Well Fred, as someone that staged hundreds of concerts - orchestra, band, choir, jazz - in all kinds of venues in perhaps 15 countries I would have to say you are not speaking accurately. Well organized and motivated volunteers are often very important - even critical - to the success of a promotion. First you need the idea - say, for instance, bringing air balloons to New Mexico. Then you need a place, an appropriate venue, that is eager and enthusiastic and that will commit to participating under clearly defined terms. I proposed a Concours'dElegance for the Village and Zoo, a weekend event tied to a Classic Car Auction to be held at the RBHS stadium. This is a field I know something about, having been both a collector and a promoter of such an event, and having once made a film of of one of the major people in that market. I gave both those to the EDC and never heard another word about it - maybe they are moving forward - I don't know. I resent your implications that what I mentioned in a sentence or two is naive or ill-formed. I think I would really like to speak with you about this face to face, perhaps clear up your understanding of what I meant. Or your attitude.
For example, the Monterey Jazz Festival - an event I worked with for a long time - is a world-class three day event that draws about 20,000 people per performance, and is handled primarily by volunteers who serve as ushers, etc. We now have an "Arts Faire" or some such that was revived after I pitched the Village and the Chamber of Commerce about doing a Chalk-Fest event. I belive we start out paying a flat-fee to the "organizer" of $10K, and spend perhaps another $8-15K on it, and then purportedly break even or close after bringing in sponsorships. How these things normally work is that some person or group proposes an event, the ground-rules are set for who pays what - and what is required at a certain date, and then someone puts it together. An example is the Sept. car show - the Village and Chamber pitch in a little - a private party does most or all of putting it together, lining up the cars, publicity, etc., and it operates as a free event. I think that is actually a package of four events across the summer.
I don't know what you are looking for from Village Government, but what I continually hear from people here is the desire to draw in visitors (or at least their revenue) and to foster "community". Do you do any of those things - I mean - I don't know who you are. I seem to hear mostly reasons why you don't like this or that. So tell us, what do you like, what do you think should happen here, what do you do? Personally, I like the parks and I raise money and donate myself for new trees. I pick up trash everyday - actually a lot of it. I advocate policies I think will help to maintain this place as an individualistic island of tranquility in a sea of bland mediocrity. I try and get the Village to adopt policies that respect the fact that Riverside is a different place and deserves to be maintained as such.
I want more attention to be paid to maintaining our tree stock, planting now what will be wonderful to have long after I am gone. I don't have children so it is not for my kids I do this - but for all the kids that I want to find Riverside as great a place to live and grow up as I did. Toward that end I would like to see changes like having Forestry not under the PWD but report directly to the Village Manager. Perhaps unbeknownst to you I have on several issues been somewhat of a catalyst for an action later adopted by the Village, and I continue to make the case for things like park improvements and repairs to the river bank wall so that flooding would be minimized. I was, I think, among the first to hammer away for more transparency on village issues, filing FOIAs, hammering away to get some projects removed from public lands, not being easily brushed off when told something that didn't sound right. I have scores of meetings and asked questions in public, and I have often risen to compliment those responsible when they did something I thought was worthy of recognition, as I did two nights ago.
I advocated for other candidates to run, and I like what I see. I like seeing a Candidate Forum that represents a real choice. I don't think being elected unopposed to the Board with 800 votes during elections when other issues on the ballot draw more than 3000 votes means you are the first choice or were given a mandate to do what you want. I don't think ANY of the most recent projects approved and built in this Village were good choices. Deleplaine, Burlington, the VC, the residential stuff on Ogden, even the Public Works Center are all suspect to me personally. Centennial Park is something that I think didn't need to happen in a tough economy, the water tower is nice but I fear there will be troubles with the QC of the finishing. The lighting will not be positive and I think will draw complaints from many, especially those who live in the area. The Burlington house purchase for a parking lot was ill-timed. The Arcade is a disaster and we need to act much more proactively to save it.
I think many of the ideas and fumbling steps at imitating other communities have been a setback. I think people like Commissioner Lesniak and some of the members of the Board, even though intending to do their best, have done the Village a great disservice by creating incentives for and approving variances and projects that have brought poorly designed, over-priced projects where they don't belong. Just so you understand my viewpoint.
Posted Thursday Mar 5, 2009 08:26
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