Avoiding One-Termism
Some (otherwise) gentle readers of this blog have complained that I have been too harsh on first-term Council Member Tony Palmeri. It has been suggested that I am threatening him with political ruin over the issue of sidewalks on River Mill Road.
I would like to set the record straight.
First of all, it's a romantic notion but a bit of a stretch to think that an individual citizen, armed only with a keyboard and a shaky digital camera, has that much power.
Second of all, Tony and I actually agree on the substance of the issue. There SHOULD be sidewalks on River Mill Road. We disagree on timing, and on what I perceive as uncomely coziness among Council members.
Third of all, I had (and have) great hopes for Tony as an elected official. I appreciate the skeptical views he has expressed over the years about official decisions and decision making. Now that he is on the Council I hope that his energy and insights can be used to prod local government into being more responsive and more effective.
But having said something nice, I'm going to say something that may be perceived as particularly cruel because I am going to make a comparison that will likely sting.
My two words of warning are these: Meredith Scheuermann.
Meredith was elected to the Council because she said all the right things. She was going to be hard working and caring and able to bring her sharp-penciled business perspective to bear on the city's budget and operating issues.
Didn't happen. Her deeds did not match her words. She served one term.
Will the same fate befall Tony?
Well, here's what he had to say during the election campaign about the Common Council (in response to a question from the Northwestern's editorial board):
Whose concerns and needs are being addressed and met by fast-tracking sidewalks in the River Mill Road neighborhood? Whose interests are being advanced here? How is Tony demonstrating a concern for the "average citizen who pays the bills"?
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: It's abusive for elected officials to use their powers to settle personal grudges.
The Northwestern also asked Tony what "specific impact" his two-year term would bring. Here's what he said:
I hope that turns out to be true.
I would like to set the record straight.
First of all, it's a romantic notion but a bit of a stretch to think that an individual citizen, armed only with a keyboard and a shaky digital camera, has that much power.
Second of all, Tony and I actually agree on the substance of the issue. There SHOULD be sidewalks on River Mill Road. We disagree on timing, and on what I perceive as uncomely coziness among Council members.
Third of all, I had (and have) great hopes for Tony as an elected official. I appreciate the skeptical views he has expressed over the years about official decisions and decision making. Now that he is on the Council I hope that his energy and insights can be used to prod local government into being more responsive and more effective.
But having said something nice, I'm going to say something that may be perceived as particularly cruel because I am going to make a comparison that will likely sting.
My two words of warning are these: Meredith Scheuermann.
Meredith was elected to the Council because she said all the right things. She was going to be hard working and caring and able to bring her sharp-penciled business perspective to bear on the city's budget and operating issues.
Didn't happen. Her deeds did not match her words. She served one term.
Will the same fate befall Tony?
Well, here's what he had to say during the election campaign about the Common Council (in response to a question from the Northwestern's editorial board):
Community leadership requires working with citizens at the grassroots level to get their concerns addressed and needs met. Citizens in our community working on neighborhood improvement, poverty, housing, open government and other issues typically do not view our Common Council as part of the solution. Rather, the Council is seen as part of the problem because it is perceived as paying too much attention to favored special interests and not enough to the average citizen who pays the bills.
Whose concerns and needs are being addressed and met by fast-tracking sidewalks in the River Mill Road neighborhood? Whose interests are being advanced here? How is Tony demonstrating a concern for the "average citizen who pays the bills"?
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: It's abusive for elected officials to use their powers to settle personal grudges.
The Northwestern also asked Tony what "specific impact" his two-year term would bring. Here's what he said:
[C]itizens will know that there is at least one person on the Council demanding the highest standards of performance and accountability from all city officials.
I hope that turns out to be true.
posted by Miles Maguire at 10:32 AM
10 Comments:
Heaven forbid me sticking my nose into this but for what it is worth, I would like to add a bit to the conversation.
For the record I think that this was a good move. I have no grudge against anyone on that street. It is a matter of common sense and a disbelief that this has been overlooked for so long. My opinion is that as long as this street remains a portion of a walking trail, at least that part should have sidewalks. It was obviously intended to happen because if you look closely at the driveways, you will see that sidewalks were installed across all (or most) of them.
Politics aside, it is a matter of common sense that neighborhoods like this one should have sidewalks. It was a shared opinion of 5 council members and none of them individually should be singled out in this matter. The newspaper made it out to be a political vendetta but that just simply isn't the case.
K. Monte
Miles, Miles, Miles,
Your constant carping about the sidewalks in your neighborhood is getting old. At least you can understand that you're foolish to think your little blog would have enough political clout to somehow effect a one-term situation for Tony P.
You seem to keep dancing around a conspiracy theory though. “The elected guys are teaming up to put the upper-class in River Mill in their place”
Well that’s as laughable as it is to think that Mr. Dellentonio, during the early years had some influence on keeping the sidewalks out of River Mill, stopping at one block away on Arboretum Drive…his and your neighborhood.
Conspiracy theories are funny aren’t they!
You seem to keep dancing around a consperisousy
Miles, it is sad to see people who profess to be educated and in command of some common sense like Kent Monte, continuing to preach their same old mantra while refusing to pay attention to the points you've repeatedly made. It is not the sidewalks you're opposed to but the timing. They have yet to address why their hero Paul "Sidewalk Savior" Esslinger did not then and still has not as of today brought forward anything to order in sidewalks in every place they are missing in the city. Until that happens, their defense of him and his fellow council members will be unjustifiable and Esslinger's actions appropriately seen as nothing more than an angry bully settling an old political score.
2:02:
You said - "It is not the sidewalks you're opposed to but the timing."
Well to amswer your question, the timing is now for Rive Mill. The City Manager said that the priority walks along the main arterials were completed. These were the last of the high priority projects.
The City Manager went on to state that both he and his staff felt that the final large continuous area of the River Mill subdivision was the area they looked at next, as the other priorities were accomplished.
River Mill IS the next city identified sidewalk priority area.
Miles, do you really think enough people read this thing to bring down Tony Palmeri? This site is a joke.
This is not a high priority area: never has been and never will be. But even if what you say is true, 10:30 PM, then why did it take a special request from Mr. Esslinger to "order in" sidewalks? There are more high priority areas and I will ask the same question others are asking: Why has Mr. essligner not done the same thing with every other area in town that has no sidewalks? You can't answer the question because the answer is this River Mill situation is a perfect example of Paul Esslinger settling an old political score. This man is a pathetic example of a lion who gets a nail stuck in his paw. Even though the nail was removed when Dell Antonia was voted off the council, that wasn't good enough for Esslinger. He holds grudges and they eat away at him like a cancer. He needs things like this to boost his ego and self esteem.
As for you 1:32 AM, you're simply repeating what Miles already said. Does your own ego feel better having said it yourself? If the site is such a joke, why are you here? Is it to add to the circus atmosphere you obviously think exists? Kudos, you've mastered the effort.
10:45...If you really believe the Esslinger "conspiracy"...then you also must believe the Dell Antonia "conspiracy".
For me, I don't believe in the conspiracy theory. I just think that this area needed sidewalks, the major arterials had walks completed and now it was time for this area to finally get walks installed.
Like the other guy said, better people walk on concrete sidewalks, than walk on the city land in front of those nice homes and rut their yards up and make them look like the trails on "River Mill Miles" video.
Hey Miles... answer me this question:
Would you rather have a nice well constructed concrete sidewalk or a rutted trail in front of your home?
This neighborhood has had no sidewalks for years and there are no rutted trails from people walking on the lawns. It is preposterous to think they would start now.
It's not so much that it hasn't happened...but COULD happen as the land you think you own is actually public property.
What would you do if people started to walk across the public right of way...Ask for sidewalks I'd bet!
It hasn't happened in all these years. If it starts happening now it can easily be viewed as people like you doing nothing but stirring the pot.
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