Antonio French @AntonioFrench 10m10 minutes ago
Today's resignation of the chairwoman is an opportunity for the Public Safety Cmte to finally provide true oversight over the police dept.
from seeing some tweets it sounds like some alderpeeps really laid into Young today during the public safety committee hearing she chairs/ed. I don't really know too much about her other than she doesn't seem to quite get good urbanism and has been there forever. Hopefully we'll get another progressive free-thinker on council.
I notice Terry Kennedy lives in a horrible infill that takes up ~three lots, 100' of frontage, and had a 10 year tax abatement. It always sticks with me his quote about tearing down the old houses is ok because once upon a time black people weren't allowed to own them. Seems to me that owning them now would constitute victory and a point of pride, but somehow tearing them down is better. And then he didn't have much problem with the Aldi disaster at Delmar and Kingshighway. His republican opponent lives in a proper city home. Not that he has a chance.
^^ Cara Spencer (20th ward) is a dear friend. She brilliant and extremely motivated and highly involved with the goings-on on Cherokee Street. She's running against Craig Schmid. The man has done some good things over the years but he's out of gas and doesn't seem particularly concerned about working with the new blood that is transforming the district. There's a funny picture of him busking on Cherokee—he plays sax—after current residents and business owners fought to defeat the anti-busking regulations that he himself put in place years ago. And recently he tried to continue his moratorium on bars without consulting anyone—residents or business owners—about it first. He's operating like it's still the early 90s and I think it's time to give somebody else a go at it.
Can't say I have anything against Megan Ellyia Green so far in her short run as Alderman. She's communicated a lot. Hasn't had much time so far. But I also know that Beth Braznell is very involved in the neighborhood, so she maybe a worthy challenger.
On a different note, does anybody know how the transition to half the number of Alderman will work?
We're eight years away since the census results won't come out until 2021, so the first election with bigger wards will be 2023. I think there will be a period where there are 21 aldermen until 2025.
How is Cara Spencer's support from people in the ward?
The 20th ward used to be in N. City. The aldermen moved it south to punish then 20th ward alderman Sharon Tyus. Sharon had her enemies on the board. This all happened in the 2010 redrawing of ward boundaries and was linked to the infamous trash can urination incident involving Tyus' colleague and supporter, 1st Ward Alderman Irene Smith.
Since the net result of moving the 20th ward to south city was to reduce the number of black aldermen, to pass muster under the Voting Rights Act, the newly relocated 20th had to be shown as a ward where an African-American would have a fighting chance to win election.
Ironically, fifteen years later, Sharon Tyus is back on the Board of Aldermen, (serving in Irene Smith's old 1st Ward), while no black has ever sought the seat in the 20th ward.
Northside Neighbor wrote:How is Cara Spencer's support from people in the ward?
not exactly sure, but she has a pretty diverse cross-section of neighbors helping her to organize and canvas (i.e. not just cherokee street "hipsters").
Northside Neighbor wrote:How is Cara Spencer's support from people in the ward?
not exactly sure, but she has a pretty diverse cross-section of neighbors helping her to organize and canvas (i.e. not just cherokee street "hipsters").
i helped Cara canvas this past weekend and met many of her campaign team and volunteers. definitely a diverse group. lots of good people.
Northside Neighbor wrote:That's a weird paradigm. Cherokee is making big progress, has been for years, but the alderman is an obstructionist? How is that even possible?
Maybe you answered your own question, but I'm speculating.
Cherokee DOES seem like it's been making big progress for years... but it's still in the comeback stage after all these years. Maybe residents think things could have been done that would have it further along.
I don't know if it's a double negative. But I see what you're getting at.
But I don't think those two things are mutual exclusive. Does the alderman receive full credit for an area's progress?
The city is slowly progressing, but don't many here consider Slay to be standing in the way of further potential progress? I think both things can be true at the same time.
Northside Neighbor wrote:That's sort of a double negative, isn't it?
Yes it's progressing. Yes, the alderman is an obstructionist.
Many simply believe somebody else could do it better. Doesn't mean that the current office holder is a disaster. Just that the potential is there for more growth with perhaps someone else.
When i worked at the Zoning Office Craig Schmid was pretty involved in all occupancy permits or home business waivers...he would show up to almost all of the conditional use hearings to support a new permit and also suggest conditions and oppose some but he always went with that the neighborhood wanted. I dont see why people would want him out.
I met Cara Spencer last week. She has the passion and energy I like to see in aldermen. She's interested in getting her ward more active. She jokes that there are more vacant properties than votes cast in the 20th. Also she'd prefer to fill existing buildings with local businesses rather than waiting around for a big comglomo to build something big.
