Loyal readers will recall New Albany's 4th district councilman Larry Kochert stating publicly during more than one city council meeting that he could not possibly support the downtown Scribner Place project without the participation of the county, a solemn utterance generally followed by the piercing, Duke Boys rebel yell of assent emanating from the direction of the 3rd District's ceremonial quisling, Steve Price.
Today we’ve learned that Floyd leaders get behind Scribner; Commissioners back New Albany project, courtesy of Ben Zion Hershberg of the Courier-Journal (limited shelf life for C-J links).
Next up is the County Council, where Larry McAllister already is tapping on the brakes of his late model used sedan, warning listeners like reporter Hershberg that unless there's a way to include realtor buddy Don McCartin in the transaction, it’s no dice for any council-supported venture.
Meanwhile, Councilman Kochert is said to be loading a picnic basket and embarking on a horse ‘n’ buggy excursion to the heart of local darkness, Speak Out, Lout (NA), to press the flesh with the unreconstructed Brambleberries and accept their semi-literate murmurings and thus contrive a new flagship objection to progress in the city.
Now that’s constituent service.
See also:
The Kochert Dilemma and News Reported, Commentary Deferred at Volunteer Hoosier, and have a fine muggy summer weekend.
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9 comments:
This may not be the right under-prompt place to put this, but I found what I regard as a nugget in the Laura blog... worth an echo.
A poster called "Mike" said, in part:
"If we don't support a small expenditure that we know is going to generate a much larger private investment, what in the world would we actually say yes to in the way of downtown revitalization?"
...well, lift my leg!
If "Mike" wasn't anonymous I would e-mail him and promise him a spot on my editorial writing team after I buy the 'Bune.
His entire posting is good, if you want to review it. (dated 11:53 am, June 24)
I agree with your citing this "nugget," having watched yesterday as the thread unfolded and showed unprecedented signs of becoming a genuine debate between opposing, generally well informed points of view.
Which means, of course, that the trog Blog's usual denizens -- concern taxpayer, na resident, et al -- were not part of the thread.
It was interesting, for once.
I admit that boredom (slash) frustration with reading opinionata re "Scribner Place" may have generated the following {as yet fledglingly worded-out} question. But I would love to see the Baylor bloggers and the Laura bloggers deal with this:
First off, ERASE from your mind ALL of whatever the encapsulating sobriquet "Scribner Place" {{shudder}} connotes in your brain...
-- erase a YMCA
-- erase a natatorium on the side, six lanes, three lanes; 'they' manage it...no 'they' run it
-- erase a parking garage or no parking garage
-- erase a hole in the floodwall, or not
-- erase "citizens' ~ or, if you will taxpayers'" opinions re it all
-- penultimately erase incomplete (and in some cases badly written) coverage of the above by the media
-- and most especially erase the city council's {harumph} fiddle-faddle over it
INSTEAD, simply tackle it as a "market force" question... via assuming the following premise:
let's say the city owns a certain package of land; the centerpiece of which is a large lot on the southwest corner of State and Main... with perhaps a few other roughly contiguous parcels. And the city wishes to sell it/them, even at a bit below market value.
And please don't waste time telling me what's wrong with the premise... what I want focused on is the singular question: What board rooms, or business offices, or private entrepreneurs are twirling a pencil in their fingers {{at least that is what *I* do when I start thinking hard}}... and what are they considering?
What would they buythe land for (the reason, not the cost)?; what would they erect or build?
In other words...screw the polemics and the petty intellectual squabbles... just what is the "market potential" {writ large} of this area of land??
I'm on a roll. Another Laura blog nugget... with which I don't completely embrace the phrasing of, but I know (intellectually) I agree with... is:
"...If the big business gets involved, they will push for the Y to be located in "New Town" corridors of Charlestown Rd or Grant Line Road so the rich will not have to come downtown."
ecce homo
gee...I'm not consciously trying to "sell" the Laura blog... but I can't resist a triple amen to this bon mot:
"Anyone with any sense of self-worth would be embarrassed to be associated with such mindless utterances."
Joe, I'm thinking of elevating your "erasure" comment to the top spot on Sunday, and invite comments.
I like the way you've cherry picked quotes from Speak Out, Lout (NA).
re my 'erasure' question... I fretted mightily in the wording of it, and I am still far from certain I articulated the question properly. The question intrigues me a lot tho,... and at this point I would be happy to see a 12-yr-old girl set up a lemonade stand.
all by way of saying I would be flattered to have it as a focus question, but feel free to re-do it or edit it, or tweak it, or whatever. The question is one of those rare ones, where I am more interested in an answer than I am in trying to be funny.
I wouldnt count on the county council to play along, it may be a short drive to a downtown Y for most county folk, but Garner is a long way from driving his co-op plan home, trust you me.
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