Welcome to 2008!
I’m sure it will be an interesting year, full of all kinds of things we have not yet imagined. So far, the “agenda” for the Common Council for 2008 doesn’t seem very clear for me as there isn’t a whole lot of obvious items coming up (beyond a list of wonky things that I am working on) that will be of great consequence.
The Mayor’s “agenda” is equally unclear in many ways, with very little new, and no details. (The WSJ headline on that story is hilarious!) In fact, it lacks vision and is little more than a promise to do his job (basic services, public safety) or to work on something that isn’t really his purview (Schools? Did he mean city-school cooperation?). Or more of the same. Hasn’t “economic development” been the mantra ever since he got elected? Weren’t Ald. Zach Brandon and Mark Bugher with the new Economic Development Commission supposed to change the world for the past few years? It also seemed to be missing a bit of the obvious. Will something finally happen on Allied Drive, or will we waste another year? Even the Cap. Times editorial board noticed the lack of vision and challenged Mayor Dave (and County Executive Kathleen Falk) to do more on the environmental front, good thing that’s on his list. And finally, diversity? Didn’t we tackle that when we formed the new Department of Civil Rights? Or was that in response to my criticisms about gender diversity? Overall, I gotta say “snooze” . . . I hope somewhere there are details in that “agenda” that will be “leaked” to the press over the next few months.
As for me, I started off the year by over-sleeping since I’ve had the last 13 days off. However, my house is a whole recycling bin (and two more boxes) lighter in paper and my agenda is L-O-N-G so I’m working on setting some priorities for new initiatives while trying to finish up so many things that I have started. And as soon as I get to work this morning, I get to clean and put my office back together after finally getting my wall insulated after 7 years of being at the Social Justice Center and then start working on raising and additional $50,000 (more than the $40,000 we usually raise) this year.
Meanwhile, politically, I’m sure that 2008 will not be as dull as it seems now. Right?
