tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3157940712861236775.post4595659268141964440..comments2023-04-02T02:44:52.447-05:00Comments on The Iconoclast: Connie Continues the ConJonahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00913951891485572022noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3157940712861236775.post-17020259063165692232009-10-29T21:28:40.933-05:002009-10-29T21:28:40.933-05:00Times Editorial :Just the facts | PART 2
Northwest...Times Editorial :Just the facts | PART 2<br />Northwest Arkansas Times, September 15, 2004<br /><br />Let’s consider this act for a second. At its core, it begins to reveal how ridiculous it is.<br /><br />We have a legislative body, elected to set policies and establish budgets for the<br />operation of certain city departments. An item of importance to one of those departments<br />arises before the City Council. So the top official of that department uses a mailing list<br />gathered for the purposes of running a recreational program and uses it to mail out flyers<br />with a political purpose in mind: Vote FOR the park proposal, these folks are urged to<br />suggest to the City Council.<br /><br />This would be no different than the secretary of defense busing families of American<br />soldiers to the steps of the U.S. Capitol in a massive show of support for legislation to<br />give soldiers pay raises. Effective? Perhaps, but certainly not why the House and Senate<br />gave the Pentagon money to spend. If those people want to show up on their own, that’s one<br />thing, but to be drummed up at the behest of the military itself is quite an orchestration<br />of another kind.<br /><br />Tax dollars are collected from a lot of people, some of whom support the park proposal and<br />others who do not. It has for a long time been considered inappropriate to lobby for or<br />against a proposal by using taxpayer dollars. And it was in this case. Edmonston<br />considered it a public service because it had the potential to push a decision the way the<br />Parks Division wanted it to go, not because it served the neutral service of informing the<br />public of a chance to give its two cents’ worth on the issue.<br /><br />Government simply should not lobby itself, using taxpayer dollars to manipulate the<br />political process.<br /><br />City Attorney Kit Williams responded to our inquiry about this issue by saying how<br />important it is that city government avoid even the appearance of doing something<br />improper. Williams talked about past elections when public officials worked diligently to<br />inform the public while declining to endorse a specific position. In this instance, he<br />said it’s possible that public officials worked so fast to do the right thing and inform<br />the public, they simply didn’t have a chance to pause and consider whether their actions<br />were going too far, or if what they were doing could be misinterpreted. In any case,<br />whenever there’s public money involved, it simply can’t be used for lobbying or<br />politicizing within the constraints of local government.<br /><br />This lobbying went too far, and hopefully serves as a good lesson that no public servant<br />can use taxpayer revenue to fund a one-sided lobbying effort designed to influence the<br />City Council one way or the other.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3157940712861236775.post-76650006380596457292009-10-29T21:27:59.077-05:002009-10-29T21:27:59.077-05:00Times Editorial :Just the facts | PART 1
Northwest...Times Editorial :Just the facts | PART 1<br />Northwest Arkansas Times, September 15, 2004<br /><br />A recent story in the Times, on its face, appeared fairly harmless. Beyond an update of<br />the city’s efforts to develop a public-private partnership for the ultimate purpose of<br />establishing a community park along Interstate 540 and Cato Springs Road, the work<br />centered on the commendable efforts of the Fayetteville Parks and Recreation Division to<br />convince residents to visit that night’s City Council meeting in a show of support for<br />that body’s favorable consideration of the project. Which, of course, sounds most<br />reasonable. After all, if our hometown receives a product worthy of the talk that has<br />preceded it, Fayetteville will become home to one of the most desirable, talkedabout<br />recreational sites in the region. Already taking up space in the dreams of city planners<br />are impressive sports fields worthy of hosting major tournaments, walking trails, water<br />play areas, picnic areas and more.<br /><br />As we’ve previously noted, our support of this project is strong. The addition of the park<br />would add to the quality of life in Fayetteville and the region for decades to come.<br /><br />But one aspect of this episode left us scratching our heads. The Fayetteville Parks<br />Department used a mailing list created by virtue of the city’s soccer program to send out<br />more than 1,000 flyers to local soccer youngsters urging them and their parents to show up<br />at last week’s City Council meeting in a show of support for the multi-million park idea.<br /><br />Connie Edmonston, director of the parks division, was up front about the intent. "There’s<br />this possibility of a major change, and this is to keep the citizens informed about what’s<br />going on." So the postage and envelopes and fliers all went out, and guess what? The<br />council meeting was stacked with a number of enthusiastic supporters for the project,<br />their attendance having been promoted by the use of taxpayer dollars.<br /><br />According to Edmonston, mailing those fliers was a public service, especially since the<br />public was kept well informed about an important topic that could soon involve their tax<br />dollars. On its face, harmless. Right?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3157940712861236775.post-4990491104928418142009-08-06T15:00:09.754-05:002009-08-06T15:00:09.754-05:00From the archives of The Iconoclast...
Here's...From the archives of <em>The Iconoclast</em>...<br /><br />Here's a link for the full <a href="http://www.accessfayetteville.org/government/parks_and_recreation/master_plan/index.cfm" rel="nofollow">Parks and Recreation Master Plan</a>, and below is one citizen's characterization of the deal that was posted on this blog [December 2007]:<br /><br />"PUBLIC input gathered during the master planning process indicated only limited interest in a community park (see pg 4.1 for the one exception). Of the 150+ comments offered during ten public meetings, only 2 or 3 of them ever mentioned the need for a multi-sports complex (see pg 4.11). Moreover, respondents in a community wide survey of over 1100 residents ranked neighborhood parks as the number one priority, followed by a trail network (#2) and senior center (#3). The priority ranking for a multi-sports complex was eight (see pg 4.21).<br /><br />Posted by Jonah at 8:15 AM<br />Sunday, January 20, 2008Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3157940712861236775.post-30329535061716980642009-08-06T10:40:06.207-05:002009-08-06T10:40:06.207-05:00What about tennis courts? Last I heard, tennis cou...What about tennis courts? Last I heard, tennis courts are the big need these days.David Frankshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05222279472555174813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3157940712861236775.post-60366806650007667872009-08-06T09:22:32.224-05:002009-08-06T09:22:32.224-05:00Red herring? I thought you developers could read b...Red herring? I thought you developers could read better than that. Who said anything about the playground being on top of that landfill?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3157940712861236775.post-1306260500839239182009-08-06T09:16:59.430-05:002009-08-06T09:16:59.430-05:00Where the hell do you guys get the idea the playgr...Where the hell do you guys get the idea the playground will be on top of the landfill?<br /><br />Red herring? I thought you had more journalistic integrity than that. Even if you are anonymous, we thought we could respect you...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3157940712861236775.post-61755984791704524342009-08-05T15:02:34.681-05:002009-08-05T15:02:34.681-05:00I was thinking of asking the same, Ambrose.
Even ...I was thinking of asking the same, Ambrose.<br /><br />Even without the gigantic payout to "Southpass Park" the idea that Walker Park gets nothing is offensive.Urkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06128798280500858261noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3157940712861236775.post-43930111413079741182009-08-05T13:03:23.053-05:002009-08-05T13:03:23.053-05:00So- what's the Budget and concept for Buddy Ha...So- what's the Budget and concept for Buddy Hayes Park. Does anybody know it exists?<br /><br />-k-History Mattershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15794538304580536518noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3157940712861236775.post-89387451037872237282009-08-05T09:22:26.561-05:002009-08-05T09:22:26.561-05:00Le plus ca change...the playground on the landfill...Le plus ca change...the playground on the landfill which no dis-interested citizen wants with its brand spanking new sewer line (see for yerself behind Thep Thai on So. School)--which has to go to the old Noland plant!<br />And an absurd vision of 4$000 units which none of us will live to see built.<br />I say the d-velopers are fixin' to flip the property.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3157940712861236775.post-80878035228175934352009-08-05T09:09:36.433-05:002009-08-05T09:09:36.433-05:00It's encouraging to see you try to hold Jordan...It's encouraging to see you try to hold Jordan accountable, you sure are throwing slowballs.<br /><br />You've missed a few other things. His utter reluctance to push for medians on Garland until Petty jumped in and organized the community. His vote against Don Marr's explanation of the neighborhood master planning timeline to make a town branch plan a priority even before we have all the info we need to make the decision. His refusal to play hardball with the pension board in fear of upsetting some of his union friends, the stupidest ones.<br /><br />Where's his backbone? Why are you powdering his ass with slowballs like this?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com