowledgeable of appropriate follow up actions when citations go unheeded?

What about the fine schedule? Does it need review? Is there a legislative role in determining local collections procedures?

Has the council made any decisions about what personnel they think are necessary to carry out enforcement? Are they prepared to approve funding for additional efforts and/or to withhold funding from units who are failing? What tracking or reporting mechanisms are in place?

If the council hasn't answered those questions, when will they?

Anonymous said...

I think you have turned into a "yes man" for the mayor. This is the worst council our city has ever had. Many of you, have put your own personal agendas ahead of the needs of our citizens. Maybe you need to go back and check your voting record. Sad to think maybe only one of you will be re-elected. The point you council members don't get is you represent us and you work for us.

G Coyle said...

thank you john for all your contributions! I think Bluegill gave a pretty good map of the code enforcement process, and we are all awaiting with "baited breath" the city's response. I'd not heard of the Chestnut project but Yay! Do we really have something in NA called a "floral census"? Shocking - is it from the 40s? Great idea for getting the young ones involved in the now contrived spectacle of "The Prayer" at council meetings.
Your comment "In a small community, such as New Albany, the fortunes of both parts are more closely tied together. That shared destiny should be one of our assets as a small city." Hummm...has anyone noticed we may the only city in America with a "country" club surrounded by projects and ghetto. I've actually always thought of that as NA's logo. Great riches, depressing poverty, side-by-side but never speaking. My sense is that until we have some truth and reconciliation, some community acknowledgment of the class wars that have raged here since the turn of the century (19th) and the wreckage, we can really start over ever. Mostly we need more birth control and education, but that's another day...
Best of luck in 2009, you have my support as always.

John Gonder said...

Thanks to all three of you for writing.

In my view the significance of the smoking ordinance not causing an irreparable rift between the Mayor and Council is that the Mayor will, as he has promised, shortly, lay out a clear plan for code enforcement. As I said, failure tomake good on that promise amounts to "dereliction of duty". That means by the Mayor or the Council or both.

One can say the smoking ordinace was a waste of time. Was it a waste of time in Louisville or Bloomington? Would it have been a waste of time had it passed and become law in New Albany? I just said it was a sincere effort. That it failed does not change that fact.

We also had to waste a lot of time hammering the square peg of the city's needs into the round hole of state-mandated budget cuts.

People may scoff at the novelty lighter ordinance. It was suggested by the Fire Chief who felt strongly about it. It may or may not accomplish anything, but I'd liken its passage to the decision to do away with candy cigarettes and realistic looking toy guns. Did those actions accomplish anything? Do they sound kind of gooffy? How do know what prevented something harmful from happening? I could answer those questions, but I'd sound like Donald Rumsfeld when used to interview himself.

The "pretty good start" I'm referring to may simply be my own feeling that I have begun to understand how things work. I guess that feeling, rightly or wrongly, gives me, personally, a sense that the Council is poised for accomplishment. I haven't discussed this with other rookie members, but I presume they, too, are feeling more comfortable.

Isn't Al Bundy a serial killer? So I guess, all things considered, I'd rather catch a Bass Moccasin up side the head.

As far as a "floral census", I just used the term to mean a snapshot what varietes of trees one could find in the local woods.
I'd also count denser, healthier stands of trees as an amenity. That happens to be one amenity we could afford and which could show some faith, on our part, that we are making some effort to pass on a better city to our future citizens. One could call it hope.

None of which amounts to much unless we get serious about code enforcement as it relates to housing. The ignored sections of the code book are perilous, not because someone is getting away with something we're not getting away with, but rather because lax enforcement brings more lax enforcement. That is why the most important thing before us, in my view,is the Mayor's promised rollout of code enforcement policies. All, or most all the tools we need to accomplish the goal of code enforcement are in the code book. The Mayor's plan may give more definition to how the goal will be met in terms of personnel, targeting of neighborhoods or fine structure but the basics are already in hand. What has been lacking in the past is the commitment to get results. My optimistic feeling is based in the belief that the Mayor wants to accomplish this goal and that the Council is up to the task of sharing in the effort and giving the administration any additional help it needs.

The New Albanian said...

Thanks to all three of you for writing.

For the purposes of the census, anonymous troglodytes count as 0.0 percent of a person.

Iamhoosier said...

John,
To be clear, the idea of the novelty lighter ordinance is fine. Who is checking on compliance? Do you really think that anyone will be checking in the foreseeable future? Were novelty lighters being sold in NA? Are they still being sold? Again, no problem with the ordinance but in reality it's not much of an accomplishment. Kind of like me claiming to be a law abiding citizen because I didn't turn right on red from southbound State onto Spring this morning, like most people.

As for the "rookie" members, perhaps the learning curve would not have been so long if any of you had ever attended Council meetings regularly prior to going into office. Even between the election and taking office, I seldom saw any of the rookies at a meeting. Some I never saw before taking office. Granted, that would not have gained the rookies any experience in the "behind the scene" work but I was extremely disappointed in the lack of knowledge shown of pending issues when you all started.

That all said, I still see hope from this Council. There are some "thinkers" and some "doers". No rookies now, so we will see what happens.

Al Bundy(perhaps you were writing fingers in cheek)is the shoe salesman character from the TV show Married with Children.

Oh, and I am not giving up on one person, one vote. The Council shouldn't either. Plant all the trees that you want(I'll even contribute)but democracy should matter at least as much as trees and lighters.

Mark

John Gonder said...

New Albanian:

Your math is impeccable.

John Gonder said...

Iamhoosier:

I was thinking of Ted Bundy.

Turns out he amassed quite a colection of shoes too.

John Gonder said...

I'd like to buy a consonant please, Ted.

How much for that L in the window?

Anonymous said...

Ms. Coyle,

How many violations on your house? I personally see several, you might want to change your position if they knock on your door.

The New Albanian said...

Ah, the eternal courage of the anonymous commentator.

shirley baird said...

John,

I must agree with Mark's remarks about your writing skills, I'm so jealous.

Code enforcement does seem to be the hot topic of the day, and rightly so. I hope Mayor England does focus on this issue as soon as he returns to work. You and the other committee members too worked hard to have code enforcement swept under the rug.

You are absolutley right about people thinking of settling in our fair city. If they see the conditions of some of the homes and buildings they may run the other way. The economy will rebound, hopefully soon, and we need to be part of that. No one wants New Albany to be a town of empty homes and buildings while Jeff and Clarksville thrive (again).

Thanks for such a thoughtful and thought provoking article.

ecology warrior said...

I know a thing or two about trees since I work in forest entomology for the USDA. Re: chestnut trees, in fact even though progress has been made in blight resistant hybrids, it is still a risk for these varietals in the east and in areas with poor drainage, IE New Albany is at risk of being a potential blight area. Additionally, chestnut gall wasp, a destructive pest is moving northward from Georgia and Tennessee and a disease known as Ink disease caused by phytophthora is another potential risk in areas with poor drainage.

I would be willing to serve on this project because I would like to see this done correctly.

I would also involve greg mills.

I am volunteering again for this community with no political agenda, any takers?

Tim Deatrick

John Gonder said...

Shirley:

Thank you so much for those kind words.

I'm looking forward to the Mayor's proposal. I trust the Council will either back his program or push our own plan. New Albany's future can't wait.

John Gonder said...

Tim:

Thanks for your commitment to the environment.

Trees are important beyond their beauty and their landscaping role.
As you know, they are an integral part of both the drainage system and the lungs of the planet.

You'll see the development of the board or committee as it begins to fall into place.

I, purposely, have not tried to think of names to be on the board yet, and I don't have a concrete idea of how it will be structured. As the ordinance advances, it will become more clear.