Here’s what I have this slippery Monday morning . . .
MAYOR DAVE IN TROUBLE?
Wow. Mayor Dave is the talk of the town. Everywhere I went this weekend, people were talking about who is going to run against him. The way he handled the Edgewater and is shoving it down our throats, his abandonment and criticism of his own appointees to the Landmarks Commission and other committees and posts, his complete abandonment of the left and of course, the snow were some of the highlights. On neighborhood listserves the plowing issues were a major issue, many not believing his apology is very sincere or his excuse well reasoned. Paul Soglin explained what he thinks is wrong. I wish I could find Mayor Dave’s comments made during budget discussions about cutting Streets workers and why Madison Metro drivers can’t just run snow plows – it showed his fundamental misunderstanding of what it takes to get the streets plowed. Once you read his blog, you can see what his motivation for the apology is – he’s worried about being Bilandicked. With good reason. I had assumed that he had built up a war chest making it hard for someone to run against him, but I was surprised when I looked and found he only had $27,000 in his account. Things aren’t looking so good, he’s Baumanized himself and has no base as he has annoyed everyone left to right. Now, who’s going to run . . .
COUNT ME ANNOYED
So, you participate in the Downtown Living Tour (October 4th), get an inspection complaint. Nice.
I put up with alot of crap, but this kind of pissed me off. This week, it will be one year that we’ve owned our new house (a block and a half from our old house). We moved in last February after doing some interior work (refinished floors, plaster work, painting) and so far, we’ve gotten two complaints filed with Building Inspection. The first was for putting our leaves in bags instead of letting them blow into the streets and down the drains. Of course, by the time we had gotten the order to fix it, the city had already picked up our leaves and left the bags with a rock on top of them so we could reuse them.
This time, the day after the Downtown Living tour, a complaint and inspection (10-5-09) was done. And although it says the order was issued 10-10-09, we just got the order in the mail on Friday. You have to understand our neighborhood gets pretty good, thorough systematic inspections every few years. Living downtown, we’ve been the subject of them for years. So, you would think that most of the things on the outside would have been written up in the last few rounds of inspections, or when we got our leaf complaint. So, imagine my surprise when we were written up for something that has been in existence for at least 35 years. Compare the (1973 or 1974) black and white photos with the color picture from this summer, look at the front porch railing:
Photographer: WHS HPPH
Apparently, we have to
Install or add to the existing guardrail system around the front porch. The existing guardrail system is below the minimum height requirements of 36 inches. Ensure that the new or increased height guardrail has no areas where a 4 inch sphere (ball) could pass through any area below the top rail of the guardrail.
So, its been that way for at least 35 years, our neighborhood has been the subject of MANY programmed inspections where orders weren’t written, and they first noticed this now? The inspection was the day after the Downtown Living Tour, was that a coincidence? And why did we get the order in the mail two months after it was allegedly ordered? We were planning to do some work anyways, which we told people as they came through the house, so its not that big of a deal, I just don’t know what type of railing would be appropriate for this house, especially with those stone pillars where they are. I’m just annoyed that someone called in something that is the same as it has been for the past 35 years and it happened after trying to be a good neighbor and opening our house up for the Downtown Living Tour. No good deed goes unpunished, I guess.
FRUIT AND NUTS
Loved the tag line on the website . . . “because Madison needs more of both”
Madison Fruits & Nuts – Urban Orchards Citywide Grant Planning Session
Do you want a small orchard of peaches, pears, raspberries, hickories, or other delectable fruits and nuts at a park, community garden or other public space in your neighborhood? Do you want to make fruit and nuts freely available for you and others in your community? Let’s make it happen by attending this planning session rescheduled for Dec. 15th!
* Madison Fruits & Nuts — Urban Orchards Citywide Grant Planning Session *
* Tuesday, December 15 at 7:00 pm, at MATC Downtown Campus, 211 N Carroll Street, Room D240. *Madison has been invited to request free fruit trees and training in their care by the Fruit Tree Planting Foundation. At the meeting, we’ll select orchard sites together and apply for the funding. Then sites will be selected nationally by internet voting. So if you can’t make the meeting, but you support an orchard your neighborhood, send us an email. We’ll let you know when the vote happens. Or better yet, if you can help out with the planting and care of an orchard, please join us for the meeting on Tuesday! Chances are good that Madison orchards will be selected.
Contact: www.madisonfruitsandnuts.org email: madisonfruitsandnuts@gmail.com Please drop us an email if you would like to be on our contact list for future Madison Fruits and Nuts events. Phone: Christie Ralston, Community GroundWorks at Troy Gardens – 608-240-0409 for further information.
— Madison Fruits & Nuts
EDGEWATER
The Cap Times has a good editorial on the Edgewater, asking the council not to sacrifice civic values for the project. The Badger Herald, on the other hand says,
Madison’s alders: quit worrying about the language of one unclear ordinance.
Whoa. Seriously? They took the Mayor Dave line of just ignoring inconvenient ordinances. So, can we also ignore snow shoveling and alternate side parking laws?
Looks like news of a compromise by Cnare hit the news. I’m sure that if asked, the Edgewater folks will stand up in front of the council and say that they need to know today and no compromise that delays the decision will work.
And I’m not sure what to make of the lack of a Project Labor Agreement and how that will play with the alders.
And, are Palm, Schumacher and Pham-Remmele really the absences for the meeting? I had heard reports of Compton being gone and Palm being back. It’d be nice if the correct information would be available to the public.
COUNTY BUDGET CUTS HITTING THE STREETS
Along with homeless seniors? I’m surprised we didn’t hear more about this during the budget discussions.
JOB OPENING
With the RTA coming up, this job is critical. Hope someone good applies:
Employment Opportunity: TRANSPORTATION PLANNING MANAGER
Agency: Planning and Community and Economic Development Department
Category: PROFESSIONAL/TECHNICAL
Salary: $74,938 to $90,309 annually
Date Posted: 12/11/2009
Application Deadline: 1/18/2010
Residency: Dane County Residency is Required for this Position.
BREWERS AND BANDS EXEMPT?
So, Schumacher says the “total ban” on drinking while working in a bar might have some exemptions. I’d say, that’s the only way its going to pass, because without those exemptions, the law seems ridiculous.
