City has neither the expertise nor the funds to replicate the work of existing agencies to address mental health issues
More about last week's CITCOM meeting
The same emotionally convoluted off-focus tone which caused Versagi Voice and bloggers on Patch's neutral coverage to use "waste of time" in their comments about such serious topics as depression, suicide, mental health, pit bulls, dangerous dog breeds has dominated published and private communication since last week's CITCOM meeting.
Suggest that the city has neither the expertise nor the funds to replicate the work of existing agencies to address mental health matters, and the response is personal attacks charging the commenter with caring more about mowing grass in city parks than about people. Not nearly as fierce and unbending are the counterattacks against people who would ban pit bulls and who neither share nor understand what seems a mindset which comes close to equating animals and humans.
The business of city government is government, not to stretch the meaning of "health and welfare" so much that it takes precious time away from addressing cops and firefighters and inspectors and engineers and treasurers and . . .
The Daily Tribune's Thursday edition carried an excellent overview by Catherine Kavanaugh, using the tragedy at Target Sports as its focus.
Those two agenda items aside, here’s what else occurred.
To begin with, not having the mayor read the announcements not only saves a few minutes, but gives WROK a chance to shine. Richard Wilson creatively and attractively scrolls the announcements on-screen before and after the meeting.
There were only a dozen speakers during Public Comment. Besides those who had been invited specifically to suggest city involvement in mental health matters, we heard: A friendly threat that the bicycles will be on Woodward en masse on Gran Fondo day, despite city rejection the race . . . A suggestion that the human rights ordinance is a moral issue and should be put on the ballot, not implemented legislatively at The Table . . . A plea not to pile shoveled snow on the Veterans Memorial . . . A reminder that each dog is an individual, so it is illogical to ban any specific breed . . . The Royal Oak Optimists donated a check for more than a couple thousand dollars to the city (My notes don't show if the check was earmarked for a specific purpose.)
Other agenda items:
- Apparently holders of a Bistro license seem to be moving toward wanting to change their Plan of Operation so it is more like that of a bar/restaurant. The request to serve food after midnight comes across as a first step.
- Improve implementation of online registration for Recreation and Senior Center programs.
- Consider rezoning of a portion of Eleven Mile Road to allow a new development.
- Settled a legal matter re preventing a foreclosure which would have deprived the city of some money.
- Dealt with a Dream Cruise concession agreement in Memorial Park.
- By showing the commissioners all seven of the RFPs concerned with developing a brand for Royal Oak, the Administration confirmed that it had made the right choice. (I know, I know. Why are we spending $20,000 on branding? "Because you suckers passed the millage," a handful of readers tell me.)
Unexciting as they may be for most of us, the bulleted items are the real business of local government.
Frank Versagi is the editor of Versagi Voice.
Ronald Wolf
1:56 pm on Sunday, February 10, 2013
Well Frank I agree with you at least on the "suckers" comment. Where do all these brilliant ideas come from? They come from the same department that kabashed the green Gran Fondo and intituted a ban on senior tricycles downtown, forcing bicycles with baby carriers into dangerous downtown traffic without any attempt at studying if downtown streets are safe for bicycles. All despite the fact that there has never been an incident with a bicycle on a Royal Oak sidewalk. Better to write fifty and hundred dollar tickets so the extra police will have something else to do downtown in the day while they are not cleaning up after the drunken fights that spill into the streets at nite, and after special events such as AB&E, St. Pats, Dream Cruise and so on. Oh, thats right, bicycles on the sidewalks, and the Gran Fondo do not involve alcohol or parking revenue. Lets face the situation. This introverted, impotent comission has handed over RO's future to a city manager who mocks the charter requirement to live here. All the brilliant ideas come from his department. Jim Rasor was absent during the finalization so his idea for a downtown park, and my suggestions supported by Parks and Rec to at least improve Startdream/ Library plaza are steered to the nuisance pile. It was our non resident manager who stated to me that Royal Oakers would rather sit on walls. Forget bicycles, the park, chess tables, delegated library parking, tennis courts. cont.....
Ronald Wolf
3:11 pm on Sunday, February 10, 2013
RWolf cont.....What is next? The banning of street musicians? (like he did during AB&E-not Witz's idea so it, must be Johnson's), ditto for dangerous joggers, dogs. Go for it, just ban all residents who do not drive and pay park. Maybe RO should give up and just merge with Detroit and its city council.
The big question is will Royal Oak residents ever reclaim their city government? We need a younger more involved,energetic, less easily influenced and less opinionated commission. One that is both ethical and progressive. We need to demand a more resident friendly downtown that reflects our pride. Not just a new logo!
We need less attorney/comissioners with ulterior motives and we certainly do not need a unilaterally formulated master plan from a city manager who has his own opinions and ideas to foster, while not paying a dime in taxes.
Frank, I do not agree with your disdain for the inclusion of LGBT residents and guests whose civil and constitutional rights have been historically trampled. You seem more concerned about dogs, and it is mostly dogs who are victimized by highly dangerous pit bulls bred solely for dog fighting and protecting drug dealers in our pervasive and well publisized thug culture.
Exchange Park
11:59 am on Monday, February 11, 2013
What's next? Well after the city solves southeast Michigan's mental health issues, I heard they might try to tackle global warming.
In the meantime, I can expect the grass at the park across from my house not to be cut until June.
Bill
5:51 pm on Monday, February 11, 2013
....then reparations.
Ronald Wolf
2:42 pm on Tuesday, February 12, 2013
If they planted the right kind of grass it would be cut daily. Don't be too hard they cannot cut during heavy rains when the grass can grow a foot in a few days. As soon as its dry I recommend calling ROSCO found on our city site to bring it to their attention as this is a sizable city to take care of in one, or two days. City Hall could get off their tail and ask for volunteers to help trim the suckers of the trees on Main and other streets, especially in front of 400 N Main (Fresard). Royal Oak can get volunteers to help in parks in a NY second, city hall just has to ask. What a novel idea!
Bob of RO
8:38 am on Wednesday, February 13, 2013
I swear, it's like Ronald just crawled out from under a rock and ended up here in Royal Oak. I have seen this on numerous comment threads on this site. It seems you don't understand the recent history here regarding the cutting of grass in local parks. For several recent years, it was city policy to reduce grass cuttings in the parks due to budget issues. This led to very tall grass in May and June.
Exchange Park
11:06 am on Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Ron, I live on Montrose across from Exchange Park. For the last two years, the city hasn't cut the park grass until it reached nearly 3 feet tall, claiming the ground was too soft for their equipment. Yet, they could cut the soccer fields.
Mind you, I've lived in this house for 37 years and the grass was always cut in a timely manner for the first 35 years.
I pay more in taxes, yet city services have declined.
Ronald Wolf
11:10 pm on Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Didn't know it was that bad now EP, no wonder they do not care about the library/ fountain park decay. Its all a matter of priorities, and I guess as long as this commission favors their downtown campaign supporters the neighborhoods will continue to get short shrift. I still suggest calling ROSCO before it gets that bad.
I was pleasantly surprised they responded to my pothole broken sidewalk requests. Without ROSCO this commission is our city's version of the Jerusalem wailing wall. There are no benches there either.
Bill
1:04 pm on Monday, February 11, 2013
I looked up Royal Oak's block grant budgets from the past. The city used to regularly fund Common Ground - Sanctuary from the block grant fund. The last year the city funded Common Ground - Sanctuary was in the 2006-2007 budget year. They haven't funded them since.
If the city was truly committed to suicide prevention, they would immediately restore funding to the organiztion that has expertise in suicide issues. How can the city be concerned about suicide prevention, when they cuty funding on the very issue?
All I see is a bunch of political grandstanding and posturing.
Ronald Wolf
2:20 pm on Tuesday, February 12, 2013
It is much more important to fund a new RO logo. I suggested a squirrel about to bury an acorn. They bury hundreds and then cannot find half of them.
If this city was committed to mental health more people would turn out to vote. They would not judge a candidate by what they received in the mail probably paid for by some bar. Instead they would attend comisson meetings and then make their decisions. You know what would happen then.
Has not Common Ground moved their shelter? If so, out of sight out of mind. To their way of thinking with maybe one or two exceptions I guess CNN and the gun range can take care of the residual. Its much more important to get those homicidal bicycles off our downtown sidewalks and into the streets with DUI.s, rocket cycles and distracted drivers on cell phones looking for a parking space.
And for Petes sake keep them off of Woodward where they impede traffic. Right Don?
RO Biker
6:49 pm on Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Ron-
I agree that city hall is blind to alot of things, but instead of the blind squirrel metaphor,
shouldn't Royal Oak's new logo include a mole?
Tom
6:53 pm on Tuesday, February 12, 2013
The city logo needs a skunk, and any animal that has a forked tongue.
S. Dudek
9:11 pm on Tuesday, February 12, 2013
The new logo needs to have a martini glass to represent all the booze in town.
Ronald Wolf
10:45 pm on Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Did you hear about the squirrel that walked into a Royal Oak bar and asked for a Martini with an acorn in it? The bartender replied, "we don't serve squirrels" here.
Can I take out? I need it as a prop for a picture at the city manager's office, the squirrel replied.
This is how the new logo was created for the city. It features a squirrel holding a Martini with an acorn in it, posed "frozen squirrel style" sitting on a downtown Royal Oak expired parking meter.
Happy Jack
11:57 am on Thursday, February 14, 2013
Did you hear about the buff blind squirrel that walked into the Royal Oak bar with his seeing eye dog? The blind squirrel starting swinging his seeing eye dog over his head in a circle like a lasso. The bartender said to the blind squirrel, "What the heck are you doing?"
The blind squirrel replied, "Just looking around."
Ray Smith
10:43 pm on Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Sheesh, some of you folks ought to start your own Cynics Anonymous chapter. What a depressing group.
Ronald Wolf
10:54 pm on Wednesday, February 13, 2013
We already have one that meets in a different Royal Oak bar before and after every city commission meeting Ray. Cheers. At least it seems that way.
Bob of RO
8:39 am on Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Right on Frank. The title of this blog says it all.
48073
5:10 pm on Wednesday, February 13, 2013
So to summarize some of the logo suggestions, the city needs to incorporate a mole (or some other poor eyesighted creature) that has a forked tongue, and a stripe down it's back, that has oppsible thumbs, so that it can hold a martini glass.
That sounds about right for a city mascot.
S. Dudek
5:17 pm on Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Good summary! The opposable thumbs aren't a deal breaker. The mascot could always drink out of one of those hats that can hold two cans of beer that has a long straw.
Ronald Wolf
11:04 pm on Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Frank, this city has more expertise and resources than you think. They are just relegated to the wrong places by a commission that has both carte blanche and a laissez faire attitude, even in the ethics department.
Detroit and Pontiac are not the only city that could use the martial law of an efm. Their problems are lack, ours are superflous and waste.