A member of the Democratic Committee appointed to the Recreation Commission by a Democrat Mayor, writes letters-to-the-editor in favor of Mayor Johnson, against Democrat candidates that he was elected to support. He becomes the poster person for the Johnson re-election campaign. Sadly, he is a one issue citizen in a city with multiple issues.
Let’s look at the recreation center. We now have a facility that is meant to hold basketball tournaments rather than to serve local people who could walk to it. The facility accommodates over a thousand people for those tournaments BUT it has no showers in the locker rooms for tournament participants to wash. However, there is parking for only 54 cars as if it were only meant for locals. It has a commercial size kitchen BUT no stove. It is built with fire insulation that is only certified to 34,000 square feet; the recreation center is larger than 34,000 square feet. It all sounds like a facility that was rushed to completion without defined aims and with poor planning. Congratulations Recreation Commission.
The debonair Commissioner Wirth put no parking signs on the rec center side of the street rather than protect the residential side of the street. When there is a tournament in the facility there is parking on both sides of the street because public safety doesn’t patrol and give out tickets. A car can hardly get through the street. Certainly no emergency vehicle can get down Vanderbuilt Terrace. Why hasn’t the Commissioner of Public Safety put no parking signs on the residential side of Vanderbuilt Terrace? Residents are tax payers who need to be able to drive down their street and get into their driveways.
When Mayor Johnson came into office we had a new building inspector who was still in his six month probationary period. He was tasked to approve the rec center construction. He opined that the fire insulation was not in compliance with State requirements for a building over 34,000 sq. ft. Because the rec center is over 34,000 sq. ft. additional tests were required. Rather than approve the tests, the Mayor removed the building inspector when his six months probationary period was over and went on to build the facility.
After that the city then went nearly two and a half years without a senior building inspector. When the public service commission insisted that the Mayor comply with the charter and hire a building inspector, he hired outside council to fight them (our tax dollars). Recently the Mayor appointed a new building inspector who has to go to school to receive his certification for the position in which he serves.
Let’s be clear on this subject. Building inspectors make sure that buildings comply with the state and local building codes for fire and construction safety; they make sure that construction complies with our zoning code. This is a vital function of government. IT IS GOVERNMENT’S FIRST PRIORITY TO POTECT THE SAFETY IT’S CITIZENS. Why would the Mayor who oversees the planning and building departments and the rest of the City Council play hide and seek with this issue for so long?
And because we need to expand the dialogue, why has the Mayor hired an outside law firm to rewrite our City Zoning Ordinance without public input? Is Mayor Johnson is as tall as Napoleon?
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