tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5723709701684173708.post2252869361218322505..comments2024-03-28T17:55:31.180-04:00Comments on The Gossips of Rivertown: Democrats Release 2013 PlatformCarole Osterinkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16010623982526286408noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5723709701684173708.post-33798746319985587682013-08-04T16:25:44.360-04:002013-08-04T16:25:44.360-04:00I'm hardly shilling for the local GOP - far fr...I'm hardly shilling for the local GOP - far from it - but Common Council President Moore promised transparency years ago and then never delivered. Where secrecy is concerned, he's a routine offender. So as long as the party is endorsing Moore its promise of "transparency" is totally hollow. They should have avoided the issue.<br /><br />Mr. Moore's lack of transparency is at the center of the failed LWRP (he's obliged to inform his constituents, whereas Roberts hasn't any). The Local Waterfront Revitalization program was never submitted to the state for authorization. Today we're informed that the Democrats will revive "the Waterfront Development Plan." The WDP? What's that?!<br /><br />Rather, what's stopped the Democrats from reviving the LWRP already, right now? And exactly who would the Democrats be arguing against to revive the LWRP? Themselves? It's an embarrassment, and it should have been left out. <br /><br />The Democrat's proposal to split the Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) will increase the toxicity and amount of stormwater run-off into the city's South Bay. The Republicans boast the identical plan, which doesn't "decrease" but actually INCREASES stormwater run-off. Do any of these people even understand the issue? (Victor Mendolia was wise to leave this out of his own press release.)<br /><br />Notice how our two different "truck traffic" issues - the state route and O&G's one-way use of the streets below 3rd - have been conflated into one issue. There's a sneaky reason for doing that, and it's working against a poorly-informed public. (At the crux of this sneakiness: Cheryl Roberts, who's both a Democrat and Republican appointee.)<br /><br />Do the Democrats really support policing? They might get the Common Council to support Chief Moore's approach of paying attention to "the small things."<br /><br />What branch of city government decided to install a pet waste station at the waterfront park where dogs are forbidden from entering? (See: §70-4A(11)). Maybe it's the mayor's bright idea, I don't know. But it's a contradiction between policies and laws that would be typical of our lawmakers. What does it tell the HPD and residents about the city's seriousness concerning the "small things" if the code book is chugged with meaningless ordinances which the aldermen themselves don't even pay attention to?<br /><br />This platform should have been a first draft. It's not a very promising start.<br /><br />I thought that Victor's was good though, for those who've had a look.unheimlichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00204285837938988668noreply@blogger.com