Wednesday, May 20, 2009
40 Jealous Whores / Hannan / Politics Convention Center: Council Squabbles Over Vandy Debate
Posted by Caleb Hannan on Wed, May 20, 2009 at 12:10 PM
Why are these meetings being held on a private campus like Vanderbilt? Why is the media sponsoring this event and in what way? Are Council-at-Large members spear-heading this event? Who requested the forum and what was is the real purpose is as it bypasses the Committee system and thereby undermines the process?OK. So Forkum's stance seems plausible. He's the chair of Budget & Finance. And the debate hopscotches his committee in the council food chain. But that's not why he has a problem. In the e-mail preface, Forkum admits these questions aren't his own. They come from some unnamed source, names which Forkum conveniently couldn't remember when reached by Pith. So here's a radical theory: Forkum is just carrying water for someone. Raising hackles about a debate that many people, the Mayor's office preeminent among them, would prefer not take place. No councilmembers would go on the record in support of this claim. But after the jump, you can find a nice little smackdown e-mail from debate sponsor Megan Barry... Dear Council members - Councilmember Forkum sent out an e-mail that posed questions about the upcoming public forum on the proposed convention center scheduled for May 31 and I wanted to take a moment to respond. The central question appears to be why the event is not formally connected to Council's committee system. The answer is simple: it's not a Metro Council event. Although a few of us who happen to be members of Metro Council conceived of the idea of putting an event like this together and inviting both a prominent out-of-town expert on convention center economics and the president of the CVB to participate, the purpose is not to convene a Council session or hearing. The purpose is to create a public forum for public conversation on the proposed convention center that brings together diverse viewpoints. Council committees are certainly acting appropriately when they arrange to hear dialogue on issues related to Council's agenda. This forum is not a Council activity, and so it neither bypasses nor undermines Council mechanisms and procedures. All members of the Council as well as news media outlets were invited to co-sponsor the event to give it visibility and to spread the word to interested parties. News media sponsorship is nothing more than an agreement to be listed as a co-sponsor; there is no financial or other role. The Vanderbilt site was chosen because it did not cost to rent the space, is easily accessible and has free parking. The goal is to make it easy for the public to attend and for Council members to attend if they are available. We are also hopeful that the event will be taped by Channel 3 so that it can be viewed by a wider audience. Councilmember Forkum's idea for the committees to offer up to the Council the opportunity to hear from Dr. Sanders and Mr. Spyridon at the same time is an excellent one and I would highly encourage the chairs of the Budget Committee and the Tourism Committee to convene such a meeting if they think it would be helpful and appropriate to do so. I would be happy to assist. Please let me know if I can answer any additional questions. Kind regards, Megan
Comments (3)
Showing 1-3 of 3
A council member in Dallas invited Dr. Sanders to attend and speak at a meeting they were having in Dallas regarding their half billion dollar convention center hotel. The mayor and council head revoked the invitation and removed the council member from the committee overseeing the hotel.
Seems inviting and listening to Dr. Sanders means you are not a team player in the city "my convention center is bigger than yours" penis envy contest sponsored by every chamber of commerce.
like
dislike
Well there is your clue as to whose water Mr. Forkum is carrying.
1. Person(s) have time or relaxed work ethic to surf the 'net, read the blogs and know what happened in Dallas so they can replicate it here.
2. Has influence over the Councilman to the extent that he would risk being accused of quashing debate to do what is asked.
3. Wants a convention center at any cost and hates debate or questions that often approximate debate.
Mmmmmm, who could it be?
