Friday, May 9, 2014

There Must Be Something in the Water

John Mason reports today in the Register-Star about another absurd controversy in the Friendly City: "Painter! Spare that bench!" It seems Second Ward alderman Tiffany Garriga and Promise Neighborhood director Joan Hunt thought they had all their ducks in a row in preparation for painting the benches outside Bliss Towers. They had talked with Hudson Housing Authority executive director Jeff First, they had surveyed the tenants, they had chosen the colors based on input from the community, but yesterday, when they were all set to do the work, First delivered the message, via his receptionist, "I don't want them painted."

 The article makes entertaining reading if only for this quote from Mayor William Hallenbeck: "We all have to make unpopular decisions at times. When I have to, I believe I do a good job in justifying to the community why I have to."
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4 comments:

  1. VincentMay 9, 2014 at 8:55 AM

    power and hypocrisy run rampant in this 2 square miles

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  2. Byrne Fone May 9, 2014 at 9:44 AM

    In Hudson--as I saw over more than 30 years there--Old Hudson/Old Boys in City Gov't always seem eager to look for anything, however petty, to thwart, irritate, and annoy those they still think of as newcomers, even though many of these newcomers have been in the city for two decades or more now and have made the city what it is today despite the unending opposition from City Hall.

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  3. SlowArtMay 9, 2014 at 3:21 PM

    No opposition here from City Hall, everyone was prepared and ready to do the work, the Mayor even volunteered to paint one of the benches himself. Seemed to be something of a power/control trip of the building manager, who used every excuse to leave the place a dirty mess. Said the benches were a special cedar wood that needed special care not paint, but they are old weathered pressure treated wood that was never even stained from the get go. Hard to believe the management would thwart a free of charge beautification project. Sad state of affairs down there.

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  4. Jeffrey PerryMay 9, 2014 at 4:57 PM

    Did First give any reason at all, Possibly residents might be happy and feel respected with some care to their home?
    And I have to add, has anyone heard any good justification for his un-popular (read, Bad) decisions from our current mayor

    ReplyDelete

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