The other day, Republican Party Chairman Art Mocabee lambasted Democratic mayoral candidate Art Ward for a number of things that I think most of the readers here are familiar with.
But one point may be fuzzy.
Mocabee's attack included this paragraph: "In addition to your failure to negotiate the City’s business in the open, why don’t you step up to the plate and explain why it was okay for you to participate in the 'scripted' meeting when the Blight Ordinance was adopted? Now you feel, by way of your supporter’s recent FOI complaint, that the process is flawed. Maybe the answer is that if it serves your needs it is okay, but when you don’t support another council member’s idea it is wrong. This is hardly the mark of a leader."
I'm not sure that issue has been made clear to everyone, including Mocabee.
It wasn't the blight ordinance, as Mocabee says, it was the new housing code in 2005.
City Councilor Ellen Zoppo provided a copy of that "script" back in June but it got left on the back burner because it was both older and duller than the downtown hearing last winter that's been the focus of attention.
But I am sure some of you would like to see the script so you can ascertain for yourselves whether Ward did anything wrong.
In the first comment below, you can read the entire text of the "Housing Code Talking Points" that Zoppo prepared for the Sept. 14, 2005 meeting that led to the implementation of a new housing code in Bristol.
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Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
12 comments:
HOUSING CODE DISCUSSION – September 14, 2005
Mayor Gerard Couture announces that the Housing Code agenda item will be moved up to the end of Public Participation in deference to the number of people in attendance.
Councilman Craig Minor makes the motion to move to Housing Agenda Item.
Councilman Tom Lavigne seconds the motion to move the item.
Mayor conducts vote.
Councilman Art Ward makes the motion to bring the proposed Housing Code & Property Maintenance Ordinance on the table.
Councilman Tony Savino seconds the motion to remove the item from the table.
Mayor conducts vote.
Mayor asks Zoppo-Sassu to update the Council on the status of the Ordinance Committee’s work.
Zoppo-Sassu gives brief overview of the current status of the proposal and what has occurred in the last month. The proposed Housing Code Ordinance has been the subject of many public workshop meetings held over a nine-month period. Once the work product of these meetings was finalized into a draft, it was read into the record at a special City Council meeting, it became the subject of public hearings. Notice and publication of the first public hearing bought out dozens of participants. In fact, there were so many comments that the hearing was continued for an additional month.
Ordinance Committee meeting of 9-6-05
Outlines the technical amendments currently proposed.
1. 12-37 paragraph A concerning clarification of language on outside doors, windows and screens.
2. 12-37 paragraph E concerning clarification of language screens needed only for those windows that open.
3. 12-52 deletes the reference to “a systematic plan of inspection…”
4. 12-56 clarifies language on responsibilities of property owners concerning displaced tenants
5. 12-56 clarifies language concerning discontinuance or restoration of services and utilities shall be the owner’s or tenant’s expense.
Zoppo-Sassu defers to Councilman Burns, a member of the Ordinance Committee who also serves as liaison to the Health District for comments.
Burns to reiterate points in his letter to the editor expressing dismay at the paid advertisements taken by GBPOA which resulted in many calls and e-mails received by Council which in turn demands that the issue be fully discussed so proper information can be relayed to the public.
Mayor announces that the Council will be given the opportunity to ask questions and/or request clarification from professional staff or members of the Ordinance Committee. He thanks Dr. Checko and Attorney Clift for their work with the Ordinance Committee. He asks Dr. Checko to briefly address the process that was undertaken to revise the current Housing Code.
Dr. Checko briefly outlines the history of the ordinance initiative.
Mayor asks Councilman Ward to begin with any questions or concerns that he has heard from constituents.
Mayor asks Councilman Savino to relay any questions or concerns that he has heard from constituents.
Mayor asks Councilman Lavigne to relay any questions or concerns that he has heard from constituents.
Mayor asks Councilman Burns to relay any questions or concerns that he has heard from constituents.
Mayor asks Councilman Minor to relay any questions or concerns that he has heard from constituents.
Mayor Couture states that one reason for the delay in August was to allow city staff to properly address the claims of potential discrimination that were brought to our attention before the meeting. Mayor Couture asks Attorney Clift to briefly summarize his legal opinion in case anyone had not seen the Bristol Press article on Monday.
Attorney Clift summarizes the legal opinion and the fact that HUD has tighter guidelines that what the Ordinance committee is proposing.
Mayor Couture asks Attorney Clift to elaborate as to the legal reasons why this Ordiance needs to be applied to all properties and not just some, for example, a question that has been posed is “why can’t owner-occupied dwellings be exempt?”
Attorney Clift responds to the mayor’s question.
Attorney Clift then presents the “laundry list” of technical changes proposed during the public hearing process so that the audience will see that the committee did
[Dale to enumerate]
Bulk Container definition modified to remove reference to “metal.”
Emergency defined
Addition of language to continue exemption from old housing code that grandfathers railroad apartments …
If there is no further discussion among the Council members, he calls for a vote of the main motion.
Following that vote, if it passes, Mayor Couture asks Zoppo-Sassu to read the technical amendments.
They are then voted upon individually.
Mayor Couture then asks for any additional amendments from the floor and calls upon the Council members to bring forward their motions if there are any.
This is great stuff, Steve. It's exactly the same type of thing Zoppo got hammered for in the primary. It just goes to show that Art Ward is a hypocrite. Zoppo should have released this before the primary to expose Ward's double standard.
And before any Ward apologists come out and say this is different because nobody was being excluded, that is total nonsense because Zoppo was getting blasted for "scripting" and not for excluding Ward from the script.
Sadly, Ken Johnson has been such a bad candidate that this won't make much difference.
By the way, I did post a copy of this housing code meeting "script" back on June 5th, but it was largely ignored by everyone at the time.
Zoppo shared this "script" with me at the time, as she did with the downtown "script" after I asked her about it. She was entirely forthcoming once I knew to ask.
Where do you see anyone being "excluded" from the process or that anyone is worried about "leaks" in this 2005 meeting?
Meeting preparation is not dictating the outcome of anissue.
GIve it up Mocabee - your desperate acts are making you and Johnson look pathetic.
yeah... that's the trouble. "Once you knew to ask." How the heck could you possibly know, unless someone involved discloses such things?
Wow, looks like Johnson is pulling out all the stops. Desperations perhaps?
I remember the night of the primary when Mr. Johnson came in, shook hands with Mr. Ward, looked him in the eye and promised to run a good clean fight. What happened since then Mr. Johnson? You started out so excited and full of ambition...and now you are stooping to the same lows, whipping the mud around, false accusations, innuendos, ya-da-ya-ya-da, as the previous opponent. I have to say that it's very disappointing. In the end, you may not have gotten my vote, but at least you had my respect.
seems like a distant memory now, doesn't it?
Steve;
Of course Zoppo would be forthcoming she has nothing to hide.
Why hasn't Ward admitted that he played a role in the Housing Code scripted meeting.
They call Johnson an actor? Ward should tell the truth it looks like he has something to hide.
Scripting, outlining, high-lighting isn't a problem - that could be viewed as proper, constructive preparation for a meeting - what was wrong was the "exclusion" of an elected member of the governing body and the inference that there was a reason to be concerned regarding the "leaking" aspect. Sure smelled of underhandedness to me.
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