A Seismic Shift

I felt a great disturbance in the Force...as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced. I fear something terrible has happened.
-Obi Wan

Funny, I didn't know why until this morning but I had a similar feeling on Wednesday night, except the millions were more like dozens of open waterfront supporters clinging to the Old Hope that erecting an open park on the NRA's waterfront lots is fait accompli.

I've only lived in the city for five years (and worked in it four more back in the 90s) but that's long enough to know that only fools pretend to know what's going to happen on those lots.

But Wednesday night's NRA meeting introduced a seismic shift in the city's political fault lines. The Daily News report on the meeting centered on the NRA's attempt to link with MassDevelopment in a bid to move the project forward.

For me, however, the real news could be found at the bottom of the article.

Mayor Donna Holaday, attending as an observer, said that the days are over when residents of the city are opposed to any kind of development on the waterfront.

"This is a different community than it was 10 years ago; residents and boards in the city are ready to work together," Holaday said.

"Many people were initially against paid parking, but we worked together, and now, we have a system that is in operation."

That's a remarkable statement coming from the one-time candidate who'd been declared the champion of open waterfront types. In fact, Holaday's waterfront stance was really the primary political difference between herself and her opponent, James Shanely, who favors some development.

Days after the election, Holaday openly declared that she'd fight for the open waterfront, which was something she felt the people wanted.

Something changed between then and now. Perhaps as mayor she's getting a sense of the broader electorate and seeing the softness of the open waterfront support. Or maybe it's just pragmatism. She's done an excellent job taking very reasonable steps to broaden the city's revenue base. She may just see that development on the waterfront lot as a means to that same end.

Whatever the reason, I applaud her. She's running unopposed but she'll get my vote in November.

So is this how it happens?

One or the principal complaints coming out of Nantucket about Steve Karp's ownership is the systematic elimination of restaurants that serve locals. In the eyes of critics, Karp's Nantucket caters more to visitors and tourists with high-end restaurants rather than businesses serving locals.

This complaint came to mind this morning when I read the Daily News this morning. Apparently, Newburyport Development is soliciting offers for the space currently occupied by the Fowle's newstand and restaurant.

In my eyes its be a shame to lose either place as its one of my favorite places to take friends visiting Newburyport for lunch. The interior is dark, but comfortable and uniquely Newburyport.

But Karp's gotta do what Karp's gotta do. In these difficult times resources must be maximized. Ann Lagasse is quoted in the article saying the current rent isn't an issue, but I do believe Newburyport Development takes a piece of the business as well so maybe they're looking for something that brings in more cash.

Or perhaps Newburyport Development wants to diversify its restaurant holdings by grabbing a signature spot on State Street, Newburyport's Restaurant Row.

Or this is just a regular part of the property management biz that previously went unnoticed because we didn't see these things on the Internet.

In any case, this place is always interesting.

Speaking of interesting, Karp was quoted in the Boston Herald saying the demand for luxury condos is down. He and other developers are opting to build apartments instead.

Not sure how that would impact Newburyport. On the same day, the Nantucket Inquirer and Mirror reported that Karp's New England Development would expand its White Elephant Hotel residences, which clearly cater more to tourists than residences.
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I think Newburyport's market is more closely aligned with Boston than Nantucket but I don't know what this means for Karp's waterfront plans here.

Interesting Package

Today's Daily News boasts two or three stories addressing the important issue of quality and cleanliness of the Merrimack River, including an account from Hooksett, NH, the source of those annoying little plastic discs littering our shorelines.

I'm not sure if the articles were supposed to be seen as a package or not. If not they should have been. In either case, I enjoyed seeing the Daily News delve a little more deeply into a topic once again.

Atticus is Back in Town

Just a reminder that Tom Ryan and Atticus will be at Jabberwocky tonight for the local book launch. Reading starts at 7 pm.

For my interview with Tom just run a "Tom Ryan" search in the search field above.

I look forward to reading "Following Atticus."

If you're gonna buy it, buy local.

Street Light Discussion

The City Council will hold a special meeting tomorrow to discuss the proposal that the city acquire all of our telephone polls and street lights.

George Woodbury, the consultant hired to analyze the idea, has delivered a report to the mayor and the council that suggests the city could save between $57,000 to $87,000 per year, over the next three years if we were to acquire the lights. (I just pulled those figures from the summary. No time to parse them yet.)

The idea definitely is gaining some traction among city officials.

The meeting starts at 7 pm tomorrow in the auditorium.

If anyone wants to see the report shoot me an email and I'll try to accomodate. It's likely available in the city clerk's office as it's dated 7/30/2011.

Add: Far as I can tell no mention of shutting of street lights in the report.

Just Walk Away

I've got a great deal of admiration for the folks organizing the anti-IBEW rally mentioned in today's Daily News. I loved the signs. I have one on my yard, and the random sign-holders are nice. I toot the horn. I wave.

But  I just can't stop thinking this anti-IBEW rally is ill-conceived.

They've failed. They have zero credibility here and an equal amount of support. The post card was nice, but they could hold an ice cream social downtown and most folks would still hate them.

The softening of the campaign makes sense, but again, too little way too late. Perhaps if IBEW had opened with an actual labor message instead of disparaging comments about the quality of OUR hospital or its doctors (OUR neighbors in some cases) they might have had a shot. They could have appealed to our somewhat liberal nature and earned an audience, at least.

But they didn't. They went ugly, and they got ugly.

Let's face it. We love our hospital. My youngest was born there.The AJ cared for my older son when he broke his ankle. I take great comfort knowing I have a quality hospital just up the street from my house.

So IBEW faced a pretty steep climb even before they dug themselves in a hole. Even my kid asks why can't they just move on. (He was turned off big-time by the giant rat, way to wins hearts and minds IBEW.) They're clearly flailing about, looking for something to latch onto. I can't see these guys sticking around past the first snow fall if they continue to be ignored.

However, if we turn this into a pissing match they may have no choice except sticking around lest they seen as being chased out of town by a bunch of locals.

Maybe I'm wrong.  I do respect people who stand up against bullies. It's an important lesson to teach.

But so is walking away from a pointless fight.

Happy Anniversary!

Well, I published my first post four years ago today. Thanks to you all for being part of this.

Field of Honor

I haven't watched many 9/11 retrospectives show nor have I read much in the papers. I know and remember what happened 10 years ago.

But few things leave me feeling as I did that day as the Newburyport Field of Honor on the Mall.

I drove a bit ago just before sunrise. A series of spotlights partly illuminate the multiple rows of American flags. The combination of shadows, morning sky and steady breeze had me seeing quick images of people in the field of flags.

No one was there, but I'm sure someone was.

So well done.

The below photo was taken last year.

Taking a Ding for the Team

My first ticket. I parked for more than two hours on the east side of Green Street. T'was a fair call.

And you know what, I paid the fine and now park legally on Prince Place. I'm now motivated to keep the streets clear for short-term parkers.

Keep the Connector

I'm a bit late with this, but I suspect the City Council will be discussing the proposal to connect Moseley Woods and Maudslay at Monday's meeting.

Some background. At the last council meeting, the body approved a request from the city's planning department to use $45,000 in CPA funds to analyze and possibly design a trail connecting our two cherished woods.

The trail would run under the new Route 95 bridge and presumably would be connected somehow to the walkway/bikeway running above over the Merrimack River.

I thought this was a fantastic idea the moment I read it in the Daily News a few weeks back.

As it turned out, my wife and I hiked under the bridge a month or so ago during a walk in Moseley. We had designs on climbing the other side when we realized we wouldn’t be able to get back over easily, so we abandoned the effort and stayed on the eastern side of the highway.

So I can see how the project would make sense. A riverfront trail connecting the two parks would be a fantastic addition to our city’s trails, and the connection to Route 95 would be truly unique (once the new Whittier Bridge was built.) This would be yet another feature to enable our community to stand out.

I was surprised to see the idea met with some opposition in the city council. Councilors Tom Jones and Brian Derrivan raised the principal concerns. (They would ultimately be joined by Steve Hutcheson and Tom O’Brien in voting against the grant.)

Jones’ opened up questioning whether the money might be better spent building out the South End rail trail, and it was a good point. But the city’s planning head Andrew Port said the South End trail is important, but its pieces are largely in place, enabling the city to act on its own timeline.

The opportunity to consider building a trail connecting Moseley and Maudslay is tied to the plans to replace the Whittier Bridge. If the city wants to do it, it’s got to decide now or else a chance might be lost.

Point. Counterpoint.

Then the arguments against began centering on public safety. In short, councilors are concerned that creating a public space so far removed from … well .. everything will invite less than virtuous people to gather and do less than virtuous things.

It was actually an interesting discussion, one worth watching. Go over to Ed Cameron’s blog. He sets the whole thing up nicely.

So where are we? The council approved the request, but now it may reconsider the vote as two councilors who voted yes – Kathleen O’Connor Ives and Bob Cronin - asked that the item be brought back for another vote. During the meeting. Ives at least twice asked why the proposal couldn’t be referred to committee when questions came up about what abutting entities (the Moseley trustees and the water department) were consulted about the idea. I’m not sure what Cronin’s concerns are but I’d guess they’re in line with Jones and Derrivan’s.

Ed Cameron is openly soliciting feedback from voters, so here’s mine.

We’ve got an opportunity to add a truly unique walking and biking experience to our very walkable city (as the Masked Preservationist has noted in recent spot-on posts.) A trail connecting two parks with a bridge spanning the Merrimack would be a great addition, even greater if it ultimately connected with more trails on the other side of the river.

Is public safety a concern? Sure, a little bit. But it’s a concern everywhere and at all time. If we let such matters dictate what we do and don’t do we’d never try anything. We’d never have a rail trail. Hell, we’d never even have the MBTA station. (I recall critics wondering if the extension of the commuter rail would bring Big City crime to Newburyport.)

These concerns aren’t as far-fetched (although I thought Jones was reaching by invoking the scary – yet very singular – axe attack in Salisbury) but they’re not big enough to derail a worthwhile project like this one.

I'll be interested in hearing what the abutting parties have to say, but if no legitimate roadblocks are erected I hope the council acts on this out of hope and opportunity, not fear.

Will the School Project Be An Issue?

I'm still ramping up our campaign coverage here at the blog, but I did want to toss one quick question out there.  A few folks have identified the school building project as a huge issue in this fall's election, but I disagree.

Is there ANY candidate - and I'm referring to the only race in town, Councilor-at-Large - who is running a promise to vote AGAINST this project? I haven't head any yet, but it's still early in the season. I'd be surprised if anyone took that stance.

I agree this will be a tough campaign in the spring. I'm optimistic, and I think most people will be receptive to the idea, assuming nothing outlandish happens. But I know strange things happen once the curtain on the voting booth closes.

We should remember that the last debt exclusion question in 2008 nearly passed, and that was with very little campaigning by the proponents except for then Mayor John Moak. At the time, Moak blamed the state election laws for limiting the scope of the campaign.

I fault the state incredibly," Moak said, saying his hands were tied by campaign guidelines that prohibited him from sending out a mailer or letter to households explaining the question and detailing the proposal.
The city was also prohibited from including a summary with the question on the ballot, breaking down what a "yes" or "no" vote would mean.
"I can tell you that 60 people didn't know what this was about," Moak said last night, standing in the City Hall foyer. "Do you know how many people would have wanted a summary?"

I still don't understand what the issue was but I'm hopeful that if the school folks apply themselves they can get this done.

We need a new school.