The Year in Review
The Top 10 Political 'Quotes' of 2005
by Roger Templeton, Political Affairs Bureau Chief
Here, in chronological order, are our picks for the most noteworthy "Political Quotes of 2005":
1)
"Decisions will be made by those that show up." Jamiko Bell serves notice on stakeholders of Venice's neighborhood council when she launched the series of Town Hall-style meetings that set up and held an election for an all-new Board of Officers that won Councilman Bill Rosendahl's hearty support.
2)
"Unfortunately, the [Mello] Act is not a top priority for the city council." Venice resident and zoning expert Anne Murphy explains the political obstacles that Oxford Triangle residents and Westside affordable housing advocates, POWER, faced in forcing mega-developer Trammel Crow to include sufficient low-income housing in their Triangle development.
3)
"Why waste my time? There was nobody there." Progressive Coalition nominee and winning Canals District representative Brett Miller explains his 'no-show' at the GRVNC Candidates' Forum attended by about 140 interested stakeholders, Councilman Bill Rosendahl and his staff, and his opponents, Sunny Bak and Jerry Browne. Miller did show up to be sworn in, but has taken a pass on virtually every meeting of the GRVNC since.
4)
"So, the pull to go 'negative' is overwhelming." Clean Campaign Pledge author Marta Evry introduced her last minute 'hit piece' broadcast email wherein she personalized her scorn of Venice Progressives candidates for spending $9,000.00 for "self promotion," squandering money "at a music store," and falsely claimed they called Venetians "white crackers."
5)
"There is no point to badmouthing the badmouthers." Dede Audet rises above the last-minute 'attack' emails circulating before the GRVNC election to point out that, "Lately it is popular to describe Venice itself as contentious, fractious. [That] dismisses Venice as a bunch of do-nothings who would rather fight than accomplish something." Dede was elected president of GRVNC.
6)
"If you're on a slate, don't darken my door." Interim Election Committee Chair Dante Cacace described his next organizing challenge after admitting to his well deserved satisfaction at the interest generated by a smoothly-run campaign and solid, slate-driven turnout for the neighborhood council's September election.
7)
"People were having trouble understanding what we are trying to regulate." Michael Nagle of the City Attorney's office explained to Councilman Rosendahl and assembled Boardwalk artists at a Town Hall what went wrong with Cindy Miscikowski's ordinance that set up a lottery to distribute "free speech" spaces on Ocean Front Walk. The City feared that the confusion would include the Federal courts when a lawsuit was filed, so the ordinance has not been enforced lately.
8)
"To get it out in time, we need to appoint someone to write the letter." Richard Myers introduces the concept of 'delegation' to the GRVNC board, after which volunteers took points to include from the Board's discussion and eventually composed a letter of support for Lincoln Place tenants' against imminent eviction to be sent to Rosendahl, City Attorney Delgadillo and the Mayor.
9)
"I move that there be a moratorium on all development along the Lincoln Corridor." GRVNC Secretary and Venice Specific Plan hardliner Phil Raider throws down the gauntlet to the City Council and developers with pending projects on Lincoln Blvd., apparently surprising his fellow board members with his no-compromise motion.
10)
"I'm beat." Councilman Rosendahl's chief of staff Mike Bonin calls a reporter at 9:45 PM on a Friday night after a marathon meeting dealing with LAX expansion to answer questions on Lincoln Place. Bonin's staffing of Boardwalk Ordinance Town Halls, neighborhood council meetings, and his herding initiatives on homelessness, Veterans Hospital grounds' land-use, Exposition Line rail extension, Santa Monica Airport pollution, Westside inter-governmental cooperation, and tree plantings through the labyrinth of City government and community meetings make Kennedy's vaunted "First 100 Days" staff work look lethargic.
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