Wow, this is just embarrassing at this point . . . it’s like they can’t stop making the whole “broken process” issue worse . . . In January and February the business community was asked for the opinions, in the Mayor’s State of the City address, he added labor unions. As a complete afterthought, Tim Cooley, Economic Development Director (not the mayor) asks the neighborhoods and committees affected. Now, he (not the Mayor) asks the alders another month later. All I can say is wow. And I’m impressed with his shot at the Neighborhood Summit.
MEMORANDUM
August 6, 2010TO: All Alders
cc: Economic Development Committee
Mark Olinger
Brad Murphy
Mayor’s OfficeFROM: Tim Cooley, Director – Economic Development Division
RE: Development Process Improvement Initiative
As you know, the City’s Economic Development Committee has been soliciting comments from stakeholders in the development process. We are posting the information submitted as it arrives together with prior studies/reports and supporting documents from the EDC, Planning Department and relevant City commissions. These are all available through Legistar, file #18121. We have also included, with this memo, a list of documents posted to-date.
The Mayor has established several goals for this initiative, calling for a development approval process that is: Efficient Predictable & uniform Maintains existing high standards
Many of you have had meetings with individuals in your districts and your neighborhood associations to discuss the initiative. Several Alders held a Neighborhood Summit last Saturday where roughly 100 neighborhood leaders from approximately 10% of the more than 120 officially recognized associations in the city participated for three hours in breakout groups and discussions.
A number of Alders have also participated in commission meetings where the initiative has been discussed and recommendations recorded. Comments resulting from these meetings have also been posted.
As you know, the end-result of this phase of the initiative is a report to the Mayor and Common Council. Now that the discussion has been going on in the community for a couple of weeks and you have had an opportunity to hear and read comments from your constituents and commissioners, we would like for you to submit your individual thoughts and suggestions. We will post these to Legistar and make them available to the EDC in preparation for its series of public meetings.
Your recommendations and comments should be submitted in writing. Submissions should be sent in electronic form, if possible, to Peggy Yessa at pyessa@cityofmadison.com. If it is not possible to send your comments via email, please send them as a hard copy to:
Peggy Yessa
City of Madison Economic Development Division
Madison Municipal Building
P.O. Box 2983
Madison, WI 53701Please have any written comments and/or recommendations in by Monday, August 16th so they can be included in the briefing packet for the EDC at its meeting on August 18th.
If you have any questions, please email or call Ms. Yessa at 608-267-8721
We look forward to your participation and input into this initiative.
I like the spin on the neighborhood associations . . . I wonder if he’s counting all the inactive ones that most people have never heard of?
“Mayor Dave” is an idiot. That’s all there is to it. He kindasorta reminds me of a combination of Joel Skornica and Sue Bauman.
Signed,
A Madisonian
Wondering if there are any of the notes and summaries from the neighborhood summit that we were told would be forwarded via email to folks that attended. I know you weren’t there, Brenda, to take notes for us (hope you know how valuable you are!!) but I know you’ll be among to first to be aware when that info is available. I haven’t seen anything yet.
“The Mayor has established several goals for this initiative, calling for a development approval process that is: Efficient Predictable & uniform Maintains existing high standards” – Funny, but before Edgewater I thought we had these values embodied in our process. Unfortunately, because all of the rules were bent(that’s being charitable) we no longer have any of those 3 values in our process. Maybe if we let the process work instead of allowing the mayor & his cronies to break it we could all have what the mayor says he wants.
Debbie in the council office is still typing . . .