Big Ideas

I know I’ll get yelled at for ‘gotchas’. And ‘shaming’. And ‘crankiness’. And ‘man-splaining’. That’s when I engage in my *Mindfulness And Forgiveness Meditation. 😀

Because you haven’t attended as many City Council Meetings as I have.

We have made a lot of the same mistakes over and over because history and evidence has not played enough of a  role in our decision making. A lot of public support occurs simply because we think

Councilmember(x) is a great guy

C’mon, it’s just obvious!

We either do not notice or do not seem to care that Councilmember(x) moved here in 2015. So he doesn’t know that the new idea was actually tried and rejected in 2008. And neither do you. We also don’t notice that the obvious idea has no valid research behind it. Data? Yeah, we’ll vote now and work out the details later.

In fact, most people probably don’t care. When people think an idea is neato, facts, schmacts. And if your friend on the City Council seems legit? That’s all I need to know, JC. Hoo boy.

My contention all along has been that Des Moines outgrew that mentality a long time ago. We’re dealing with real money, a lot of people and a very complex corporation for such a small footprint. The public should demand a high degree of transparency and public outreach–not for some abstract reason like ‘democracy’, but because it prevents mistakes.

In engineering, you want as many eyes on a project as possible. The more people looking, the more mistakes you find and the better the final product.

I want that culture in Des Moines government. And I think you should also. I want the public to be skeptical. I want my colleagues to be slightly nervous. I want us to not move forward without good evidence. And I want us to always be willing to change our minds. Because we might be right. But we might also be wrong.

As I said before. I’ve seen that over and over. And you probably have not.

Big Idea Number One: Cape Cod

There have been at least three vaguely serious attempts to ‘redevelop the downtown’ just since I’ve lived here. Here’s one I recall from around 2012. ish?

I’m operating from memory here so if anyone wants to call me a big fat liar, great. Please do. Just do a public records records request for the videos. I would love it. One of the main reasons I want to shore up the Des Moines Historical Society is to have a section that keeps City events updated for posterity.

Anyhoo, if I recall correctly, Mayor Sheckler was raised in New England. And he (or someone) got the notion that it would be a fine idea to re-theme the town in sort of a ‘Cape Cod’ motif. So the plan was to incentivise new construction to conform to that–with the plan to eventually retrofit the rest of Marine View Drive at some point. To get a sample of the dream, take a look at the Doghouse Restaurant. Or what used to be Madi’s. Imagine all of Marine View Drive like that.

Get it? Cape Cod? Nautical?

Your City Council and staff spent a certain amount of energy on that idea in order to make Des Moines a ‘destination’.

Are we triggered yet?

(Oh crap, I forgot the best part. There was the one meeting where letters to the Council were read aloud from people congratulating the City on such a fantastic marketing idea. If you’ve attended any meetings in recent years, you know that letters are never read aloud.) Here is an example of the level of rhetoric.

Also–and yes, I’m going off on a tangent here: Mayor Sheckler was also the big driver behind getting the ‘Hotel Artemis Project’ (now known as the Four Points Sheraton Hotel on Pacific Highway.) On the one hand, it’s another project that was sold as a ‘complete game changer’. On the other hand, we got some one-time money, it’s a useful space, looks OK and compared to a lot of Pac Highway? That ain’t nothing.

Big Idea Number Two: Moving SR3

There are simply not enough ways I will ever be able to say how tots adorbs I find seals, OK? But the hate mail I’ve gotten for raising very reasonable objections to the siting and grants? Oy, you would not believe.

But again, I was at the various meetings and the Beach Park presentation in 2019. And you were not. Originally SR3 was going to lease a property far away from the water. That was their choice. And that is because the seals are supposed to be kept vewy, vewy quiet (that’s my Elmer Fudd impression) and have no human contact. Thus the very inviting fencing you see now, which invites the public to… well, you know… stay away.

And yet, here are my colleagues describing the benefits to the City of the building’s re-siting to one of the busiest spots on the Marina Floor:

It’s great about our eco-tourism. This alone is going to bring tens of thousands of people into our town. They’re going to eat at our restaurants. They’re going to get educated about our community. It’s a complete win. And… we get to help some of our sea life in the Sound… and… uh… that’s very important as well.

I attended that meeting.  And apparently my objections to this sort of rhetoric make me the enemy of all our furry friends.

OK, now multiply that by about a hundred other examples of irrational exuberance since I’ve lived here.

That is why I get a little cranky sometimes.

OK, but there’s gotta be a nicer way…

Sure. In all these ideas lots and lots of people said they were really upset.

Vewy, vewy quiet.

I have never seen that approach stop a single bad idea from moving ahead.

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*C’mon. You really thought I do this kinda thing?

†Dear Editor,

For many years now Des Moines has been “My Cape Cod” and every day it seemed farther away until just recently. Our city council has finally seen the resemblance and need for something to ignite a tourist attraction in the form of a “Cape Cod on the Sound” theme. I am all for this concept having shed (S-H-E-D) my last diaper on the cape in Sagamore and finishing the first grade in Onset School. It is with great pleasure that I send my congratulations to all on the council who voted in favor of this proposition but particularly to the new leadership which we are enjoying in Dave Kaplan, our new mayor. He was quick to identify a long awaited action and brought this issue to conclusion with favorable results.

*Dennis Lathrop has finally seen the potential of tourism at a sister city to a Cape Cod entity, identifier. This insight may propel our city into greatness unexpected. Thank you Mr. Lathrop! Not for the talk, but for your action and dedication.

Dave Kaplan has seen and is acting on the need for new direction, dynamic, leadership and change of application of our building codes. His words, “Having guidelines makes sense this discussion has been in committee for the last couple of years” summarizes the new leadership style we have sought.

Tony Piasecki has also backed up the softening up of our building codes with the notice of words like “you should” in lieu of “required”. Under his management there will be no diminishing of public safety or common sense.

Matt Pina was really on top of this scenario and, as a New Englander myself noted that Cape Cod is anywhere along the New England Coastline. He missed Buzzards Bay, Wareham, Sandwich and; up in Maine, Belfast Harbor.

It was interesting to read Bob Sheckler’s comment, and he spoke from my heart with, “Cape Cod is a relative term and most people identify with it as a welcoming style”, because it was this resemblance to where I grew up that instigated our relocation to Des Moines.

Finally, I did enjoy Mellissa Musser who said it all and in few words, “We’re not going to be another Leavenworth; it is a concept identifier, not instructions”. She is so right here! Cape Cod cannot be duplicated any more than Bavaria can be here in the USA but it can be what attracts interest from people “away”*.

Now, I would invite you all to go to Wally’s on Marine View Drive in Des Moines and “feel” Cape Cod. Then, say something nice to and about our council for a change. Also ask, “What can we do to help?” *”Away” in New England refers to anyplace away from those six states.

– Pat Nardo

 

*Actually, I think Mr. Nardo is referring to Senior Planner Ms. Denise Lathrop