Media

Open Letter to Sheriff Mahoney from the Young Gifted and Black Coalition

The Mayor attended the Urban Design Commission (UDC) to have a discussion with them, it seems to result in a joint meeting of Plan Commission, UDC and Landmarks Commissions with developers and neighborhoods watching to provide feedback later. And a staff meeting.

I've been going to rallies in front of the City-County Building for 20 years. It's a routine - rally, register, wait, testify, wait and watch, hope for a good vote and go home. I've never seen it involve police until yesterday. What was different?

The rest of Monday's meeting. Allied Drive Grocery, TIF Report, buing the Expo Inn, Global City Indicators and Judge Doyle Square , including a poorly handled open meetings law violation (plus Konkel rant).

Multiple technical difficulties this morning slowed me down! Anyways, here's a start on the meeting. IT and Engineering Directors 5 year contracts and Kipp.

This agenda has more items than usual, but seriously, it seems like the city has increased its role in development in major ways and the Board of Estimates seems to have as much role in development as the Plan Commission. Check out all these items on tonight's agenda. Too bad we aren't applying an equity lens to these projects yet - the items that benefit the community the most and impact low income people the most have the least amount of money being spend on them, one project actively works against equity and 2 projects that are the biggest ticket items have no direct equity value at all to the city. Where is that equity tool when we need it?!

A unpleasant reminder that Legistar is only as good as the people using it- garbage in, garbage out. Actually, they just need to get the right information in there in a timely manner, but instead there is just no info or links, with a few exceptions.

WOW! Only three of the 20 meetings before 4:30 this week! Can you believe it? Unfortunately, only 5 meetings start after 5:00 as well.

Oops, apparently not brief enough. And sorry I didn't finish this yesterday, it just never works out to blog at work even when I think I have the time and flexibility. Sadly, this was perhaps, the most interesting part of the evening with all the talk about chainsaws and evilness and the comparison to Cuba.

A few years back, Sun Prairie Star Editor Chris Mertes wrote such a ridiculous editorial that I wrote him an open letter. Mertes has outdone...

So, I missed the first 5 - 10 minutes of the meeting (I got caught stuck at work) and missed 95% or more of the council agenda, including the consent agenda, luckily I could watch it on Madison City Channel and get caught up, but I was very confused last night

Here's all the details: