Last Week, according to Lord T-Dex

Here's the first installment of The Dexters, see above post. Feel free to disagree and participate in the adjacent poll. The following are based on a poll of one. Me.

I'll try to do this once week.

Steve Karp: He probably could have scored a five but I'm trying to be tough in this first go around. Let's face it. He kicked butt on Thursday. Did he alleviate all concerns? Of course not, as several city councilors have stated clearly, the devil will be in the details. However, before Thursday meeting, Karp himself was seen as the devil. So this is a definite improvement. What could have he done to earn five Dexters? Hard to say. Some concrete plans would have been nice. A few heartfelt promises to alleviate concerns of traffic, parking and affordable housing would have been welcome. Or maybe he could have pulled an Oprah and given everyone in the audience a new car.

Nancy Colbert: The city's planning director shared the stage with Karp for most of the evening. She stood tall during the question and answer period giving the distinct aura that the city's point person on the development along the waterfront is up to the task.

John Moak: With the success of the meeting he helped orchestrate, our mayor would have been in line for four-and-a-half Dexters. However, he opted to fight an unnecessary fight for the city council's short but private meeting with Karp. We won't get into the details again. But his argument against posting the meeting didn't help his cause and left some wondering why it was so important to be "polite" to the city's largest landlord. Still, he deserves a great deal of credit for getting the meeting together.

Ed Cameron: Friend, neighbor and freshman councilor scored big points for being one of two councilors to boycott the private Karp meeting. He got a front page photo on the Daily News to boot.

Daily News: The News did its job well in publicizing the complaints of Councilors McCavitt and Cameron. It's easy to suggest those of us who were worried about the appearance of the private meeting were giving into paranoia, but I prefer the term vigilance. I don't think John Moak would admit it, but the News probably did Karp and the City a favor by opening up every aspect of Thursday's meeting. As for the coverage, I initially hoped for more articles leading up to the day but the one-day coverage was probably sufficient. And the video was a nice touch to next day coverage.

Buy Local Folks: Strange choice perhaps. First, I've disagreed with their proposed ordinance. Second, they didn't get up to ask their questions on Thursday. But I'm guessing the reason they didn't is Karp already addressed them in his comments. Since they started the "Buy Local" discussion by themselves they deserve recognition

Larry McCavitt" He gets a full Dexter or so for taking a stance against the private meeting, but the Ward 1 Councilor's campaign against Karp likely will take on some water after Thursday's meeting. I still hope he's vigilant in ensuring that Karp abides by Chapter 91 laws, but Karp's presentation could work to diminish the fears that McCavitt has stirred up. Bottomline, Karp's strong showing took a big stick out of McCavitt's hands. BUT, we haven't even seen a plan or started the process. There's plenty of time left for worrying.

Chuck and Ann Lagasse: They promised that Karp was a good guy who was listening. That's how he came off. So they deserve some kudos.

City Council: I recognize I'm coming at this from a biased position, but I would have enjoyed seeing a few more councilors say, "No Thanks," to the Karp meet-and-greet. This was one of the stranger open meeting arguments that I've ever seen. The only vocal opposition of the closed meeting came from two members of the board. Meanwhile, the board members themselves were never asked to defend the decision. They left those unpleasantries to the mayor.

Chamber of Commerce: I'm not entirely sure where this is coming from. I realize the Chamber didn't have any direct, public role in last week's proceeding but I guess that's the point. It seems like the voice of the business community could be a little louder in this discussion, be it addressing the issue of Karp's ownership or tackling the Buy Local or parking issues. I'm not sure what the chamber might say, but I wish it would say something.

Essex County District Attorney: I hate to take issue with the folks charged with prosecuting, but I still disagree with the interpretation of the open meeting law. I don't see how an elected body can be directed to attend a meeting in a closed setting without tripping the posting requirement. Perhaps I've walked interrupted too many "social discussions" between elected officials just before a scheduled open meeting.

Karp Critics:Not a good week for those looking to hate on Karp. I've been puzzled by some of the criticisms coming out of the meeting. Karp is trying to force an unsustainable hotel down our throats. Excuse me? I'd bet $10 that he wants nothing to do with a hotel, but the city is insisting on it. Furthermore, I know some folks weren't satisfied with how he answered questions about the lack of affordable housing or the changing character of Newburyport. But I'm not sure what else he was supposed to say. He says he'll work with the city on these issues, but we--through our elected officials--need to tell him what is expect of him. I thought his answers were spot on. The ball is in our court. For instance, Nancy Colbert says 10% of any housing developed along the water must be classified as affordable. That helps, but the public needs to continue to insist strongly that he meets those requirements and more. But, in short, last week wasn't a good one for believers in "secret plans" and nightmares of Nantucket North.