(The latest in a series of posts on City government and parking)
“Stop, children, what’s that sound
Everybody look what’s going down”
Buffalo Springfield 1967
Back in the days when there still was a tower named Martin, several people — especially Diane Szabo Backus and Paige Van Wirt — raised some dust over City ABCs (Authorities, Boards, and Commissions) that meet in the afternoon, at a time when probably the greater number of residents work and thus are unable to attend.
Hizzoner the Mayor got the message and asked those earlybirds to move to later times — and to videotape their meetings.
Gadfly witnessed some harumphing from those ABCs.
Except the Redevelopment Authority. Good scouts there.
But “There’s something happening here . . . look what’s going down.”
The last Zoning Hearing Board meeting was livestreamed and is available on YouTube (not on a City archive yet).
The Planning Commission moved to 6pm Monday night.
And so did the Bethlehem Parking Authority for its meeting tonight.
The BPA meets tonight 6pm in their bunker on North St.
It didn’t take “A thousand people in the street / Singing songs and carrying signs.”
Just forceful voices like DSB and PVW.
Thank you, YerHonor.
Not perfect yet. The BPA hasn’t agreed to move out of the bunker to the Town Hall “People’s House” and will only do 6pm for “hot issue” meetings.
Sigh. We live in a fallen world.
What’s the hot issue tonight? Major legal stuff advancing the Polk Street Garage.
Paperwork stuff. Legal stuff. Ceremonial stuff.
No debating probably. But still hot stuff for the City.
We ought to reward BPA’s time flexibility by turning out in the dozens and swarming around the act of signing us in to $16.8m debt like pictures we see of such ceremonies in the Oval Office.
If we don’t turn out, they’ll say, “See, they’re ungrateful.”
Now Gadfly is being snarky (not a good SAT word).
But actually he has what he thinks is some good news about the Polker.
Hang around for another post or two.
Gadfly knows that the Buffalo Springfield song has absolutely no relation to anything at issue here, but it is a wonderfully haunting tune, isn’t it?
