Comments on: Budget Crunch Backdrop Drives Council

By: Dave Askins

Dave Askins — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 19:12:59 +0000

Re: [10] and the past and future of robust public participation. Judy, I believe an attempted subjunctive may have been muddled somewhere in revisions or redactions. Yes, Jan. 18 awaits us in the future, and I’ve swapped out “was” with “would be.”

By: Judith Foy

Judith Foy — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 13:26:54 +0000

“On Jan. 18, when the in-person interviews were scheduled, there was a robust public participation component, both in the formal question-and-answer session as well as at an open house, he said.”

Dave – I’m confused on tense here; isn’t the 1/18 meeting scheduled for next month…& how when did all this robustness occur?
Tx

By: Jerry

Jerry — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 00:00:01 +0000

Let’s see, Fraser said the 14 firefighters cost the city an estimated $1.4 Millon per year. He wants to lay them off 6 months early and states it will save $396,000. Isn’t half of 1.4 millon $700,000? Is Fraser using Enron accounting?

And let’s not forget that we’re ‘cutting’ back. But we’ll close 2 fire stations and lay off firefighters, and in the same breath spend $1.4 millon on new garbage cans. This city is a joke. Kunsleman is the only one in touch with reality, but is surrounded by ignorance.

By: Vivienne Armentrout

Vivienne Armentrout — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 21:33:58 +0000

Yes, the RFP committee did have consensus but councilmember Rapundalo made comments even in the prior meeting that made his stance clear. I don’t believe that I am being unfair in characterizing his position.

As to the “amputate” statement, it was made as a sort of humorous aside, but I thought it an accurate statement of his views. I noted that he was quick to exempt the Economic Development fund from any cuts when councilmember Kunselman suggested that the Google parking and the rest of that special set-aside fund might be used to stem the bleeding (to continue our medical analogy).

By: Dave Askins

Dave Askins — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 21:07:05 +0000

Re: [6] “Rapundalo is after all the one who pushed to eliminate open space options on the library lot proposals and who opened the budget retreat by speaking of amputating parts of the city corpus.”

Bear in mind that there are several other people on that RFP committee that Rapundalo is chairing, none of whom I’d consider to be fragile flowers. And the committee showed a clear consensus view on the elimination of the two open space proposals.

As for Rapundalo’s reference to the need to “amputate,” I give him credit for being brutally frank in describing the harsh realities we face. But I take Vivienne’s criticism of those remarks not to be a critique of his failure to mince words, but rather the choice it reflects in a world where you either amputate or continue to treat with antibiotics. With the amputation scenario, energy becomes focused on which limbs (people, programs) to cut. But with the “treat with antibiotics scenario” it’s just not clear to me what the range of possible prescriptions even looks like.

By: Vivienne Armentrout

Vivienne Armentrout — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 20:11:25 +0000

OK, I was curious about the line or two that preceded it. Sometimes a query can lead a person to say something snarky.

Actually, I’m tired of the nastiness from those council emails being repeated. I think that their (CM) actions on issues are more alarming than their personal nastiness to one another. Rapundalo is after all the one who pushed to eliminate open space options on the library lot proposals and who opened the budget retreat by speaking of amputating parts of the city corpus.

By: Dave Askins

Dave Askins — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 18:34:10 +0000

Re: [4] Context can be provided in a variety of ways. Here I chose to provide it through description without supplementing that description with an original source document. One reason for that choice was efficiency — the city provided the email exchange as a printed paper copy in response to a request under the FOIA. Another reason is that I thought the context already provided was adequate to understand the quote from Rapundalo. To make explicit what’s implicit in that description, it came as a part of a email discussion about the annual re-organization of council committees from last year, and Rapundalo was responding to the idea that Anglin would continue to serve with Rapundalo on the liquor committee.

By: Vivienne Armentrout

Vivienne Armentrout — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 18:05:42 +0000

Is it possible to have a link to the email being quoted? Context is useful.

By: Cosmonican

Cosmonican — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 16:57:26 +0000

On second thought, perhaps “rational person” means ‘closeted Republican…with hand caught firmly in cookie jar’.

By: suswhit

suswhit — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 15:35:10 +0000

In that email Rapundalo wrote about Anglin’s possible continued service on the liquor committee, which Rapundalo chairs: “I’d like to have a rational person with me if Anglin continues.”

Niiiiice. Apparently the Peter Lorre look-a-like has found himself a a new sinister role to play. (rubs hand menacingly on chin)

What exactly makes these people think that they can or should “script” the work of council? The arrogance is truly outstanding.