At our last City Council Meeting there was a contentious discussion about providing public comment. But the problem of transparency and public engagement is actually far more profound and I am concerned that the discussion made it seem more trivial than it is. There is no obvious way for a member of the public to
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Categories Transparency
Public Comment At Committee Meetings
1 Comment on Public Comment At Committee MeetingsI think there is a misunderstanding about the whole ‘public comment’ vote near the end of last week’s Cit Council Meeting. There seems to be a perception that the issue is just one more personality conflict over some minor ‘procedural’ deal. It was not. This is a difference in philosophy so basic that we cannot
... continue reading.Categories Transparency
Two Times
We have this Council Rule #19, which no other City has, where a Councilmember is limited to speaking more than twice on any issue… and no more than four minutes. It was introduced at this meeting, right after CM Martinelli and I were elected in November 2019 (Start at about 1:53): I hope you watch
... continue reading.He led the Proud Boys in the Capitol riot and shamed his town
He led the Proud Boys in the Capitol riot and shamed his town Richard Read May 16, 2021 14 min read In this article: Ethan Nordean Leader of the “Proud Boys” neo-fascist and accused political terrorist Ethan Nordean, speaking into a bullhorn, leads the Proud Boys’ march on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. A
... continue reading.Des Moines Marina Master Plan Update Comments Questions Answers
Categories Marina
Some good questions regarding Marina Redevelopment
1 Comment on Some good questions regarding Marina RedevelopmentIf you’re 99% of Des Moines, you have no idea that the Marina Redevelopment is going on. Last month, the City asked for questions and comments from the public which I urge you to read. But I am pretty sure you weren’t aware of that because the only outreach was in the form of flyers
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Categories Airport, Economic Development, Engagement, Marina, Policy, Public Safety, Taxes, Transparency, Transportation
The Minority Report (Part 2 of 2: Policy)
This is the second half of our response to the April 15th State Of The City presentation. Part 1 discussed our objections to the way it was carried out. Here we’ll talk about some specific policy differences. For those of you short on time, you can follow along with this presentation packet. As noted last
... continue reading.The Minority Report (Part 1 of 2: Politics)
1 Comment on The Minority Report (Part 1 of 2: Politics)To the residents of the City Of Des Moines and to our colleagues on the City Council, This letter is what would be called in State, Federal government, the Minority Report–the response from the party not in power to the April 15th State Of The City presentation. A minority report has become customary with the
... continue reading.Defense
I’ve used the word ‘defensive’ a bit lately with regard to the administration and my colleagues. This started about the time Meg Tapucol-Provo published her resignation letter from the Police Diversity Committee. What I’ve tried to explain is that her experience on that committee was not isolated. She was simply reflecting on what is the
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