03.13.08 Thursday
It may not be a smoldering gun but it was definitely fired recently.
A spokesperson from the NCAA stated yesterday that “Omaha doesn’t need to build a new stadium in order to keep the College World Series.” A letter dated 2.12.08 sent to Jack Diesing offered a long and short term deal on the CWS and made no mention of a new facility.
Wonder why Muppet Mike never showed us this one till after he had unveiled his stadium plan to the NCAA. What was Fahey’s reaction to the letter. “The 2011 College World Series will be played in a new stadium, Omaha or elsewhere”.
A defense of the Mayors administration was released in answer to the recall petitions. They claim
Fahey has not raised the property tax rate.
Prioritized public safety ( Tell the folks that live in the No-K Coral district that)
Strengthened our Neighborhoods (That must be the Mayors message written in graffiti)
Improved our local economy.
Petitions go out today, organizers have 30 days to collect 22,000 signatures to force a recall election. Wonder if they plan to set up a booth in downtown Elkhorn?
Husker lineman Andy Christensen is out on bail. Nobody knows who put up the $50k (10% of the $500,000 bail set). Let’s hope Lancaster County Judge Jeffre Cheuvront doesn’t draw this case.
Former Hamberg Ia. Mayor Clarence Judy was cited for allowing an underage girl to dance nude in his Juice Club last summer. The girl,17, is also the niece of the Fremont County Sheriff. Terry Rutledge the former owner of Shotgun Geniez and currant manager said employee’s of the club did not know she was under age and she was under the influence of alcohol when she arrived. The club sells no booze. The Sheriff says his sister in law and her husband are not impressed at all with Judy or Rutledge. I’d think they would be less impressed with their 17 year old daughter. Hamberg, thats Iowegian for RULO.
Councilman Jim Suttle wants to clarify a grey area by allowing minors into music venues that sell alcohol an hour before and an hour after a concert is performed there. The measure is meeting opposition from Project Extra Mile. Right now city law says minors may not be in bars unless accompanied by a parent. Exclusions for employee’s and types of establishments are written into the currant law. Suttle wants places like the Slowdown and the Waiting Room to be able to allow the 18-21 crowd and provide something for that group as entertainment.
More later, work calls………………..
Bugs Manderson
I like the reference to Elkhorn and NO…the only people that will show up and do show up and hang out in Elkhorn are the new police officers (from Omaha) who are dishing out tickets right and left to get back some of the money they lost when Elkhorn spent all their finances on the lawsuit. I like it how Muppet Mike said in the World Herald that even though the 3 meetings which they held regarding the CWS ballpark were “dominated by vocal opponents”, he stated that “their attitudes do not reflect the general public”. He doesn’t want to listen and never will, so I for one will be there to sign any recall that goes around! YEAH!
Comment by friendly face in elkhorn — March 13, 2008 @ 8:00 am
Do you have any idea how and where we can sigh such a petition if we were so inclined?
Comment by Captain Obvious — March 13, 2008 @ 9:31 am
You want to sigh a petition? How do you do that?
How many sighs do you need?
Comment by 3 dog night — March 13, 2008 @ 11:47 am
Kids in bars… great idea. Fantastic thing to rally behind, Omaha. Way to go.
Comment by db — March 13, 2008 @ 12:47 pm
There is a reason I don’t give people crap about their spelling and typos… Ralstron! Sounds like something Scooby Doo would say or that space dog Astro… wait… are they the same voice? Hey! I feel cheated out of something from my childhood now. Next you will tell me that Twinkle Twinkle and the ABC song are the same tune!
Comment by Captain Obvious — March 13, 2008 @ 1:07 pm
Just making up for all the comments on yesterdays blog Gomer. You just happened to be the one. No offense Gomer.
Comment by 3 dog night — March 13, 2008 @ 1:22 pm
I prefer Goober, you may refer to my brother ad Gomer, I do. Now back to the hair cuts Floyd.
Comment by Captain Obvious — March 13, 2008 @ 1:34 pm
OK Goober. Sorry I got you and your brother mixed up.
Comment by 3 dog night — March 13, 2008 @ 2:05 pm
Why in the world would anyone with a modicum of intelligence sign a petition to recall this mayor?
What is his crime, making a bad decision? Mishandling communications on an important decision? Wow. How heinous! How horrible!
Recalls are for mayors who are caught with a crack pipe in a Washington hotel. This is not a correction to the democratic process; this is a minority group who is dissatisfied and is going to waste even more taxpayer funds on yet another bad idea. Two wrongs won’t save you a dime!
Comment by PuckSlotNet — March 14, 2008 @ 5:21 am
Tell that to the residents of Elkhorn….wait Omaha-The really Western Edge of it I forgot Elkhorn ceased to exist.
Comment by eyeonomaha — March 14, 2008 @ 6:23 am
How are you so sure it is a minority of people? Wouldn’t a recall vote be the real indicator? I think that intelligent people want a say in taxation. As I recall from Jr. high school history class that there were some people in New England around the 1760’s - 1770’s that were so pissed off that they were taxed without having a say in it that they started a revolution (don’t go storming city hall, I am not condoning that type of action).
My issue is that government on all levels keeps taking a bigger slice of the pie. Our politicians don’t seem to concern themselves that when the pie gets bigger (tax base and economic growth) that the tax revenue grows congruently. They raise tax percentages and the slice that you and I live on keeps getting smaller and smaller. Frankly, “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it any more.” I say let the petition happen. I will sign it because I think that something this big must be brought into the light and have open discussion with the citizens of Omaha. The issue is that this has all happened in secret and that is improper.
Comment by Captain Obvious — March 14, 2008 @ 8:23 am
Sunshine laws, remember that.
As for the recall, you can sign it and then create the debate in public over what Little Lord Fauntleroy did or didn’t do to deserve to be recalled. It he deserves to loose his job the let the public decide. Remember we are his boss and if we don’t care for his job performance then it is our right to fire him.
Honestly if someone working for me had done some of the things this guy has done, behind the boss’(the Public) back I would have fired him a long time ago. But then I didn’t vote for hom in the first place either.
Bugs Manderson
Comment by eyeonomaha — March 14, 2008 @ 8:41 am
Your opportunity to vote comes with the next mayoral election. If you are mad at the Mayors decision, or the way he handled the communications and planning of something that I agree could very well cost us all a lot of money, then campaign against his re-election should he choose to run again. Why the need to remove a sitting mayor who has not committed an egregious crime? This will be a waste of time and dollars.
I’m will to bet it fails too. Who will sign, People from Deer Park Neighborhood and Elkhorn residents? Suppose they get the required signatures, can they convince the rest of the city that they are right? I don’t think they can. Not me anyway.
I am with you on the issue of rising taxes. My valuation increased 27% last year and my property taxes increased 20%. Do I think they will increase again if we finance a new stadium? You bet I do. I’m I not being represented in this process? NO! I can petition my city councilman to vote down the financing of the stadium.
BTW if they increase the price to $142M and add two sheets of ice (preferably not downtown), I am all for this project!
Comment by PuckSlotNet — March 14, 2008 @ 8:50 am
Puck, Thanks for showing a few people out there that you can disagree without calling people names and being nasty.
For those of you who don’t know, Bug’s reference to Sunshine laws refers to U.S. federal and state laws requiring regulatory authorities’ meetings, decisions and records to be made available to the public. You see, closed door meetings on items like this are not acceptable ever.
Comment by Captain Obvious — March 14, 2008 @ 9:03 am
There is a stipulation that says you can remove and elected official during term. If the people choose to fire him, so be it. That’s the great part about America, you don’t have to wait to they do some real damage before you remove them from their post. Isn’t that right Mike?
2 sheets of ice? For what. Oh your one of them people who bitch you have to skate at 6 am aren’t you? This city can’t manage the sheets they got. Benson’s a dump, Hitchcock isn’t much better. Nobody likes Moylan because the poor bastard that trys to run the place can’t do anything right in their eyes. And guess what, None of them are running at capacity so lets spend a couple mil adding 2 more sheets to sit empty half the time so you can skate at your disired time.
Tell you what, find someone to loan you a mil to put one up and run it. Let us know when you get to chapter 7 in the hockey rink owners handbook.
The City of Minneapolis is building outdoor rinks instead of indoor ones because they actualy need the ice time but they can’t afford to build and run anymore rinks and keep the costs inline with the product. (Direct from Hockey Times about a month ago and talking to the rink manager up there about 2 weeks ago.)
Pathces and I love to hear all the complaints about ice times. Most of you folks are spoiled and don’t even know it.
Bugs Manderson
Comment by eyeonomaha — March 14, 2008 @ 9:07 am
No Bugs 6 am is not a problem, it’s the 10 and 11 pm adult ice time that hurt the most. The two sheets were tongue in cheek for the hockey fans, all two or three of them. I’ve had plenty of conversations over adult beverages where someone says if I hit the lottery I’d build an ice rink. To which I say, that’s faster than flushing it down the toilet. Hockey rinks like baseball stadiums don’t pay for themselves.
I just would like a decent locker room some day.
Comment by PuckSlotNet — March 14, 2008 @ 9:30 am
I actually have a renewed repsect for the guy that runs Moylan. Benson a dump? You give it too much credit. Those people that have called Rosenblatt a dump should try comparing it to Benson (ha)!
Comment by Captain Obvious — March 14, 2008 @ 9:41 am
Define decent? A bench a trash can and a lock on the door.
Patches remember our’s growing up? It was called home and a bench next to the rink to put your skates on when it was 10 below. Anyone else remember the hot potato in your skates?
I have friends that skate adult at 2 a.m. in the Twin Cities. Wanna trade with them. Some rinks there run 24/7.
Bugs Manderson
Comment by eyeonomaha — March 14, 2008 @ 9:59 am