Election results!

Well, the hard work is all over, and I want to thank everyone that voted for me in yesterday's election. You'll note I didn't mention much about the election on my blog here, but I want very much to keep politics out of here, and focus on the things that transcend politics -- non-partisan issues like my recent Christmas Island Economic Sustainability Plan. The sorts of things we can all agree on as a neighborhood, regardless of party affiliation.

Nonetheless, here are the results of the 3rd Ward city council election, as certified by the Herald-Star and KWHA 5 television.

All of my opponents are honorable, intelligent men and women, and I am proud to have had such distinguished opponents in this race. When I say this, however, I do not include novelist and gadabout Kimball Burin, whose dull, endless tirades against me (under the auspices of a fictitious, inaccruately-named and generally insulting "Anti-Bedwetter's Democratic Union") are an embarrassment to his otherwise sterling legacy of hard-hitting drunken New Journalism. Nor do I include fugitive malcontent Dr. Thomas Jefferson Harding, who remains a dangerous, crazed idealogue that we are still working very hard to extradite and should probably not be permitted to appear on a ballot legally -- the fact that he ran in absentia representing the Vietnamese Communist Party is pure spite, and also probably not legal.

Ron Paul is a good man, too, I suppose, if you're into his sort of thing (I have endorsed Bill Richardson myself!). Apparently, though, he only earned half a percentage point owing to the influence of overzealous Libertarian computer spambots that somehow worked their way onto the electronic grid. I will probably need to appoint a commission to look into that.

I invite all citizens of the 3rd Ward to join me in the hard work that remains to be done in the next five years -- excepting, of course, members of the Vietnamese Communist Party and the Anti-Bedwetter's Democratic Union.


Sherman LARSON
(Democrat)
54%


Barry G. JOHANNSEN
(Republican)
35%


Andrea GILANSHAH
(Green)
6%


Kimball F. BURIN
(Anti-Bedwetters Democratic Union)
3%


Bronwynn Hyperioum EISENBERG
(Wiccan Socialist)
1%


Dr. Thomas Jefferson HARDING
(Đang Cong san Viet Nam)
0.5% (in absentia)


Ron PAUL
(Republican Misc.)
0.5%

City Council update, with guest blogger Reeves Sinderman (R.-8th Ward)

Greeting, faithful Clarion readers. As you may have read, I will be taking over this blog for Councilman Larson this month while he is on his privately-funded vacation in England retracing the footsteps of noted philanthropist Bono and his U-2 rock and roll band.

I have been reviewing Councilman Larson's previous posts, and I must say I am very surprised at what I have found. I had expected more updates from City Council meetings, practical community information relating to road closings and zoning ordinances, and other related matters. I know that the 3rd Ward and Armitage Heights is perhaps the most counter-cultural and youth-oriented group of neighborhoods in the metro, and that "Spin" magazine does not write articles on negotiations with municipal water service providers, but this is the business of our neighborhood, and if I may be permitted to editorialize for a moment, it deserves just as much attention as glowing write-ups on noted local rock and roll bands.

In that spirit, today's post will be a summary of the last City Council meeting's minutes, the sort of thing Councilman Larson has not typically been posting. I hope you will find them as informative as the types of posts you have been accustomed to reading about Oriental tacos and neighborhood Marxist film festivals. Please do not hesitate to contact me at reeves.sinderman@mishcitycouncil.gov with any questions or concerns.

Now, your City Council minutes:

The following items were acted on by one motion. No separate discussion or action occurred on any of the items. The consent items were approved on Council Member Remwick’s motion, Councilwoman Platt second on a 13-0 vote.

1. Approval of the minutes of the Mishipeshu City Council from the regularly scheduled meeting of July 28, 2007.
The minutes from the meeting of July 21, 2007 were approved.

2. Approve an ordinance authorizing negotiation and execution of a second amendment to the existing Water Cost Reimbursement Agreement with Harrison Pierce, L.P. to change the cost reimbursement payment schedule for both Phase One and Phase Two on the construction of a 24-inch water main and appurtenances with a cost not to exceed $3,428,000 to provide water service to the Harrison Pierce Tract located in the south corner of the Stanton Parkway and Gresham Road; and to waive the requirements of Section 25-9-67 of the City Code relating to cost reimbursement payments. No impact to the Capital Budget of the Mishipeshu Water Utility. To be reviewed by both the Water and Wastewater Commission and the Environmental Board on May 16, 2007. Recommended by the Water and Wastewater Commission.
Ordinance No. 20070517-002 was approved.

3. Approve an ordinance authorizing negotiation and execution of an amendment to the existing Wastewater Cost Reimbursement Agreement with Harrison Pierce, L.P., to increase the amount of City cost reimbursement for construction of an 18-inch and 30-inch wastewater main and appurtenances to provide wastewater service to the Harrison Pierce Tract located in the south corner of the Stanton Parkway and Gresham Road intersection for a new total actual construction cost for wastewater improvements not to exceed $3,696,000, and for the professional services costs for engineering, design and project management only for the original design, the aerial crossing design and the new wastewater tunnel alignment in an amount not to exceed $774,999, and cost reimbursement of the pump and haul operations in an amount not to exceed $150,000, increasing the original Council approval amount by $3,287,259 for a new overall total amount not to exceed $4,620,999; and waiving the requirements of Section 25-9-63 of the City Code relating to amount of cost reimbursement, waiving the requirements of Section 25-9-67 of the City Code relating to the schedule for cost reimbursement payments. Funding in the amount of $3,287,259 is included in the Fiscal Year 2006-2007 Capital Improvement Budget of the Mishipeshu Water Utility. To be reviewed by both the Water and Wastewater Commission and the Environmental Board on May 16, 2007. Recommended by the Water and Wastewater Commission and the Environmental Board
Ordinance No. 20070517-003 was approved.

4. Amend the Fiscal Year 2006-2007 Department of Aviation Capital Budget of Ordinance No. 20060911-002 to appropriate $1,750,000 for the Baggage Handling System Improvements and the Security System Upgrade. Funding is available in the Fiscal Year 2006-2007 Capital Fund of the Department of Aviation. Recommended by the Airport Advisory Commission.
Ordinance No. 20070517-004 was approved.

5. Authorize acceptance of grant funds in the amount of $71,147 from the United States Federal Emergency Management Agency, Department of Homeland Security, Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program for Fire Prevention and Safety; and amend the Fiscal Year 2006-2007 Mishipeshu Fire Department Operating Budget Special Revenue Fund of Ordinance No. 20060911-001 to appropriate $71,147 for the purpose of purchasing smoke alarms and publicizing the availability of these resources to a targeted population. Funding is available from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security, Assistance to Firefighters Grant Fire Safety and Prevention Program. An in-kind match of $17,787 is required and available in the Mishipeshu Fire Department Fiscal Year 2006-2007 Operating Budget. The grant period is April 13, 2007 to April 12, 2008. There is no unanticipated fiscal impact.
Ordinance No. 20070517-005 was approved.

6. Approve an amendment to the professional service agreement with Harrison Pierce, L.L.P., Mishipeshu, HU, in an amount not to exceed $170,000, for a total contract amount not to exceed $340,000, for legal counsel related to the City's Minority-Owned and Women-Owned Business Enterprise Program (MBE/WBE), including an updated availability and disparity study of minority-owned and women-owned businesses. Funding is available in the Fiscal Year 2006-2007 Operating Budgets of various General Fund and Enterprise Fund Departments.
The motion authorizing an amendment to the professional service agreement was approved.

7. Authorize negotiation and execution of an amendment to an outside counsel contract with Cox Smith Matthews, Mishipeshu, HU, for legal services related to City of Mishipeshu v. Knox Readwell, et al.; Cause No. 2403 in the County Court at Law No. 1 in Pierce County, Huron, in an amount of $50,000, for a total contract amount not to exceed $240,000. (concerns the City's condemnation case) Funding in the amount of $25,000 is available in the Fiscal Year 2006-2007 Operating Budget of the Mishipeshu Convention Center and funding in the amount of $25,000 is available in the Fiscal Year 2006-2007 Operating Budget of Mishipeshu Energy.
The motion authorizing the negotiation and execution of an amendment to an outside counsel contract was approved.

8. Authorize acceptance of grant funds in the amount of $8,000 from the State of Huron Governor's Division of Emergency Management, Fiscal Year 2007 Emergency Management Performance Grant Program; and amend the Fiscal Year 2006-2007 Public Safety and Emergency Management Department Operating Budget Special Revenue Fund of Ordinance No. 20060911-001 to appropriate $8,000 to improve the City of Mishipeshu's mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery capabilities. Funding is available from the State of Huron, Governor's Division of Emergency Management. An in-kind match of $122,000 is required and included in the Public Safety and Emergency Management Department Fiscal Year 2006-2007 Operating Budget. The grant period is October 1, 2006 to September 30, 2007. There is no unanticipated fiscal impact.
Ordinance No. 20070517-008 was approved.

9. Authorize an Interlocal Agreement between the City of Mishipeshu and Pierce County, in the amount of $5,800 per month, for funding a sixth Forensic Chemist Full Time Employee who will perform drug analysis at the Mishipeshu Police Department Forensic Science Division Laboratory. Funding for a sixth forensic chemist will be provided by Pierce County on a reimbursement basis at the rate of $5,800 per month; compensation for partial months will be prorated.
The motion authorizing an interlocal agreement was approved.

10. Approve a resolution authorizing the fee simple acquisition of Lot 23, Block J, Onion Creek Forest, Section 2, Amended Plat, a subdivision in Pierce County, Huron, located at 6908 Onion Crossing Court from Alice Hellstrom for the Gresham Creek Voluntary Flood Buyout-FEMA-1606-DR Project, in the amount of $35,000 for the land and improvements and $29,550 in owner assisted relocation benefits, plus moving related expenses not to exceed $10,000, for a total amount not to exceed $74,550. Funding is available in the Fiscal Year 2006-2007 Capital Budget of the Watershed Protection and Development Review Department.
Resolution No. 20070517-011 was approved.

11. Approve a resolution authorizing the fee simple acquisition of Lot 5, Block H, Gersham Creek Forest, Section 2, Amended Plat, a subdivision in Pierce County, Huron, located at 6906 Onion Crossing Drive, from Emma Harvey for the Gresham Creek Voluntary Flood Buyout-FEMA-1606-DR Project, in the amount of $40,000 for the land and improvements and $54,500 in owner assisted relocation benefits, plus moving related expenses not to exceed $10,000, for a total amount not to exceed $104,500. Funding is available in the Fiscal Year 2006-2007 Capital Budget of the Watershed Protection and Development Review Department.
Resolution No. 20070517-012 was approved.

12. Approve a resolution authorizing the fee simple acquisition for the Mishipeshu Clean Water Program: Govalle 1- West of Ellis Area Wastewater Project for a temporary working space easement comprising 127 square-feet of land and a temporary ingress and egress easement comprising 22,806 square feet of land out of a portion of Lot 31, Block A, Wallingwood Section II-A P.U.D., a subdivision in Pierce County, HU, located at 2800 Barton's Bluff Lane, from UDR Huron Properties, L.P., in an amount not to exceed $52,200. Funding is available in the Fiscal Year 2006-2007 Capital Improvement Budget of the Mishipeshu Water Utility. Recommended by the Water and Wastewater Commission.
Resolution No. 20070517-013 was approved.

Greetings from Councilman Sinderman.

Hello to all of you loyal Clarion readers. I'm Reeves Sinderman, the City Council representative from the 8th Ward, and I'll be taking over for Sherman while he is on his vacation to England. I'll try to keep on my toes as far as keeping you current with some of the important cultural and community-related goings-on in your neighborhood.

In the meantime, was surprised that Sherman had not yet posted the City Council's annual budget report as it related to Armitage Heights, so I am posting links to the PDF from the city website here.

Councilman Larson's assistant Marisha is telling me that this blog is often used for posting community cultural events like musical performances. Rest assured that I am having my assistant Megan put together a detailed list of performances by local musicians at this time with venue information, times and lengths of performances. I will hope to have this information posted by tomorrow.

I have a whole range of interesting subjects related to the 3rd Ward I'll be covering in the next two weeks on this blog, including questions about land use policy in the Armitage Avenue corridor, minutes from the Zoning Appeal Commission, news from the Auditing Department, pensions and annuities information related to governmental workers at the Metro Government Centers, updates from municipal energy and water service providers, oversight issues regarding the registry division of the Public Works Department, programmatic changes regarding the Committee on Post Audit, technical education policy, and community reinvestment in Little Warsaw, so please stay tuned.

Have a safe and pleasant weekend.

Time for "One" great vacation...and a guest blogger!

This guy might be my tour guide!

Well, my goodness, what a busy few weeks! My apologies for not writing recently, but the middle of summer is a surprisingly busy time around City Hall. The last session of the council wrapped up, but summer is the time for renovations and repair work around the building. So if you can believe it, I've been working over a tarp for three weeks straight!

August, though, is traditionally time for a vacation around City Hall, and it's my plan to leave for it this weekend. I have to brag a little, though, because I am so thrilled about this one: I'll be taking a U2-themed tour of Ireland! As you probably know, I am a big, big fan of U2 (their hard-hitting anthems of social justice were what got me interested in politics to begin with), and when I saw that this company in Dublin was offering exclusive tours of their homeland for fans of the band, I just had to take the opportunity! The tour begins in Dublin, where I'll be seeing the primary school where Bono met the Edge, the rock clubs where they got their start, and the pubs that they frequented as they set out to change the world of rock and roll -- and the world itself -- forever! I am so excited I can hardly believe it! I'll be sure to send back lots of pictures, and maybe post a few times if I have the chance.

But if I can't, you'll be in good hands with these two people:


Your (temporary!) guide to Armitage Heights: Reeves Sinderman and his assistant Megan.

I am pleased to announce that my colleague Reeves Sinderman (R.-8th Ward) will be filling in for me while I'm away here at the Clarion. As you know, Reeves represents the 8th Ward, which is comprised of the Croxton, Mount Gresham, Seabridge, Ostegwan and East Pond District neighborhoods in the east metro, right on the edge of Pierce County. He will be given a helping hand by his assistant Megan Van Deest, who recently moved back to her hometown after graduating magna cum laude with a political science degree at Vassar (and also leading their women's forensics team to three consecutive national championships!). Reeves lives in Croxton, but he will actually be staying at my house in Wihinapa for the duration of my vacation. So I anticipate some fascinating "blogging" about our wonderful neighborhood from the perspective of a non-resident!

My assistant Marisha will still be around, too, so maybe she'll be posting here and there about anything exciting around the neighborhood. I'm hoping that perhaps Megan and her can do some joint posts about some of the challenges of being a twentysomething in the city. She and Marisha are two of the best and brightest our metro area has to offer!

So with that, may I say "cheers," and see you in Ireland!

Man Vs. God Vs. Starwood Hotels: Why I'm Voting "No."

Man Vs. God Memorial Park -- in development plans, this portion would be incorporated into the pillars for the interior for a Wolfgang Puck restaurant.

When I came into the office this morning, there was much to be done. My assistant Marisha was already hard at work typing up the minutes from my meeting with the Esperanto District Retailers' Council (a.k.a. the Konsilantaro Detalisto Esperanto) from yesterday, which is never easy work, since Chairman Weaver still insists on delivering his remarks in Esperanto, and the city won't pay for Marisha to take lessons, so she has to transcribe the meeting phonetically, and then attempt to translate her notes back into English. There was an update from the Metro Council 3rd Ward Porter Weiss Memorial Novelist Laureate Search Task Force, which is nearing a decision after months of deliberation. There were noise complaints from the residental pockets off Stanton Avenue in the Cassock District near the Lakesider again from the recent "screamo" bill headlined by I Promise To See You Die And I Will show. There was indeed much to tackle.

But I could only think of one thing.

It was a remarkable dream I had last night. Marisha is standing over me begging me not to mention this, but it was too powerful not to share.

This is it: in the dream, I was standing here, in my office, and I hear a knock on the door. I open it, and standing there is ghostly apparitions of two of our neighborhood's greatest statesmen, Councilman Spence Whitmarsh and Senator Fletcher O. Casady! They walked in and had a seat. And before I could say anything, they spoke.

Both were accomplished public speakers while they were alive (1938-1971 and 1861-1934, respectively), and they were both true to form in my dream, speaking with great eloquence. The thing they had on their minds was the proposed destruction of beloved hippie art garden Man Vs. God Memorial Park -- a project which Whitmarsh personally greenlit during his tenure as 3rd Ward councilman.

"We built a lot of beautiful art during my tenure, Sherman," said Councilman Whitmarsh. "And you'd vote to destroy it?"

"Verily!" said Senator Casady. "You would vouchsafe to undertake this detestable deed, Mr. Larson? For shame, for shame! Confound it, Council-man, have you no sense of history?"

Then they both looked at me, and repeated over and over Senator Casady's best-known adage: "A man must will himself to righteousness, and right himself to willfullness!" until I awoke.

And I lay there for a moment, and it occured to me: I must follow the example of these principled leaders. I must will myself to righteousness.

That is why you have my pledge that the city will not sell Man Vs. God to any developers, no matter how generous their offers. Because to me, nothing is more beautiful than Soviet scrap submarine parts forged in the furnaces of our neighborhood's great artists in the 1970s, piled high on a beautiful green parcel of land in the middle of a bustling neighborhood, and given life. There is certainly room in our neighborhood for development and for exciting new projects of all kinds, but let's leave a grand old landmark like Man Vs. God out of it.

Which is why I'm voting "no" on selling the property. Senator Casady would have voted "no," Councilman Whitmarsh would have voted "no," and so will I.

Well, actually, Casady might not have thought Man Vs. God was a bit "queer" (in contemporary parlance), but the point remains. Honestly, I think it's pretty weird and hippie too, but there are certain values that rise above mere taste. This is one of them.

Election news from all over!

Wow, what a whirlwind week! As I'm sure you know, half of the city council primaries were held last Tuesday, and what a lot of excitement there has been! Of course, you all well know I don't like to spend much time here talking partisan politics -- I prefer to think of this blog as an enjoyable resource to keep everyone in the neighborhood up-to-date on all the facets of life in Armitage Heights, not just the political aspects. But Tuesday night was exciting enough to warrant some mention.

Of course, I ran unopposed in the Democratic primary for this seat, but there was a vigorous contest for the Republican seat. Much to everyone's surprise, Wihinapa building contractor Barry G. Johannsen, the youngest son of the late Marla Manda Johannsen, defeated his opponent, Armitage Hill businessman Feltzer Carlson Messing, Sr., by just three percentage points. It was a tightly-contested race all the way to the end, and Mr. Johnnsen certainly takes after his mother in his "take no prisoners" approach to campaigning. So it looks as if I'll be up against Mr. Johannsen in the fall, and I'm looking forward to an invigorating, exciting campaign!

Despite the fact that this is outside our neighborhood, I should also mention that Stephen Massey Keller (R-8th Ward) was defeated in Tuesday's Republican primary. Too bad, Stephen -- I enjoyed working with you! He is a talented man that will definitely find exciting new opportunities outside public service to advance his fascinating ideas about mass transit.

Our crosstown neighbors.

The Kadner Mansion in Mount Gresham -- the pride of the 8th Ward!

My goodness -- it always surprises me how quickly the time passes. I've been so busy lately that I've neglected my blog, for which I do apologize! I gave my assistant Marisha the week off to finish up her thesis paper, which I can't wait to read -- come this summer, Marisha will finally be have her M.A.! I'll post it here on the blog so you can all read what she's been up to (here's an enticing hint: it involves the social history of Mason jars, early color photography, the creation of the Mishipeshu Bypass Highway in 1961, anorexia in second-generation immigrant families and jazz)!

I've noticed that Councilman Stephen Massey Keller (R.-8th Ward) across town (he represents the Croxton, Mount Gresham, Seabridge, Ostegwan and East Pond District neighborhoods) has a really entertaining blog called the High Atop the Hills of Ostwegan, which he manages to update almost every day! Maybe I should take some tips from Steve, although his focus in his daily posts is quite a bit different than mine. The 8th Ward has a very different set of challenges than we do here in the 3rd, which Steve tackles like a pro in the City Council. Certainly we've had our differences in the City Council -- Stephen wasn't a big fan of the expansion of the Mishipeshu Rail Authority eastern lines, the Kaplan-O'Hara 'Right To Work' bill, the South Hanley public school improvement initiatives, or the creation of Fletcher O. Casady Day -- but we've always enjoyed working together. Check his blog out, and take a day trip across town to see some of the lovely attractions in the 8th Ward, like the private Seabridge Arboreum, the Alfred F. Kadner Mansion and Kadner Museum of Commerce and Enterprise in Mount Gresham, or the new Hummer dealership in Ostwegan. You'll have to drive out there on the Mish Bypass of course, or transfer from the 13 bus to the 82C, since the funding for the Rail Authority lines out to the east metro are being held up in the City Council. But tell them Sherman sent you!

Why I voted against the Johannsen Memorial.

The proposed Marla Manda Johanssen Memorial that would replace the statue of Senator Fletcher O. Casady in Armitage Square.

I just wanted to take a moment to acknowledge the high volume of emails I've received regarding my vote in the City Council on Monday against allowing the construction of the proposed Marla Manda Johannsen Memorial statue -- you can read the meeting minutes from the City Council website here, or a summary on the Herald-Journal's website here.

There is no doubt that Ms. Johannsen was a beloved figure by many in the neighborhood, particularly in Armitage Hill and Wihinapa. There is no doubt that her death last month was tragic. However, there is also no doubt that there are better ways to honor her memory than by tearing down a statue of one of this city's most beloved statesman, Senator Fletcher O. Casady, and putting in its place a gruesome, offensive eyesore of the sort that has been proposed.

I mean, goodness, it's a 15-foot handgun. In the middle of the city. We certainly have some nonsensical public art around the neighborhood (the 1890s-era Municipal Virginity Obelisk in Kendall Park springs to mind), but to put a giant metal weapon in the middle of the square where you may recall hearing some shots going off not less than six months ago -- and on a spot where Ms. Johannsen was actually arrested for firing handguns in the air -- is so distasteful it boggles the mind. I don't care if it's what Ms. Johannsen "would have wanted." Ms. Johanssen also, bear in mind, went on the public record as also wanting to have me deported to East Germany, re-name Hanley "Reaganonia," and abolish Labor Day because it was "a pinko faggot holiday." And yet, we did none of those things.

I am very sorry for what happened to Ms. Johannsen. I think the the churches, civic organizations and gun clubs in this neighborhood that she so loved could absolutely bind together to raise the funds for a private memorial. But to send me nasty emails declaiming me as a "fellow-travelling crypto-Trotskyite" because I don't think it's right to use public funds to remove a statue of a progressive and beloved local icon like Senator Casady (pictured to the left in 1910) and replace it with an oversized weapon is just ridiculous. I don't think a "blog" like this is any place for engaging in dirty partisan politics, and I hate to make such sweeping statements like these that will no doubt anger many of you, but to quote Senator Casady himself, "A man must will himself to righteousness, and right himself, indeed, to willfulness." Well said, indeed, Senator. This is a time for making a stand for what's right. And that is why you have elected me to this office -- to will myself to righteousness, and right myself to willfulness. That is precisely what I have done.

On a related note: the Johannsen debate didn't dominate the entire City Council meeting. We also voted on a number of other critical issues, including securing funding for the new overflow parking annex for the Office Depot Arena on Armitage Avenue; a motion recognizing local musician Billy Draeger of the "indie-rock" band the October Revolutionists for "contributing to the artistic well-being of the city" and nominating him for a Mayor Lester F. Grunwald Memorial Award for Excellence in June; a motion commissioning a study on the effectiveness of utilizing mineral water feeding stations for pigeons to attempt to cut down on the relative messiness of their solid waste; and a motion to adjourn early in recognition of the British holiday of St. George's Day, and the great contributions of British-Americans in the history of the city.