An open letter to all Vermont politicians

Dear everyone holding elected office in Vermont, now and in the future,

When you decide to have some sort of event that will involve speeches or remarks or whatever you want to call them, and when you actually want the people at said event, be they media or members of the general public, to be able to hear the speeches or remarks or whatever you want to call them, then, for the love of Mike, don't hold the event outdoors right next to a busy road!

First it was Gov. Shumlin signing the "rivers bill" next to Route 7. The only time the roar of passing trucks died down was during the physical signing part of the ceremony, when nobody was talking. Today it was Rep. Welch holding a press conference on a veterans' initiative outside Awesome Graphics.

So, please, can we not do this in the future?

Thanks,

Gordon

P.S. - Despite the din of passing cars, a story on the latter event, which showcased a business development program Welch intends to take national, will appear in tomorrow's Rutland Herald.

 

Choices, choices

Tomorrow's paper will carry a fairly lengthy, by our current standards, story on tonight's committee meeting regarding the future of the city water system.

The discussion at the meeting was sprawling, and while tomorrow's story will offer a reasonable summation of the key points, there were several areas of discussion that did not make the cut.

So, look to tomorrow's paper for the pros and cons of the two proposals before the city. Look to next week's column for information on how the decision-making process will proceed, the eagerness of the EPA to see a new system in place in Rutland and the sometimes heated diversion into just where the city should get its water from.

Bracing for a long meeting

Board President David Allaire said he anticipates tonight's meeting going two to three hours, so I may not be there to the end as I am pledged (PLEDGED! I say!) to get the result of any vote on the solar project into tomorrow's paper.

It seemed clear that Alderman Charles Romeo's concerns were spoken to at last week's committee meeting, and equally clear that Alderman Gary Donahue's were not. We'll see where everyone else falls.

At the intersection of two stories

After making her formal announcement as a candidate for state treasurer this morning, Wendy Wilton turned up at the Rotary Lunch attended by Gov. Peter Shumlin, himself coming from a bill signing.

Shumlin told Wilton he respects anyone who runs for statewide office.

"Our democracy is only as good as the people who run," he said to the room full of Rotarians. "We're happy to have you in."

Look for accounts of Wilton's announcement and Shumlin's visit in tomorrow's Rutland Herald.

Where the Irene Fund Went

Here is the final report of the committee overseeing Rutland's Tropical Storm Irene Relief Fund:

Download City of Rutland Tropical Storm Irene Relief Committee Final Report1

Look for more on how the committee made it's decision in the Monday print edition of Writing on the Hall.

Reporting on the report

Are you wondering where the city report is? I am, my editor is and Alderman Sean Sargeant is. Sargeant put the question to Mayor Louras Monday night.

"I wish I could give you an exact time frame," Louras replied. "Alls I can say is it's in final draft. ... I've been saying weeks for months now."

Louras has previously said the annual report has fallen victim to the amount of FEMA paperwork in front of him and that all the information that goes in the report is available from one place or another in City Hall.

Appointment rundown

As promised, here are the results of Monday's secret-ballot votes on the mayoral appointments.

In the "unanimously approved" column are Robert Barrett to the Rutland County Solid Waste District and as CAIR Committee Coordinator, Thomas Giffin to the Cemetery Commission and David Cooper to the RRA.

Police Commission appointees Luther Brown and Michelle Fairbrother were both unanimous with one abstention.

Getting 10 yes and one no were the appointments of Alvin Figiel to the planning commission and Jerry Kreitzer to the RRA.

Karl Anderson's appointment to the Rutland Housing Authority was approved 9-2.

Notes from a long night

Tonight's meeting produced enough material for about a gajillion blog posts, so I may actually manage a post a day this week. Here's a few bits to start you out:

• The board approved the remaining mayoral appointments, mostly unanimously. I'll post details tomorrow.
• The solar project is heading back to committee. Look for the full dish on that one in, probably, Wednesday's paper.
• The city and the union have a proposed agreement on the South Main Street pipe replacement, and it has been sent to committee.
• The Mendon Select Board wants to talk some more about the debris in Mendon Brook.
• Fines have been officially set for not paying the rooms, meals and entertainment tax while gym memberships have been officially exempted.

See you folks tomorrow.

Getting Googled

Whoever runs the unofficial @RutlandCity Twitter account appears to have spotted the Google Street View car driving around Rutland.

Certain portions of Rutland were already available on Google Street View, but still not on my street, as of just now. I'll have to check back tomorrow.

Since the newsroom was stumped, can anybody say where in the city this is?

Thought for a sunny Monday

As I crossed from the third floor of the parking garage to the stairwell a few minutes ago, I stopped, took in the view, and added "more places where you can view the city from higher up" to my list of things we need in Rutland.

We've heard it all before -- squat and unlovely, the only ugly city in Vermont. Maybe it's the "culture of mediocrity" Jim Sabatasso recently wrote about, but, sometimes, when I walk around downtown looking at a collection of buildings from one of our country's less inspired architectural periods, I can't help but feeling like it's a fair cop.

Then, there are moments like I had today, when I get up a couple stories and see rooftops, church spires and mountainsides. I had to pause for a minute and take it in, and I got back to ground level feeling a little better about the world.

Maybe if we all saw Rutland from that view a little more often, we'd all feel a little better.

...and maybe tonight's Board of Aldermen meeting will restore me to a proper level of grumpy cynicism. Check back here tonight for highlights.