But back to the meeting...
There was a lot of discussion of the upcoming website and computer system rebirth, and ways to coordinate information so things that are public knowledge really ARE public knowledge. Its obvious from some of the comments that the transition from NEO to Fire Department for inspections is off to a bumpy start, but a decision that bad is probably going to take a while to get working well. I definitely like the idea of being able to go to a one-stop place for landlords to check out potential renters, or renters to check on landlords to see their previous records.
Chief Bladel spoke for a while about what the police have been doing to crack down on crime, and from what I've seen its starting to work. Now they just need to do that all the time. There was a good amount of back and forth conversation with both Bladel, Malin and Tom Warner about various issues, and it occurred to me that our city staff is more available for 1 on 1 interaction than I think a lot of people realize. Many of the attendees were on a first name basis with these city employees. Maybe some of the QCTimes.comments folks should try actually speaking with these people about their issues.
I was also impressed with how Malin's presence was treated. Many of the people at the meeting are probably opposed to his continued employment by Davenport, but they seemed to be able to set that aside and try to work with him on things that need taking care of. One interesting part of the meeting occurred when Frink and Malin made references to an "outside group" being interested in purchasing the Swing. Alderman Meyer protested that he had been told not to mention this as it could cause legal trouble for the city, and Malin and Frink didn't directly answer this. It could possibly be explained as referring to the previous and well-known interest by the Des Moines group a few months ago, but I think it pissed Alderman Meyer off for the rest of the meeting. Alderman Hamerlinck also attended, but like Keith, he was fairly quiet throughout the meeting.
This is already getting too long for some people's tastes, so I'll let anyone who was there fill in any additional stuff in the comments.
6 comments:
Is that Craig Malin sitting in the back row? I have never seen him attend any ward meetings in the pass. Maybe he is trying to improve his image or was he there to support Frink? Now I wish I had attended.
Actually, I have been to several ward meetings where Malin has attended.
See Ian Frink's blog site for attendees
We shouldn't judge the publics involvement solely based upon attendance at these meetings, I know for a fact many people are in regular contact with the alderman and the staff to create changes in Davenport.
Malin actually has been in attendance at the Neighborhoods 1st meetings of the DAI and a neighborhood liason position is being discussed. This is supposed to be developed by people who actually live in the neighborhoods that are active in problem solving. The process is slow, but they could actually get an advocare downtown. It is just sad that the advocates we elect don't always advocate for us.
You're exactly right that the people commenting on QCTimes.comments don't have a clue. I, for one, hope I am an example of an informed citezen who doesn't regularly attend these meetings.
Ian was a good host but doesn't have depth on issues. He relied heavily on staff to respond. Which says a good thing about staff being willing to be there. Bladel gave the ususal stats update, was a good boss by supporting the cops under him. He showed little imagination responded to a citizen's concern about the relationship of the black community with the PD. Malin had plenty to say, but his credibility is nill. He can still talk alot and say nothing. Ald. Hamerlinck added a surprising bit of info about the council not being able to talk about low-income housing or affordable housing during meetings. WHich they have done. What's up with that?
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