Logan City Council is Invited to play poker at my house.

First off, let me just say that this is not an unbiased report of the City Council Meeting, nor is it intended to be. It is just the insane ramblings of a single dude who lives in the Logan Ghetto. So read it and flame away.

The meeting started promptly at 6:38 pm with a thought by Council Woman Tami. She gave a thought about being open minded and not being stubborn and ignorant. I think she even said that quote was as much intended for her and the council as it was for the people in the audience. She then opened up the floor for comments. I was surprised at how quickly they jumped into the issue, I liked that.

Oh, I forgot, before the floor was open for comments, Tami asked, by a show of hands who supported, opposed or was indifferent to the issue. I would guess about 85% were AGAINST, 10% were for it, and the remaining 5% thought they were there to see Judge Cheryl. Did I mention the room was “packed?” Notice the quotation marks? That room is a bad place to conduct a meeting of this type. It didn’t seem full, they did bring in extra chairs, but Tami was adamant that the aisles remain clear and that people sit in the hall because of fire code.

Anyway a line forms at the mic. immediately. Tami told the audience, that the council would not entertain conversations with the speakers and would not tolerate cheering, booing, clapping, and laughing. What they did allow was snotty looks on their faces when someone said something they disagreed with. They allowed sneers at people who were so passionate about the issue they sounded audibly frustrated. They did give nods of approval to people they agreed with. Laraine has the worst poker face. She sat there like the effing Queen of England. She had this slimy smirk on her face the whole night. I felt she was rude, inconsiderate and the looks she gave people she didn’t agree with were condescending at best.

So the line forms people start talking. I think Tami expected more people to be in support of it because she instituted a “boy/girl” rule. You know like in jr. high you lined up boy…girl…boy. Well she wanted equal amounts of comments  for…against….for….against. Well that would have worked if the people there were split 50/50. They were not. I was furious that she wanted “equal representation.” Tami, if you wanted an honest representation of what the city thinks you should have allowed everyone to line up as they see fit. This council brought out the extremes from both sides. From the little old lady from PA who wants park strip parking banned to the lady who has been trying to sell her rental property for more than a year but no one will buy because of the parking, this was the chance to get a true representation of the city, you blew it. In the name of “fairness” the side favoring this resolution were disproportionately represented. I was livid and laughed in disgust.

I was rather surprised how calm the audience was. They laughed at jokes, were respectful of both sides and only once did someone laugh when it was not appropriate. At that point Tami pointed out that she and the council did not need to be there, and they could cancel this meeting at anytime. No one from the audience challenged anyone speaking about this resolution…again though, the same could not be said for the Council. Steve Taylor, a former councilman was making a point that the people directly impacted by a nuisance neighbor should be the only people aloud to turn in a violator of the law. He went on to state that Council Members should not be aloud to drive around random neighborhoods and call in complaints, to which Tami snapped “Do you really think that happens?” Mr. Taylor said, “I know it happens, Mr. Geyer told me it does.” Tami, who said she would not engage in a conversation with speakers backed down.

Now to things I appreciated. I liked that Councilman Olsen seemed to actually pay attention. I am assuming that will wear off after a few years like it has to the other council members who were there as a PR move so they could say they held “multiple public meetings,” Mr. Olsen got it, and if he was as annoyed as the rest of the council he is NOT aloud at my poker game, his poker face is an A+. He sympathised with both sides, sat at attention, appeared to be listening and showed emotions. Unlike Mayor Watts who looked as though us little people need to just stop trying to fight the government and learn our places. I could almost hear him thinking…”Who do you think you are coming in here and wasting our time, don’t you know that all the talking in the world isn’t changing this issue?” I have a strong dislike for him…although if he could just complete the handle-bar mustache I know I could put him on a movie set and he would be confused for a backwoods sheriff that has a big ego, bad temper and a bumbling sidekick.

I appreciate that the council took the time to allow public comment, even though they have their minds made up. I appreciate all the support that came out from both sides. I appreciated those that stood with well prepared statements, I appreciated people who have been involved from the start that may not have a “dog in the fight” but want to help make Logan the best it can be.

I did not appreciate Tami allowing her friend to cut in line to talk about why enforcing these laws was in Logan’s best interest. The rationale was “she was recently in the hospital.” GET IN LINE SISTER, there are no handicap parking spaces in the line to make a public comment, this isn’t Disneyland where those with disabilites get to move to the front of the line.

Overall there were some great points made on both sides….and here is the list.

- 7 years ago Logan RE-PAVED a parking strip for a homeowner after they did utility work.
- 3 years ago Logan donated their labor to pour an illegal parking pad if an owner bought the material.
- Logan City is not enforcing the laws on the books that would actually help the neighborhoods such as: Garbage cans left out indefinitely, proper snow removal, and parking to far on the sidewalk. If these were enforced it would help the neighborhoods look better.
- Citizens have proposed other projects to help beautify these neighborhoods, but have received little to no response.
- One man mentioned that a house bought for a little over 100k (I think) was converted BACK to a single resident dwelling and sold for more than 200k, so a profit can be made on these houses.

Overall nothing will change, the laws will be enforced, people will complain, people will lose money and sell houses. Property values will decline and the market will be flooded with starter homes in about 18 months is my estimation. In a handout Logan City made they took pictures of the houses that violate this ordinance it showed park strip violations, driveway violations and RV pad violations. My prediction is Logan will stick to their guns with park strips, it affects the poor people, but will back down on the RV pad enforcement. The people that have parking next to a garage and use it to park boats, RVs and cars are people that live on Cliffside, an area with the biggest voter turn out. The council will back down on those so they can seek re-election.

Tami, Laraine, the Mayor, and the bald guy with glasses can come play poker anytime. Oh and has anyone noticed how well Herm Olsen has aged, he looks good!

Peace