Lincoln City Councilman Roy Christensen, who brought a proposed charter amendment to the council written by a Republican-led political action committee, didn’t get off scot-free when he pulled the proposal from Monday's agenda.Ìý
The proposed amendment would have required a citywide vote on tax-rate increases. It contained flawed language that would have required approval by a majority of registered voters, rather than a majority of those voting on the issue.
Basically, no tax increase ever would have been approved with that language.
Christensen said he merely introduced it for Citizens for a Better Lincoln and had no part in writing it. He withdrew the proposal after Mayor Chris Beutler pointed out the flawed language at a news conference last week.
Two of the Democrats on the council -- Jane Raybould and Carl Eskridge --Â cordially thanked Christensen for withdrawing the proposal from consideration.
People are also reading…
But Democrat Leirion Gaylor Baird, a potential target of the Citizens for a Better Lincoln PAC in the spring city election, wasn’t quite as nice.
She criticized Christensen for failing to carefully review the proposed amendment before asking that it be added to the council agenda.
“In this case, the proposal came from Citizens for a Better Lincoln, a special interest group known for its partisan political agenda. But regardless of who handed that proposal, again, these ideas are rarely ready to go straight to our agenda," Gaylor Baird said.
“You didn’t evaluate this idea before you asked all of us to, and failure to read and evaluate the ideas you bring to the council not only disrespects this council, it disrespects the public.â€
There is more going on beneath the surface between the Democrats who are elected officials and the PAC supported by affluent Republicans. The PAC has directed some nasty advertising at candidates who are Democrats.
Gaylor Baird is a policy wonk who believes in quality preparation, so her criticisms ring true. But she also was likely making a point that she will stand up to any bullying by the PAC.
Beutler could have waited and simply vetoed the measure. But he held two news conferences at which he denounced the proposal as a "reckless, irresponsible and unproven scheme."
And the mayor did not tell Christensen about the mistaken language ahead of time so the councilman could pull the amendment more quietly.
Beutler likely was trying to make enough noise that the issue didn’t just slip away but had to be carried out on a stretcher.
This was all great theater, a fun controversy for reporters to cover. And it may be the way elected officials believe they must respond in today’s more partisan environment.
But it’s not the best way to promote working together in the future.
Council meets into Tuesday
After two long public hearings and several policy discussions, Monday's City Council meeting finally ended -- at 12:42 a.m. Tuesday.
It wasn’t the longest meeting in history, but YouTube didn't finish downloading the 7-hour, 15-minute meeting until mid-Tuesday afternoon.Ìý
And anything can happen after midnight, when brain cells begin falling asleep.
City Clerk Teresa Meier, after the council passed an ordinance that reduces her workload, sang, “Merry Christmas to me. Fa la la la la" -- not quite under her breath.
At the very end of the meeting, Public Works Director Miki Esposito went to the microphone and announced she is getting married Monday.
In answer to a request for more information, she said she's re-marrying her ex-husband, Gary Greenwood. "He's a morning show host on Froggy 98. We reconciled 5 years ago and fell in love again. Our kids are super excited!“ she said in an email.
And Councilman Jon Camp, wearing a Santa hat, ended the last meeting before Christmas with his traditional joke: “Why does Santa Claus have a garden?â€
“So he can hoe, hoe, hoe."
The council won’t meet again until Jan. 9.
Costco needs four votes
Costco will still need four council votes to approve its proposed warehouse store at 16th Street and Pine Lake Road, even though only five council members can vote.
Two of the seven -- Jane Raybould and Roy Christensen -- have financial conflicts of interest and cannot participate in the discussion or vote on Costco issues.
It is not unusual for members of an elected body to have financial conflicts of interest, particularly in small towns where a council member may own the local hardware store that sells to the city, said Frank Daley of the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission, which oversees the conflict of interest laws.
State law does allow someone with a conflict to vote if their “participation is required,†he said.
But in this case, with five members able to vote, that doesn’t apply.
State law requires some indication that real money will be gained or lost before there is a conflict of interest. The conflict for audiologist Christensen is hearing aids. Costco sells them for less than he can buy them at wholesale.
For Raybould, whose family owns grocery stores, the conflict is the competition between Costco with a Super Saver at 27th Street and Pine Lake Road.
That old slippery slope
Former City Councilman Curt Donaldson took issue with one of the arguments being made by those critical of the way transportation funds are allocated -- where almost 20 percent of the funding (primarily for StarTran) is used for a service used by less than 6 percent of the population.
That kind of thinking about what services government provides and who pays is a “slippery slope,†Donaldson said during a public hearing on the transportation issue Monday night.
And he pointed to a number of examples.
"Do a majority of the people use the Pinnacle Bank Arena?
"Should people who don’t have children in public schools pay for public schools?
"Why should people in my neighborhood, whose sewer and water lines are 100 years old, pay for gigantic new lines in Stevens Creek?
"Well it's because we are one community growing together."