Pueblog USa
Thursday, July 10, 2008
In Praise of Small Cities I
Sometimes smaller is better.
Those of you who check in with The Drudge Report may have seen this article a couple of days ago about Guerrilla Gardeners. You may have wondered if the flower bed on Abriendo Avenue at the intersection with Tyler and Gale a block south of Lincoln was a guerrilla gardening effort.
I am proud to announce that that garden plot is fully sanctioned by the City of Pueblo. All the group, Flower Fad Garden Club, needed was insurance and a willingness to put out cones and wear City provided orange vests while working. Our (becoming) fair(er) City did not have a problem granting the group permission to garden there. Unlike bigger cities cited in the article (Los Angeles and London), it was possible to find out who to go to for permission. Flower Fad, therefore, is not flying under the radar, and not having to do its work in the middle of the night, risking intervention from the police. While the police have stopped by, it was to verify that a broken elbow joint in the water system was not the result of vandalism.
So, kudos to the City for giving the group permission, and kudos to Flower Fad for doing the work, which the City could no longer afford to do under the constraints of TABOR.
Return of the Public Forums at Televised City Council Meetings — 1
A Petition Drive
Chris Nicoll has received permission from the City Clerk’s office to collect signatures on a citizens’ initiative change to the Pueblo City Ordinances to require City Council to have televised Public Forums during regular sessions.
As you remember, up until September of last year, such Public Forums allowed citizens to address their concerns, grievances and suggestions to the members of the City Council. These were televised for everyone who cared to watch to see. However, the City Council, arbitrarily discontinued this practice; without the benefit of public comment on said change.
In many peoples’ opinion, their decision was reprehensible. Therefore, some citizens got together, drafted a proposed change to the City Ordinances, had it reviewed and are now gathering signatures to get a proposed change before the electorate as part of the November 2008 General Election.
It is important to get 1400 signatures of bona fide registered voters who live within the Pueblo city limits by 31 July, so they can be turned into the City Clerk’s office on 1 August.
Petition forms are available from .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), he needs to keep a register of who has each set of petition forms for accountability purposes. You can download the instructions HERE
.
Additionally, I’m interested in forming a team of people to cover the northside Sam’s Club and WalMart stores. If you’ve got two hours to spare for this, please contact me so that we can coordinate our activities. Just click on my name in the box below.