By Ashley Toland Editor

The council approved the mayor’s $242 million budget Tuesday, Sept. 25 with a vote of 5-2, despite grumblings over there not being money budgeted for capital improvements in each district, as well as concern too much money was being handed out to various social, arts and civic agencies and the Wave Transit System.

Council members John Williams and Connie Hudson voted against it.

This meeting is typically the Super Bowl of council meetings, complete with an abundance of commentary, large crowds, half-time shows (AKA Power Point presentations), exceptional refereeing (Thanks Reggie!) and wardrobe malfunctions (have you seen some of their ties?).

And this year was pretty much the same. Thankfully there were no visual aids, but they all sang the same old song and danced the same old dance they do every year.

So without further adieu, here’s your 2008 Council Super Bowl Recap:

The Wave of Mutilation

This year Fred “Showboat” Richardson was particularly passionate about the proposed cuts to the Wave Transit system. Some of the council members were not going to vote to fully fund the system, unless the county and Prichard agreed to subsidize it, since they are both currently being served.

Showboat said they weren’t supposed to make money on it and likened it to other services, like garbage pick-up. Then he absurdly accused the council of trying to steal from the poor. Come on, Showboat!

“I say it then and I say it now. It’s a service. We provide garbage and trash service. We spend $10 million a year, and you don’t pay a thing because it’s a service.

“Our libraries – we keep them open. Our museums – we keep them open. It’s a service. We ain’t supposed to make any money off them. But what we do know is that our transportation system serves the least among us – the poorest who cannot afford a car, those who cannot drive, those who are just trying to get the doctor’s office; trying to get to the grocery store, that is who we serve. So to me any city who abandons its transportation system is abandoning a large share of its own citizens.”

Then he told the large crowd of “the least among us” who had shown up to protest the cuts that the council had essentially taken their federal transit money and used it to build the fancy GM&O hub, convention center, cruise terminal and maritime museum for all the rich folks and now they didn’t want to fund the bus system for the poor folks.

William Carroll fired back after Showboat’s performance, “now that the smokestack is over,” he said he just wanted Prichard and the county to pay their fair share and since the mayor had written them both and told them their routes would be cut if they didn’t chip in by October 2008, he was satisfied and said he would vote to fund it.

But word on the skreet is that Prichard doesn’t have any money to do this, and Commissioner Steve Nodine said (while riding a golf cart at BayFest), “We’re not going to do that.”

So enjoy the trips to TiCo and NoMo while you can.

You better recognize

The council reluctantly voted to fund various civic, social and arts organizations to the tune of $3.5 million dollars, despite abstentions from Connie Hudson and John Williams, who said they just couldn’t vote for projects like these when they had no money for capital improvements in their districts.

These agencies include Penelope House, Boy and Girl Scouts, Junior Miss, Festival of Flowers, Sickle Cell Association, Joe Jefferson, and on and on and on.

“While we all know these agencies have provided vital services, the monies were intended as an incubator; they were never intended as a sustainer and that’s what we have wound up doing,” Councilwoman Gina Gregory said.

She as well as other councilors expressed it would be too damaging to cut their budgets this year, but they all stressed to the various representatives present that they better start looking for other sources of funding.

Look for all kinds of charity auctions, galas and crawfish boils next year.

Capital Project Blues

After the debate on this everyone went on to sing the blues about the capital needs in their districts.

I have tried to sum up what they said in a few sentences:

District One/Fred Richardson: I got ditches, bitches!

District Two/ William Carroll: I’ve got miles and miles of sidewalks that need repair. And Land Bank. Did I mention the Land Bank? Land Bank. Land Bank.

District Three/ Clinton Johnson: “I’m not going to cry you a river because none of you are wearing swimsuits but…” Then he went into a typical CJ “-tion” rant about how the human infrastructure was more important than they physical infrastructure. It sounded something like this:

We have to have a rational perspective as it pertains to the human infrastructure deterioration and degradation which will lead to the exacerbation of neighborhood disintegration as it pertains to the delineation of the regulation and administration of funds.

Okey dokey, CJ. Sounds good.

District Four/ John Williams: What Connie said.

District Five/Reggie Copeland: “We don’t want to hear my sad story in District Five, I’ve got one major project I’m interested in, and that’s Hillwood, and we’re going to work it out. Next Item!” I love you, Reggie!

District Six – “A Few of My Favorite (Capital Improvement) Things” – A Von Trapp family look at Councilmember Connie Hudson’s need

I’ve got Traffic Signals on Lamplighter and Whiskers on Kittens

Neighborhoods with needs and Warm Woolen Mittens.

None of these will be addressed and I am upset.

These are a few of My Favorite (Capital Improvement Project) Things

When the mayor barks, when Freddy D stings, when I’m feeling sad

I simply remember my favorite (capital improvement project) things

And then I still feel sooooo baaaaad.

District Seven/ Gina Gregory: I got park problems. And hello have you seen the “streets” in Mobile Terrace?

One final note: For some reason, several of the councilors have taken to calling ThyssenKrupp, ThyssenKrump, which sounds like some sort of German Eddie Murphy movie. Stop it!

Ashley Toland is Lagniappe editor. Contact her at ashleytoland@lagniappemobile.com.

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