making progress on transparency in Urbana

Submitted by Regnad Kcin on December 18, 2008 - 7:16pm
We have been working about 10 months on getting transparency in city government in urbana.  Many readers are likely to recall the township meeting last April.  We were finally successful  in getting an resolution passed this past Monday.  Thanks to all who helped on this project.

There is also a video of Mayor Laurel Lunt Prussing throwing a little hissy fit about it.


Posted at IlliniPundit:
http://www.illinipundit.com/2008/12/18/resolution-provide-transparency-passes-urbana-city-council-despite-protestation-mayor-pru

Commentary and Video at www.liberty4urbana.com:
http://www.liberty4urbana.com/drupal-6.8/node/34

YouTube of Prussing's meltdown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SScEyhX_XjA
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A heaping pile of Paulista

Submitted by anonymous on December 18, 2008 - 10:20pm.
A heaping pile of Paulista bullshit. The resolution was totally empty. It just said that Urbana should keep doing what it was already doing anyway. And anyone who watches that video can see that the mayor's obvious objection was that she knew drips like you were going to try to come along and take credit for what Urbana was already doing as if it were somehow *your* doing. And you didn't fail to disappoint.

thank you for your comment on "paulistas" and drips like me ;-)

Submitted by Regnad Kcin on December 21, 2008 - 10:31am.

Please note:

1.   the drive for transparency was a coalition effort of greens, libertarians, AWARE members, and IMC members, as well as the "paulistas" of which you are so fond.

2.  if you watched the video you could discover that the  city did start putting the comprehensive budget on the internet AFTER the coalition asked for it, and BECAUSE we asked for it.

3.  there is almost no limit to what one can accomplish if one is not concerned about who gets credit for it.   

4. the resolution is not EMPTY because it does get in writing a policy statement to continue posting the items on the internet.  The city council recognized the value of this and passed the resolution

5. the person referred to by the mayor as being "mad about being outvoted" was a Green who is a member of  IMC.

6.  i do believe that it is important that the public see this video and understand the response  of the mayor to a simple request for a "good government" measure from the people. 

Again, this was a coalition effort by a broader spectrum group encouraging good government, not just an effort by "Paulistas".

 

Please note that getting the

Submitted by anonymous on December 19, 2008 - 8:05pm.
Please note that getting the city council to pass a resolution saying "north is the opposite of south" does not allow you to take credit for every compass rose ever drawn. The amount of crowing you're doing is only explicable once you add in the fact that you're -- what do you know about that! just check out the Daily Paultard, where you spell it out -- going to be running for the city council yourself, and this is your publicity gimmick.

thank you.

Submitted by Regnad Kcin on December 19, 2008 - 9:32pm.

Hey, the mayor said herself that the comprehensive budget would not have appeared on the internet if this small group of Greens Libertarians and (is it Paulistas or Paultards?) had not asked for it.  The resolution was proposed by Mr Smyth and we certainly supported it.  The idea of the resolution is to get something in writing that say the city is going to publish it.  I think you agree that getting it in writing is a good idea.

The ability to make a decision to run or not run for a city office or any other public office is one of the rights of citizenship.  

Thanks again.

Fact Is, There's Lots of Support

Submitted by nightwatch on December 20, 2008 - 12:20pm.

I don't see this as "totally empty" for a number of reasons.

It was supported by the Libertarians, the Greens, a large chunk of Democrats, and probably some Republicans, too. Mr. Smyth felt is was important enough to have this go down on record, rather than to trust it to the whims of this or a future city government.

I very much appreciate the fact that Mr. Smyth and the others on the council who supported going on the record with the resolution put principle before accomodating the mayor's wishes. 

Even the mayor, for all her fire and brimstone, thought it was a big enough deal to complain mightily about it. If it is so empty, the best thing to do would have been to ignore it. She could not. She seems to feel she needs to throw her metaphorical chairs in public, unlike the last mayor, who liked to pitch real chairs in private when POed.

And I see no reason why this couldn't have gone before the people in the form of a referendum, other than that this idea was "not invented here" by the mayor herself.

I believe it's also the case that there has been some expansion of the city info available online in Urbana. Of almost equal importance is making the user experience on Urbana's website better. It causes me problems every time I use it, too many bells and whistles, I suppose. It certainly suffers by comparison to the Champaign County website, which isn't perfect, but is a damn sight better than the city's.

From what I've seen of the mayor's histrionics, this is far more about trying to maintain a monopolistic majority than anything else. Whether or not she wants to admit it, Urbana would be far better off if IRV was enacted, because that would ensure a progressive majority, instead of only a Democratic majority. The mayor seems to insist on retaining exclusive control of power for the Democrats, instead of being willing to work across a broader and deeper coalition. So be it. The more energy she puts into that, the farther the fall when change comes.

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