Blogger Michael Molovinsky seems to think so. A little-used section of Allentown's Home Rule Charter (Section 11.10-1010) allows 35 registered city voters to petition for placement of one item on the agenda. After a two-day review, the item must be placed on the agenda of the next scheduled meeting of city council.
According to Molovinsky, such an agenda item has been presented to the clerk, and in time for Wednesday night's meeting. The question presented is this: "That the Department of Parks and Recreation shall immediately suspend all implementation of the so named Cedar Creek Plan until which time City Council re-examines certain aspects of that plan and the public is allotted more input."
Although Molovinsky is demanding that the public be provided more input, he has mysteriously disabled comments on this most recent entry.
16 comments:
bernie, i will open comments on thursday morning. i consider my blogging as a tool to enhance activism, so i feel less journalistically compelled than perhaps yourself. i think it serves the cause best at this point not to have comments. furthermore, i am not a circulator, or even a signer of the petition. that mission is reserved for registered and enrolled electors in the City of Allentown.
Bernie -
It is my understanding that it is not yet certain that City Council will obey the City Charter and put the item on Wednesday's agenda for a vote.
No surprise. If it was presented Monday, the argument could be made that 2 days will not be complete until Thursday. Moreover, the next council meeting might be construed as the one two weeks from now.
Bernie -
I think that such an interpretation would be a stretch. Any way you look at it, they had their two days (they had both a 48 hour period or two full business days - Tuesday and Wednesday - to review the measure).
I realize that one can argue the definition of "is", but they'd look pretty bad doing so.
Cedar Beach need MORE CHILDERN FOR POLITICAL PROPS
:)
it is my understanding that a circulator has been notified by the City Clerk, after he (city clerk) consulted with the Council President, that the "item" has been accepted for inclusion on the agenda for tomorrow evening pending verification of the signatures.
Much ado about nothing. Waste your time fighting a good thing. When you're done jump in a time machine and go back to fight construction of the baseball stadium.
I'm with the latest anon. There are a million things worth protesting in this city and government. This playground isn't one of them.
What doesn't make sense to me is that there are approximately 15 children in the City west of Ott Street. Now there are roughly 10,000 children in Center City. Why would any sensible park administrator put the playground in the deep West End?
Wouldn't a center city site better serve the City's children?
Sure, but the parents of those children are more transient and do not usually vote. So Pawlowski instead slams them with systematic home inspections.
I'd think that the overcrowded enrollment at Muhlenberg Elementary School - the elementary school serving families in the west end of allentown - would be evidence that there are, in fact, more than 10 children in the west end.
I live in the "west of Ott Street" area, and on my block there is my family (2 children), my neighbors to the south (4 children, two of whom are teenagers), a family accross the street (one child and another on the way), the family two doors down from them (3 children, one of whom is a young teen), a family two down from me with a baby on the way, and a family on the corner (1 child).
There are also two couples with adult children, both of whom enjoy frequent visits by their grandchildren.
Of the ten families on my block, there are only two households that do not regularly have children in their care.
signatures necessary for the agenda petition have been verified by the City Clerk. the "item" will be discussed/considered at Council Meeting tomorrow evening.
Playground or no playground more of our inner city kids need to be exposed to nature. With the riparian restoration happening at Cedar Beach this fall it will be even more important. Trexler himself wanted these parks to be places for folks from the city to go to connect with nature. It is time to get more educational programming about the parks and the environment, in the parks.
Agreed.
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