City Council bows (again) to Mayor

Why does the Woodstock City Council continually bow to the strong will of Mayor Sager? How many times have members of the Council, who are elected to represent the People of Woodstock, said they oppose something and then quickly followed with a vote in favor?

Last night was no exception! Only worse.

Item D-2 "Grace Hall" was on the Agenda. As prepared by the City Manager's office, the order of matters on the Agenda was:

1.) Consideration of the Historic Preservation Commission recommendation for landmark status.
2.) A motion allowing WCLS to redevelop the South Phase as depicted in Ordinance 08-O-62.

And so what happened? Immediately, the mayor said he wanted to table the landmark issue. And he got his way.

So much for the Historic Preservation Commission. Will this Commission be able to keep any of its members? Probably not. According to Minutes of the October 7, 2008, City Council meeting, "M. Turner said he does not like the Historic Preservation Commission feeling as those they are unappreciated."

Well, HPC, you are unappreciated (by the Council). They could show their "appreciation" by 1.) not having stalled on a landmark status vote for six months; and 2) by recognizing that 15 of 17 requirements for landmark status are met by Grace Hall. It's a no-brainer to landmark that building.

Only that would create a "problem" for WCLS, which then would encounter more obstacles to tearing it down. That problem was neatly disposed of by the Mayor last night. And the Council fell for it. Why do they let him get away with stuff like that?

All they have to do is vote against him. It starts with not making the motion he is asking for. Just don't do it. When he asks for a motion and you don't want it, don't respond. Let it die right on the spot. But, instead, after a "pregnant pause", a member of the Council makes the motion, it gets a second, the public is not allowed to comment.... and 7-0, again!

And, later, after the mayor interrupted me and would not permit me to comment on the landmark issue, the landmark issue was addressed by several speakers. Did the mayor silence them? Hmmmm.... "OK, so don't take it personally, Gus." All right, I won't.

And, at the end of two hours, when it was clear that the Council was going to vote down the WCLS request to demolish Grace Hall, what did the mayor do? Well, if he were a pitcher at the new ballfield planned for Woodstock (oh, by the way, where .... well, I won't go there right now), he served up a home-run ball. Just lob it over the plate where they can't miss it.

I have never been at a City Council meeting, in any town, where the mayor headed off a clear "No" vote by handing one side a "right", as he called it. It was up to WCLS and Mark Gummerson to claim its "right" (if, indeed, it even was a "right"), but the mayor made sure they stepped up to the plate and got the bat off their shoulders.

To have the matter postponed is not a "right". Certainly, WCLS could have asked for the Council to delay its vote, and then the Council would have decided whether to do so. "Semantics," you say? Well, that came up earlier when Councilman Ahrens said that WCLS had not "consulted with the Lemanskis ... to work out a compromise to the demolition of Grace Hall." (Ord. 08-O-62, C.). Ahrens said there was no compromise, the goal being compromise. Mayor Sager said WCLS had "consulted", the goal being consulting. Ahrens was right, but the Mayor prevailed. When you consult without having a obligation to create a result, nothing happens - the exact case here.

WCLS had not met one of only two conditions placed on it on October 7, and that meant it didn't matter whether the Lemanskis had met any condition.

By the way, the redrafting and expansion of Ordinance 08-O-62 by Attorney Rich Flood and signed by Mayor Sager - without further review and approval by the City Council - placed impossible-to-meet conditions on the Lemanskis personally. Their failure was guaranteed by the drafting of the ordinance.

All I could say, as soon as the meeting was over, was "Baaaa-aaaa-aaaaa."