Monday, July 21, 2008

Productivity and progressivism - how's the current council doing?

On December 28, 2007, the NA Shadow Council blog published a consideration of the tasks ahead for New Albany's city council. Seven months and fourteen regularly scheduled meetings have passed since then, along with several other hearings and work sessions.

At the time, Shadow made this observation.

At least a "rump" segment of the incoming council has pledged to seek the following goal: To help make New Albany a more productive and progressive city.

Granted, no one ever imagined that any more than a "rump" of the council might conceivably view the following as priorities. For example, as his neighborhood yearns for principled engagement on the part of its accidental councilman, Steve Price can be counted on to understand almost none of these planks and to vote against most.

The council has somehow found the time to ban novelty lighters and ignite the divisive debate over smoking in public places, even as it has deferred constructive action on redistricting, beyond offering another round of earnest claims that the job they refuse to do is their exclusive province.

Still, perhaps it's early yet. As we look back on the first half year, how is the council's work proceeding if one uses the list below as an indicator of potential action items?

----

Accountability
City Beautification
Enforcement/Laws
Education/City Off
Image/City
Sewers
Communication
Re-organization/Dept
Traffic Flow
Environment
Public Involvement
Parks
Service
Size of Gov
Industrial
Leadership
Business
Revenue
Constituents
Spring St. Hill
Housing
Streets
Drugs/Crime
Manpower
Budget
Empty Space
Railroad
Teamwork
Dept. Heads
Infrastructure
Downtown
City Hall
Rental Prop


2 comments:

Jeff Gillenwater said...

Do you mean the five shameless scumbags or the other ones?

All4Word said...

5SS.

I like it.

On the substance, there are so many "Fs" on this list it's shameful.

I think credit should be given to CM Messer for the agenda of objectives.

One wonders where the council would have gone if Gahan hadn't sold his soul.