The impossible has happened!

There was universal agreement on the T&G comment section today!!!!! 

I'm amazed- only our City Council (with the exception of Bill Eddy and Phil Clancy) could unify the message boards with their vote to slap Adi Tibrewal and Lizz Todd in the face.  I emailed the entire City Council before the last vote to note my opposition to the 'historic' tennis court, and the only one who emailed me back was Bill Eddy, who agreed with me.  When government is conducted in a bubble, nothing good is accomplished.

Dear Joe O'Brien, Joe Petty, Rick Rushton, Kate Toomey, Konnie Lukes and Mike Germain:  You've disappointed me and lost my vote (assuming you had it in the first place.)  And if I lived in your district (or was named Paul Giorgio), Joff Smith, Phil Palmieri and Barbara Haller, you've lost my vote also!

In a related note, now we have a new potential lawsuit*** against the City.  According to my unofficial tally, we have a $10 million suit pending against the WPD and Cops after a police sergeant broke into someone's home for TV ratings.  We have the Redaction Imbroglio (brilliantly chronicled by Jeff at Wormtown Taxi) that has been going on for almost one year. 

***(Addendum- it's no longer a potential lawsuit.  Details are here.)

In all three instances, we have had bad decisions by leaders in our City Government produce lawsuits that have spent our tax money defending bad policy decisions.  Perhaps our City Government should stop making bad decisions for the New Year.  In the absence of any indication of previous wisdom on their part, I guess I can only hope for no decisions at all.

"With the debate on the verge of violence- or worse, of being turned over to committee" - Tom Robbins

Item 13b on tomorrow's City Council Agenda earns this quote from Tom Robbins.  (Side note- I waited too long to reread Still Life With Woodpecker.  There are so many memorable quotes and good chuckles in its pages that make me tempted to do an quotes column just like Bill Simmons.)

Five pieces of property will be added to the Montvale Historic District if the City Council votes in favor.  Two weeks ago they voted 9-2 to advertise the expansion with Councilors Clancy and Eddy dissenting.  I'm not sure if a vote to advertise will guarantee a vote to adopt the changes.  I hope not.  Liz Todd is one of the owners of 1 Montvale, and her plea for help was posted on Nicole's blog back in December.

I find it interesting that Mr. Crowley (savior of the New Year's Firework Display!) can use his seat on the Historical Commission to influence affairs in his neighborhood.  Having a personal interest in the outcome should be reason enough to recuse himself from the Historical Commission vote.  That hasn't happened in the two sagas regarding the 'historic' tennis court (well documented here on Wormtown Taxi.)

I hope that the City Council recognizes that the current expansion has no reason to come before them and soundly rejects the expansion.  I doubt they will, so I will end with another fantastic Tom Robbins quote:

"Tunnel vision is a disease in which perception is restricted by ignorance and distorted by vested interest.  Tunnel vision is caused by an optic fungus that multiplies when the brain is less energetic than the ego.  It is complicated by exposure to politics.  When a good idea is run through the filters and compressors of ordinary tunnel vision, it not only comes out reduced in scale and value but in its new dogmatic configuration produces effects the opposite of those for which it originally was intended."