City Council `retreat' sets surreal stage.Byline: Dianne Williamson COLUMN: DIANNE WILLIAMSON So the Worcester City Council is going on a retreat to join hands, discuss goals and channel their inner political backbone. Oh Lord, kumbaya, indeed. Amid the tranquility of Tower Hill Botanic Garden The Tower Hill Botanic Garden, in Boylston, Massachusetts, USA, is a 132 acre (534,000 m²) botanical garden with spectacular views of Mount Wachusett and the Wachusett Reservoir. in Boylston, the collective body we love to hate will engage in a four-hour love fest and likely provide some needed manure for the plants at Tower Hill. The March 7 retreat was organized by Mayor Konstantina Lukes Konstantina B. Lukes, known as Konnie Lukes, is currently serving as the Mayor of Worcester, Massachusetts. Childhood and Education The daughter of Albanian immigrants, Konstantina (Bequary) was born and raised in Waterbury, Connecticut. and will be run by Jeff Nutting, president of the Massachusetts Municipal Association. It's subsidized sub·si·dize tr.v. sub·si·dized, sub·si·diz·ing, sub·si·diz·es 1. To assist or support with a subsidy. 2. To secure the assistance of by granting a subsidy. by private donations. A quorum A majority of an entire body; e.g., a quorum of a legislative assembly. A quorum is the minimum number of people who must be present to pass a law, make a judgment, or conduct business. of the City Council requires that the public be invited, which always puts a crimp crimp a regular wave formation of small dimensions, e.g. the crimp of wool fibers epitomized in the Merino breed and its derivatives. crimp marks marks made by wrinkling the x-ray film while holding it between the fingers. in the proceedings and poses the question: Who in their right mind wants to follow these people to Boylston on a Saturday morning? I realize we're in a recession, but are we really that starved for entertainment? And if they're thinking retreat, can surrender be far behind? Granted, I'd like to be there when Mr. Nutting urges everyone to be more giving, and Rick Rushton admits that he wants to give Mayor Lukes a pet chimpanzee chimpanzee, an ape, genus Pan, of the equatorial forests of central and W Africa. The common chimpanzee, Pan troglodytes, lives N of the Congo River. Full-grown animals of this species are up to 5 ft (1. . And I'd love to listen in when councilors offer ideas to reduce the deficit, and Michael Germain suggests a tax levy on college students based on their projected gross income after graduation. I actually think the retreat is a fine idea, but have little hope it will accomplish anything substantive, given that dissention has cropped up already and it hasn't even been held yet. You may find this hard to believe, but Mr. Rushton isn't thrilled with the mayor's plan. He said the retreat should be held in the city, where the hordes Hordes may refer to:
Yesterday, I asked the mayor about Mr. Rushton's objections. "I think it's about time It's About Time may refer to:
Of his complaint that the retreat is being held outside the city, she said, "I thought regionalization regionalization Managed care The subdivision of a broadly available service–eg, a blood bank, into quasi-autonomous regional centers, capable of making decisions and providing more cost-effective and/or faster service to hospitals and health care facilities, was one of the goals for our future problem-solving issues. Rick Rushton seems to be proposing regionalization, while at the same time saying we shouldn't leave the city." Mr. Rushton, in response, said he doesn't make personal attacks. "Having the city reach its potential is way more important than me ever being the mayor," he said. He also called himself "issues-driven" and he's right, if by "issues-driven" he means "driven to take issue" with Mayor Lukes. Other councilors seem more open to the idea of a retreat. "If the mayor wants the meeting, I plan to be there," said Councilor coun·cil·or also coun·cil·lor n. A member of a council, as one convened to advise a governor. See Usage Note at council. coun Bill Eddy. "Any time this group talks about strategies for moving forward rather than making silly noise, I'm all for it." And while the agenda for the retreat hasn't been released, I managed to obtain a copy of some workshop topics: "Streetlights and Potholes: A Spiritual Retrospective. How To Stop Running for Mayor and Smell the Flowers. Opening Our Hearts to Street Vendors. Letting Go of Futility: Saying Goodbye to PILOT. The Passion and Power of Televised Grandstanding; Boxing Ourselves into a Corner - How to Say No to Age Exemptions. Learning to Love the Asian longhorned beetle Noun 1. Asian longhorned beetle - a beetle from China that has been found in the United States and is a threat to hardwood trees; lives inside the tree; no natural predators in the United States Anoplophora glabripennis . Forgiveness is Golden: Hiring Joe Duggan to Build City Square. Dealing with the Deficit by Renouncing Material Possessions; and If Charter Isn't There to Broadcast Our Meetings, Do We Make a Sound?" Personally, I think we should all stay home and let the council have at it in private. Things can't get any worse. For example, when I asked Mayor Lukes if she thought Rick Ruston would run for mayor again, she said, "Again? I never thought he stopped." Poor Jeff Nutting. The guy has no idea what he's in for. Contact Dianne Williamson by e-mail at dwilliamson@telegram.com |
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