Third and Final Installment
Last edited Fri Dec 6, 2013, 09:43 AM - Edit history (1)
of the series which could be titled, "Neighborhood Shenanigans" or "Smalltown USA".
BTW, thanks to all who've stuck with it thus far. I don't keep a regular diary, so that's why DU gets the story of my life. It doesn't belong in GD, the BOG, or anywhere else. But regardless, I hope it's okay to park the occasional story here, as I take a rather entertained view of these matters and hope some of you do also.
So we had the town council meeting tonight, the entire portion of citizen participation being devoted to the zoning violations of the illegal business started on the corner in our formerly quiet residential neighborhood. Even though no blood was shed, it proved to be a high test evening. Pam didn't even punch me out as she'd threatened on FB according to reliable reports. That's why friends had warned me.
Anyway, most of the invective flying back and forth between regular citizens and council remained couched in fairly polite terms. One of the aldermen wanted to give the illegal business operators carte blanche, and I noted that the Orphan Annie defense doesn't fly. All the misfortune in the world doesn't excuse abusing your neighbor's rights for your own gain.
Eventually they got around to saying that the new city attorney had to review new regs and make her report to the council for their further consideration. Which we expected as only reasonable. When the alderman I detest said we should take the couple's new promise to shut down operations if their business doesn't grow fast enough to enable them to move within 6 months, I said that would've been a decent proposal for them to have made before they caused all hell to break loose with their aggressive behavior.
"How can you ask us to trust people who've screamed in our faces? If you trust the word of such people, then you're a fool. But don't ask me to join you in that mistake." Well, a few other things were said too - and Pam yelled at me and called me an ungrateful leech, so I was able to counter with the fact that I'd offered her husband well-PAID repair work which he had no trouble accepting at the time.
Still nobody got thrown out or shot, so I have to call it a rousing if over-stimulating success overall. The collective council will drag its feet at least 6 months anyway until new elections are held. I really, honestly hope the neighbor couple can relocate their business before then, because although I try to wring every ounce of pleasure from hard business, it's not my favorite way to fritter away time and I'd prefer not to be bothered again.
There's always the temptation to toy a bit with the alderman I dislike, too; he hands me such great material in his blustering way. "We were ELECTED to decide these matters!" I chirped back, "And you can be UNelected too." He makes it too easy. Great straight man. "We have the very best intentions here!" "Um, you do know which road is paved with good intentions, don't you? That's why we're all here in the middle of it right now. We need more than 'good intentions' to secure justice for all."
BTW, he doesn't like me too much either, so we're fairly happy to go at each other when the opportunity arises. As someone pointed out, however, it was very good to have that meeting so people didn't take their disputes out into the streets. I agree.
Now it's very late for an old lady and I'm exhausted. Gotta quit for now. Any further stories about small town life in remote reaches of the Central Midwest will touch on other subjects. Don't want to wear people out on any one, since they do tend to roll in cycles.