Podcasts about city charter

On April 15, Rochester City Manager Katie Ambrose presented the proposed operating and capital budgets for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 at the City Council workshop meeting. The proposed budget, inclusive of City, County, and School appropriations, comes in $337,280 below the tax cap and reflects a continued commitment to strong fiscal health. The proposed budget is based on the allowable FY 2026 tax effort of $79,552,624, an increase of $3,447,725 (4.5%) over FY 2025, calculated per City Charter requirements by applying 2.95% CPI and 1.58% Net New Construction to the FY 2025 tax effort of $76,104,899.

Sebastian Zapeta, accused of setting a subway rider on fire in Coney Island, pleaded not guilty to murder and arson charges in Debrina Kawam's death. He faces life in prison if convicted. Meanwhile, a new report shows a strong economic outlook for New York City, with Artificial Intelligence expected to drive growth. Plus, a new city charter revision commission holds its first meeting this Tuesday to address the housing crisis. Finally, WNYC's Michael Hill speaks with an advocate from Care for the Homeless about her journey from homelessness and the challenges faced by the city's homeless population.

Tammy Caputi Tammy began her first term on the Scottsdale City Council in January 2021 and is currently seeking a second term. She has lived and worked in Scottsdale for almost 25 years, and is the president and owner of Yale Electric West, Inc, a Scottsdale company.  Married for over 21 years with 3 daughters who all attend our local schools. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Wellesley College in Wellesley, MA and a Master's in Business Administration from Simmons University in Boston, MA. Tammy is passionate about keeping Scottsdale the Gold Standard of the Valley, and is always running! Tammy Caputi website   Tom Durham Tom grew up in a small town in Iowa and attended Cornell College where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude in 1977 with majors in Philosophy and History. Some of my earliest memories are of visiting my grandfather in Mesa where he had a pasture behind his house and rode horses. After graduating from Cornell, he attended NYU Law School in New York City, graduating in 1980. After graduating from NYU, Tom joined the Mayer Brown law firm in Chicago, an international law firm that specialized in tax controversy. He argued several appeals in the Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, which is generally regarded as the second most important court in the United States.Tom's ability to analyze complex legal and factual situations and to "cut through" to the heart of the matter are essential to the City Council. During his time at Mayer Brown, I was recognized by Chambers USA as one of the top 25 tax controversy lawyers in the US. Tom retired from Mayer Brown in April 2015. Tom Durham 2024 website   MaryAnne McAllen Maryann McAllen is a 59 year resident of Scottsdale, she is a small business owner, a community leader and activist. Maryann met her husband Sam while being a summer recreation leader for the City of Scottsdale, they have four young adult children and a fun fact about Maryann she is an avid Antique Button Collector.MaryAnn McAllen website   Adam Kwasman Born and raised in Tucson, Arizona, Adam Kwasman developed a deep appreciation for community values and civic responsibility from an early age. His formative years instilled in him a commitment to service and a passion for making a positive impact on the lives of those around him. Adam earned his B.A. from Tulane University, his M.A. in economics from George Mason University, and his J.D. from Arizona State University's Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law. His academic journey not only equipped him with a strong foundation of knowledge but also fueled his desire to contribute meaningfully to society. He is a husband and father of 4 too. Adam Kwasman website   Lisa Borowsky Scottsdale native Lisa Borowsky is a lawyer, mother and community advocate. She previously served on the Scottsdale City Council from 2008 to 2012. She led the charge pushing for meaningful structural changes to the budget process, including a City Charter amendment, which moved the City Treasurer to the position of Charter Officer, reporting directly to the Council and the citizens. Lisa served on numerous boards & committees including Experience Scottsdale Board of Directors, the City's Audit Committee, the Water Subcommittee,  Scottsdale Westworld Subcommittee, Charros Foundation Board and many more. As mayor of Scottsdale, Lisa will leverage her experience as an attorney, councilwoman, and volunteer to protect Scottsdale's future, bring transparency to city government, and improve the lives of Scottsdale residents. https://lisaformayor.com/   Dave Ortega Mayor Dave Ortega is running for re-election as Scottsdale Mayor. A resident of Scottsdale for over 40 years, he owns an architecture firm in Old Town. During his current term of Mayor, Dave Ortega  supports  public safety, protecting family-friendly neighborhoods, defending Scottsdale Water from dry-lot 'wildcat" houses in the county, reinvesting in our vibrant Western legacy in Old Town, and promoting citywide economic vitality. https://www.electdaveortegamayor.com/   SUBSCRIBE on your Favorite podcast listening app. Find us on IG & FB at Scottsdale Vibes Podcast or check us out on scottsdale vibes dot media. And don't forget that we are now the proud owners of Scottsdale City Lifestyle magazine where you can read about even more of your favorite community.  

Tammy Caputi Tammy began her first term on the Scottsdale City Council in January 2021 and is currently seeking a second term. She has lived and worked in Scottsdale for almost 25 years, and is the president and owner of Yale Electric West, Inc, a Scottsdale company.  Married for over 21 years with 3 daughters who all attend our local schools. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Wellesley College in Wellesley, MA and a Master's in Business Administration from Simmons University in Boston, MA. Tammy is passionate about keeping Scottsdale the Gold Standard of the Valley, and is always running! Tammy Caputi website   Tom Durham Tom grew up in a small town in Iowa and attended Cornell College where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude in 1977 with majors in Philosophy and History. Some of my earliest memories are of visiting my grandfather in Mesa where he had a pasture behind his house and rode horses. After graduating from Cornell, he attended NYU Law School in New York City, graduating in 1980. After graduating from NYU, Tom joined the Mayer Brown law firm in Chicago, an international law firm that specialized in tax controversy. He argued several appeals in the Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, which is generally regarded as the second most important court in the United States.Tom's ability to analyze complex legal and factual situations and to "cut through" to the heart of the matter are essential to the City Council. During his time at Mayer Brown, I was recognized by Chambers USA as one of the top 25 tax controversy lawyers in the US. Tom retired from Mayer Brown in April 2015. Tom Durham 2024 website   MaryAnne McAllen Maryann McAllen is a 59 year resident of Scottsdale, she is a small business owner, a community leader and activist. Maryann met her husband Sam while being a summer recreation leader for the City of Scottsdale, they have four young adult children and a fun fact about Maryann she is an avid Antique Button Collector.MaryAnn McAllen website   Adam Kwasman Born and raised in Tucson, Arizona, Adam Kwasman developed a deep appreciation for community values and civic responsibility from an early age. His formative years instilled in him a commitment to service and a passion for making a positive impact on the lives of those around him. Adam earned his B.A. from Tulane University, his M.A. in economics from George Mason University, and his J.D. from Arizona State University's Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law. His academic journey not only equipped him with a strong foundation of knowledge but also fueled his desire to contribute meaningfully to society. He is a husband and father of 4 too. Adam Kwasman website   Lisa Borowsky Scottsdale native Lisa Borowsky is a lawyer, mother and community advocate. She previously served on the Scottsdale City Council from 2008 to 2012. She led the charge pushing for meaningful structural changes to the budget process, including a City Charter amendment, which moved the City Treasurer to the position of Charter Officer, reporting directly to the Council and the citizens. Lisa served on numerous boards & committees including Experience Scottsdale Board of Directors, the City's Audit Committee, the Water Subcommittee,  Scottsdale Westworld Subcommittee, Charros Foundation Board and many more. As mayor of Scottsdale, Lisa will leverage her experience as an attorney, councilwoman, and volunteer to protect Scottsdale's future, bring transparency to city government, and improve the lives of Scottsdale residents. https://lisaformayor.com/   Dave Ortega Mayor Dave Ortega is running for re-election as Scottsdale Mayor. A resident of Scottsdale for over 40 years, he owns an architecture firm in Old Town. During his current term of Mayor, Dave Ortega  supports  public safety, protecting family-friendly neighborhoods, defending Scottsdale Water from dry-lot 'wildcat" houses in the county, reinvesting in our vibrant Western legacy in Old Town, and promoting citywide economic vitality. https://www.electdaveortegamayor.com/   SUBSCRIBE on your Favorite podcast listening app. Find us on IG & FB at Scottsdale Vibes Podcast or check us out on scottsdale vibes dot media. And don't forget that we are now the proud owners of Scottsdale City Lifestyle magazine where you can read about even more of your favorite community.  

Today on AirTalk, we will talk about why Nevada could be the swing state to win the election. Larry will talk sports for the Triple Play. Also on the show, we will cover earthquake preparation and The Great Shakeout. We are going to give you all the facts on both CA Prop 34 and LA City Charter Amendment DD before you hit the polls. Larry will chat with Hanh Nguyen, a senior editor at Salon.com, about some of the newest TV titles like ‘The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh,' ‘A Virtuous Business,' ‘Family Guy' and more.   Today on AirTalk: Is Nevada the swing state to win the election? (0:15) LA City Charter Amendment DD (11:40) Triple Play: Preview of Dodgers Game 4 (23:26) The Great Shakeout is today! Are you prepared for The Big One? (32:49) CA Prop 34 (43:17) TV Talk: ‘The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh,' and more (55:25)

Twenty years ago, we researched cutting-edge schools across the country to find the perfect mix of best practices with one goal: to graduate students ready for life.Our curriculum for grades 9-12 is rigorous and relevant to the modern world. Furthermore, career-mapping, workforce skills literacy and mentored internships ensure our students graduate tech-savvy, college and career ready.Today, this unique educational model continues to prove itself.  With free* laptops, year-round classes, a low student/teacher ratio, and focus on college and career readiness, City High averages a 94% graduation rate – across all demographic groups. 

Council Majority Leader Leah Halton-Pope says the five churches seeking landmark status are the fabric of the communities built around them.

Mitch Nowakowski weighs in on the discussion around changing the city's open container law. Also, can the city charter be amended to allow Chris Scanlon to be replaced if he becomes acting mayor?

Lisa Borowsky Scottsdale native Lisa Borowsky is a lawyer, mother and community advocate. She previously served on the Scottsdale City Council from 2008 to 2012. She led the charge pushing for meaningful structural changes to the budget process, including a City Charter amendment, which moved the City Treasurer to the position of Charter Officer, reporting directly to the Council and the citizens. Lisa served on numerous boards & committees including Experience Scottsdale Board of Directors, the City's Audit Committee, the Water Subcommittee,  Scottsdale Westworld Subcommittee, Charros Foundation Board and many more. As mayor of Scottsdale, Lisa will leverage her experience as an attorney, councilwoman, and volunteer to protect Scottsdale's future, bring transparency to city government, and improve the lives of Scottsdale residents. https://lisaformayor.com/   Dave Ortega Mayor Dave Ortega is running for re-election as Scottsdale Mayor. A resident of Scottsdale for over 40 years, he owns an architecture firm in Old Town. During his current term of Mayor, Dave Ortega  supports  public safety, protecting family-friendly neighborhoods, defending Scottsdale Water from dry-lot 'wildcat" houses in the county, reinvesting in our vibrant Western legacy in Old Town, and promoting citywide economic vitality.  https://www.electdaveortegamayor.com/   Linda Milhaven Linda Milhaven lived in Scottsdale for over 40 years where she worked in the banking industry serving Scottsdale businesses and more. She was on Scottsdale City Council for 12 years during the Great Recession and COVID pandemic. Linda was inducted into Scottsdale's History Hall of Fame in 2023, and chaired many boards and committees. Linda is running to protect you and preserve you and our community.  https://milhavenformayor.com/   SUBSCRIBE on your Favorite podcast listening app. Find us on IG & FB at Scottsdale Vibes Podcast or check us out on scottsdale vibes dot media. And don't forget that we are now the proud owners of Scottsdale City Lifestyle magazine where you can read about even more of your favorite community.

Lisa Borowsky Scottsdale native Lisa Borowsky is a lawyer, mother and community advocate. She previously served on the Scottsdale City Council from 2008 to 2012. She led the charge pushing for meaningful structural changes to the budget process, including a City Charter amendment, which moved the City Treasurer to the position of Charter Officer, reporting directly to the Council and the citizens. Lisa served on numerous boards & committees including Experience Scottsdale Board of Directors, the City's Audit Committee, the Water Subcommittee,  Scottsdale Westworld Subcommittee, Charros Foundation Board and many more. As mayor of Scottsdale, Lisa will leverage her experience as an attorney, councilwoman, and volunteer to protect Scottsdale's future, bring transparency to city government, and improve the lives of Scottsdale residents. https://lisaformayor.com/   Dave Ortega Mayor Dave Ortega is running for re-election as Scottsdale Mayor. A resident of Scottsdale for over 40 years, he owns an architecture firm in Old Town. During his current term of Mayor, Dave Ortega  supports  public safety, protecting family-friendly neighborhoods, defending Scottsdale Water from dry-lot 'wildcat" houses in the county, reinvesting in our vibrant Western legacy in Old Town, and promoting citywide economic vitality.  https://www.electdaveortegamayor.com/   Linda Milhaven Linda Milhaven lived in Scottsdale for over 40 years where she worked in the banking industry serving Scottsdale businesses and more. She was on Scottsdale City Council for 12 years during the Great Recession and COVID pandemic. Linda was inducted into Scottsdale's History Hall of Fame in 2023, and chaired many boards and committees. Linda is running to protect you and preserve you and our community.  https://milhavenformayor.com/   SUBSCRIBE on your Favorite podcast listening app. Find us on IG & FB at Scottsdale Vibes Podcast or check us out on scottsdale vibes dot media. And don't forget that we are now the proud owners of Scottsdale City Lifestyle magazine where you can read about even more of your favorite community.

This week, Laurie Dean and Dan are talking about the City Charter amendments which will be on the August ballot and are joined by Mark McDonald who served on the Charter Commission.

On November 5, Vancouver voters will consider six ballot measures, including a police services levy (Proposition 4) and five City Charter amendments, with residents invited to join pro or con committees by emailing the City Manager's Office by July 31. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/news/city-seeks-community-members-to-serve-on-pro-and-con-committees-for-november-ballot-measures/ #VancouverWa #VancouverCityCouncil #VancouverVoters #SixBallotMeasures #ProAndConCommittees #NovemberBallotMeasures #Proposition4 #CityCharter #ProposedAmendments #VancouverWa #ClarkCountyWa #ClarkCountyNews #ClarkCountyToday

Lisa Borowsky Scottsdale native Lisa Borowsky is a lawyer, mother and community advocate. She previously served on the Scottsdale City Council from 2008 to 2012. She led the charge pushing for meaningful structural changes to the budget process, including a City Charter amendment, which moved the City Treasurer to the position of Charter Officer, reporting directly to the Council and the citizens. Lisa served on numerous boards & committees including Experience Scottsdale Board of Directors, the City's Audit Committee, the Water Subcommittee,  Scottsdale Westworld Subcommittee, Charros Foundation Board and many more. As mayor of Scottsdale, Lisa will leverage her experience as an attorney, councilwoman, and volunteer to protect Scottsdale's future, bring transparency to city government, and improve the lives of Scottsdale residents. https://lisaformayor.com/   Dave Ortega Mayor Dave Ortega is running for re-election as Scottsdale Mayor. A resident of Scottsdale for over 40 years, he owns an architecture firm in Old Town. During his current term of Mayor, Dave Ortega  supports  public safety, protecting family-friendly neighborhoods, defending Scottsdale Water from dry-lot 'wildcat" houses in the county, reinvesting in our vibrant Western legacy in Old Town, and promoting citywide economic vitality.  https://www.electdaveortegamayor.com/   Linda Milhaven Linda Milhaven lived in Scottsdale for over 40 years where she worked in the banking industry serving Scottsdale businesses and more. She was on Scottsdale City Council for 12 years during the Great Recession and COVID pandemic. Linda was inducted into Scottsdale's History Hall of Fame in 2023, and chaired many boards and committees. Linda is running to protect you and preserve you and our community.  https://milhavenformayor.com/   SUBSCRIBE on your Favorite podcast listening app. Find us on IG & FB at Scottsdale Vibes Podcast or check us out on scottsdale vibes dot media. And don't forget that we are now the proud owners of Scottsdale City Lifestyle magazine where you can read about even more of your favorite community.

Lisa Borowsky Scottsdale native Lisa Borowsky is a lawyer, mother and community advocate. She previously served on the Scottsdale City Council from 2008 to 2012. She led the charge pushing for meaningful structural changes to the budget process, including a City Charter amendment, which moved the City Treasurer to the position of Charter Officer, reporting directly to the Council and the citizens. Lisa served on numerous boards & committees including Experience Scottsdale Board of Directors, the City's Audit Committee, the Water Subcommittee,  Scottsdale Westworld Subcommittee, Charros Foundation Board and many more. As mayor of Scottsdale, Lisa will leverage her experience as an attorney, councilwoman, and volunteer to protect Scottsdale's future, bring transparency to city government, and improve the lives of Scottsdale residents. https://lisaformayor.com/   Dave Ortega Mayor Dave Ortega is running for re-election as Scottsdale Mayor. A resident of Scottsdale for over 40 years, he owns an architecture firm in Old Town. During his current term of Mayor, Dave Ortega  supports  public safety, protecting family-friendly neighborhoods, defending Scottsdale Water from dry-lot 'wildcat" houses in the county, reinvesting in our vibrant Western legacy in Old Town, and promoting citywide economic vitality.  https://www.electdaveortegamayor.com/   Linda Milhaven Linda Milhaven lived in Scottsdale for over 40 years where she worked in the banking industry serving Scottsdale businesses and more. She was on Scottsdale City Council for 12 years during the Great Recession and COVID pandemic. Linda was inducted into Scottsdale's History Hall of Fame in 2023, and chaired many boards and committees. Linda is running to protect you and preserve you and our community.  https://milhavenformayor.com/   SUBSCRIBE on your Favorite podcast listening app. Find us on IG & FB at Scottsdale Vibes Podcast or check us out on scottsdale vibes dot media. And don't forget that we are now the proud owners of Scottsdale City Lifestyle magazine where you can read about even more of your favorite community.

The Albuquerque City Council wants to change its charter what could this hold for future elections plus money for Chest Binders at Las Cruces Public Schools on News Radio KKOBSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller comes in and pays a visit to TJ. Some of the topics they discuss, are the proposed changes to the City Charter by the City Council, crime, and some of the positive things happening in the City this summer. All this and more on News Radio KKOBSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This 161st episode of Tangazo - a Podcast from KDHX, will have something for everyone, with social, political and cultural matters being discussed. ------   Social Justice activist Reverend Darryl Gregory Gray, along with Dr. Jazmine Nolan-Echols PhD, former Chairman of the StLouis Charter Commission, join me in the 1st hour for an insightful, informative and compelling discussion, on the cities efforts to further streamline city government. -----   Ron Himes, founder of our magnificent StLouis Black Repertory Theater Company was on hand to talk about the Blk Repertory's new production of Timbuktu, debuting last evening at the Edison Theater on the Washington University campus. -----     We were privileged to be there for opening night to witness another spectacular performance by the StLouis The St. Louis Black Repertory Company. ------   Timbuktu is a dazzling play, a musical drama that we thoroughly enjoyed along with our guest, Sheila Reed, of St.Louis Public radio and former State Representative, James Whitmore. Andreal Hoosman and Nicole Adewale along with hubby Abe Adewale, Clement and Marsha Cann, were just a few of the many friends, I spotted enjoying opening night of TIMBUKTU! Book by Luther Davis, music and lyrics by Robert Wright , at the Edison Theater at Washington University. ----- 

Today on AirTalk, the latest on the USC and UCLA student encampment protests. Also on the show, a look into the California Public Utilities Commission's vote this week on a new proposal that would create a fixed rate system for customers based on income; we dive into the history of the Chavez Ravine and the broken promise of affordable housing made to former residents; Los Angeles' city charter is turning 100; and more. The latest on the USC & UCLA student protests (00:17) Should electricity rates be based on income? (19:33) New book on three jazz titans (33:49) The history of Chavez Ravine (51:21) LA's City Charter turns 100 (1:12:10) What are the best steakhouses in LA? (1:26:19)

Democratic representatives from Virginia Beach say the change has citywide support and opposition is an effort to “thwart democracy.”

Should more seats be added to the San Antonio City Council to provide better representation? How many more? Should the city's election day be moved? Should outdated language in the city charter be updated? These are some of the questions citizens could have to answer as an overhaul of the city's charter gets underway.

Hour 2 -  Good Tuesday morning! Here's what Nick Reed covers this hour: Disney secured the ability to effectively govern itself in Florida for more than half a century by performing a “bait and switch” on the state, and used its “complete and unaccountable governmental power” to “maximize its profits” at “the expense of the public good,” according to an independent audit of the entertainment giant's role in the state. The Springfield City Charter & ethics revisions. Violence in Springfield. 

If you're one of approximately 70,000 Toledo residents who live on an unimproved street, you'll be happy to know that passing the Toledo City Charter amendment (Issue 24) means we can start putting money toward improving those roads which the previous version of the charter has prevented us from doing for 58 years. Join me in this discussion with the Toledo Department of Transportation Director, Doug Stephens and Senior Professional Engineer, Tim Grosjean for a quick rundown of what all this means and preview the exciting changes to come!

The Daily Gwei Refuel gives you a recap every week day on everything that happened in the Ethereum and crypto ecosystems over the previous 24 hours - hosted by Anthony Sassano. Timestamps and links to topics discussed: https://daily-gwei-links.vercel.app/recent 00:00 Introductory song 00:09 ETH spot ETF filings https://twitter.com/JSeyff/status/1714738455224201248 08:42 Coinbase choose Ireland as European/MICA hub https://twitter.com/coinbase/status/1715020066540999124 13:10 EIP 4844 discussion https://twitter.com/dankrad/status/1715087554469339295 15:17 Swell's roadmap https://twitter.com/swellnetworkio/status/1714903209620435202 22:19 Eigenlayer research fellowship https://twitter.com/eigenlayer/status/1715111409275813895 23:20 Anthony on restaking in Cointelegraph article https://twitter.com/Cointelegraph/status/1715201381953339526 24:29 Aave DAO choose Rocketpool for staking https://twitter.com/lemiscate/status/1714955469733667172 26:15 Privacy & Scaling Explorations' trusted ceremony  https://twitter.com/PrivacyScaling/status/1714710281899962597 26:53 Polygon's new protocol council (including Anthony) https://twitter.com/0xPolygonLabs/status/1714974723682009418 30:52 RetroPGF's new website https://twitter.com/retropgf/status/1715019160307053038 31:45 CowSwap introduce gasless approvals https://twitter.com/CoWSwap/status/1714633297408696409 34:27 Gitcoin Grants R19 scheduled for Nov 15-29 https://twitter.com/gitcoin/status/1715026016924737800 35:34 Cryptocurrency job market overview https://twitter.com/jobsincrypto/status/1714906664237732350 37:56 Anthony's latest bull market tip https://twitter.com/sassal0x/status/1715235126127542678 This episode is also available on YouTube: https://youtu.be/4qKLOZiydMc Subscribe to the newsletter: https://thedailygwei.substack.com/ Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvCp6vKY5jDr87htKH6hgDA/ Follow Anthony on Twitter: https://twitter.com/sassal0x Follow The Daily Gwei on Twitter: https://twitter.com/thedailygwei Join the Discord Channel: https://discord.gg/4pfUJsENcg DISCLAIMER: All information presented across all of The Daily Gwei's communication channels is strictly for educational purposes and should not be taken as investment advice.

Today on City Cast Portland, we're talking about the first rollout of Mayor Ted Wheelers' Alchemy-managed shelter sites, the wrangling of our city's Clean Energy Fund, and the controversial attempts by certain city council members to modify the voter-approved charter reform. Joining host Claudia Meza in this week's news roundup are Portland Mercury's news editor, Courtney Vaughn, and our very own lead producer, John Notarianni. Headlines discussed in the episode: Portland's First Temporary Mass Shelter Site Will Open This Month [Portland Mercury] Portland's Massive Clean Energy Fund Makes Strides in Accountability, Management, Auditor Says [Oregonian

Right now the campaigning for the Houston mayoral election is underway, with elections happening in November of this year. Time is up on the current mayor Sylvester Turner, a two-time elected Democrat not able to seek reelection again due to term limits. If you were wondering about who was running for the new available spot, you would be hard pressed to find all of the candidates with a simple Google search. Many news outlets don't even offer information on all of the candidates on the ballet, only the ones they feel like reporting about. With this subjective reporting, how are citizens to know all of their options? Shouldn't there be some sort of informed consent for all of our available options out there? I mean, this isn't the pharmaceutical industry, surely not every system of power in place is intentionally withholding valuable information from the population to manipulate and coerce our decision making as a whole and keep us as oppressed, mind controlled sheeple who in Huxleyan fashion eagerly and intoxicatedly consent to our own spiritually vibration lowering subjugation?LOL

MDJ  Script/ Top Stories for May 11th Thursday Publish Date: May 10, Wednesday   Henssler :15,  Bed Music fires From the Henssler Financial Studio, Welcome to the Marietta Daily Journal Podcast    Today is Thursday, May 11th, and happy 33rd birthday to Cam Newton ***highlight*** I'm Dan Radcliffe and here are the top stories Cobb is talking about, presented by Credit Union of Georgia A positive direction': Battery Atlanta generating record tax revenue, says county CFO Marietta council to consider 84-foot downtown building Wednesday And the brand new Mableton City Council schedules it's first meeting for Thursday We'll have all this and more on the Marietta Daily Journal Podcast.   Commercial : CU of GA STORY 1  Battery   Truist Park and The Battery Atlanta, which were funded with $300 million in public funds, generated more property tax revenue than Cobb County paid out of its general fund for debt service on the project in 2022, according to Cobb CFO Bill Volckmann. The taxable value of the land at The Battery rose from $5 million in 2014 to $736 million in 2022, and it produced $26.5 million in sales tax revenue in 2022. The Battery had 10 million visitors in 2022, 80% of whom were from outside the county. Construction will begin this year on The Henry, a $500 million development, with a 3% ownership stake for the Braves. STORY 2: Council ** Christian Jamar Harris, a 32-year-old man from Acworth, Georgia,  was arrested on April 27 for possessing over 100 videos of The Marietta City Council will consider Atlanta-based Bridger Properties' proposal to construct a seven-story, 84-foot-tall residential building with 135 units at 25 Polk Street downtown. The developer does not require a rezoning to proceed with the project but needs a certificate of approval from the council due to the property being in the downtown historic district. The Historic Board of Review recommended denial of the design, with criticism focusing on the proposed building's height and size and its proximity to the historic Root House. The developer has requested a two-month delay, and the council may approve the design or deny it, send it back for revisions, or keep the issue in its realm and seek revisions.   Top of Form Story 3: Mableton   The newly established city of Mableton has planned a special transitional City Council meeting for Thursday night at 6:30 PM at the Riverside EpiCenter on Riverside Parkway. The meeting's agenda includes discussions and actions related to preliminary municipal incorporation and transitional matters such as electing a Mayor Pro Tem, interim appointments, City Charter, City website, personnel, intergovernmental service/tax agreements, executive session exceptions, and future meeting times/locations. Mayor Michael Owens has filed a legal notice outlining the meeting's purpose……..we'll be back in a moment     Break:   ESOG – Dayco -Elon   Story 4:  Leah (Ingles)   “And now, Leah McGrath from Ingles Markets joins our own Bruce Jenkins to talk meat allergies”. ***Au*** ****Leah interview piece****   “Stay here, more Cobb County news is coming up”   .   STORY 5: Comet   The Cobb Board of Commissioners approved the construction of part of the Silver Comet Trail Connector along a portion of Atlanta Road, bringing the two trails closer to being connected. The project, which is expected to cost $7.8 million, includes a multi-use trail between 10 and 12 feet wide and repairs to a bridge over Atlanta Road, and is expected to begin this summer and take two years to complete. The county will also build a trail between Plant Atkinson and the existing Silver Comet Trail in a separate project. In addition, the commission approved improvements to the 17.5-acre Ebenezer Downs Park in northeast Cobb.   STORY 6: Bucs   The Allatoona boys lacrosse team has advanced to the state championship for the first time in seven years after defeating Marist 16-7 in the semifinals of the Class 5A-6A state playoffs. The Buccaneers dominated the third quarter, outscoring the War Eagles 6-0, to secure the win and a place in the championship game against either Roswell or Cambridge this Saturday at 6pm. Allatoona last won the state championship in 2016 and the coach, Jonathan Wishon, is thrilled with the team's success, attributing it to the players' support for each other and their ability to play well together. Morgan Madish led Allatoona with five goals and Jack Frischmann contributed four.     Story 7: Transfer   Dominick Blaylock, a former standout wide receiver at the University of Georgia, has announced his transfer to archrival Georgia Tech. The 6-foot-1, 205-pound receiver, who is expected to graduate this week, will have two years of eligibility remaining. Blaylock was a five-star recruit and had a promising start to his career at Georgia, but a torn ACL likely changed the course of his career. He played in only two games in 2021 but showed improvement, catching 15 passes for 227 yards and a touchdown. Blaylock is the third former Bulldog to switch to Georgia Tech this offseason, joining tight end Brett Seither and former offensive analyst Buster Faulkner…..back in a momentTop of Form   Break  Drake – JRM Teaser-Ingles 3   Top of Form   Story 8: Bell Chicago Bears' general manager Ryan Poles developed a strong connection with defensive tackle Travis Bell during the pre-draft process. Bell, who played for Kennesaw State, was the Bears' seventh-round draft pick. Poles described Bell as one of his favorite human beings due to his passion, intensity, and commitment to balancing work, school, and practice. Bell worked full-time while attending classes and playing football at Kennesaw State, but he never regretted it because it helped his family. Bell described the feeling of having football as his primary job as the best feeling in the world and a blessing. Bell of course is the first player drafted out of the KSU program, which began play in 2015. Closing thoughts after this. Break: Henssler 60 Signoff – ****Cobb Life bed**** Thanks again for hanging out with us on today's Marietta Daily Journal podcast. Did you know over 50% of Americans listen to podcasts weekly? Giving you important news about your community and telling great stories are what we do. Make sure you join us for our next episode and be sure to share this podcast on social media with your friends and family. Add us to your Alexa Flash Briefing or your Google Home Briefing and be sure to like, follow, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.   Thanks to Henssler Financial www.hensslerkennesaw.com Credit Union of Georgia www.cuofga.com Engineered Solutions of Georgia www.esogrepair.com Dayco Systems www.daycosystems.com Drake Realty www.drakerealty.com JRM Management www.jrmmanagement.com  Ingles Markets www.ingles-markets.com and Elon Salon www.elonsalon.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Denver City Council is asking Denver voters to remove 100-year-old language from the City Charter related to the Board of Adjustment in an effort to modernize zoning exceptions and variances. Real Estate Shareholders Blair Lichtenfels and Zach Siegel bring in land use attorney Caitlin Quander to discuss Referred Question 2M—how it works, what will happen if it passes and its potential impact on the city.

 On Monday Feb. 6, Luz Hernandez, 33, a teacher at BelovED Community Charter School in Jersey City, New Jersey, was reported missing. On Tuesday, her body was discovered in a shallow grave in a desolate industrial area of Kearny. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

A coalition of grassroots organizations seek to amend the city charter. The San Antonio Justice Charter initiative would reform certain police practices and enforcement. The proposed amendments would ban the San Antonio Police department from the use of no-knock warrants and chokeholds and expand the cite-and-release policy. They would also decriminalize low-level marijuana possession, abortion, and establish a city Justice Director.

New York City voters can approve or disapprove three proposed City Charter amendments on the 2022 general election ballot. Questions 2-4 on the ballot for city voters (Question 1 is on the statewide Environmental Bond Act) are proposals from the NYC Racial Justice Commission. Jennifer Jones Austin, Chair of the Racial Justice Commission, joined the show to discuss the three proposals and broader themes of social, economic, and racial justice in New York City.

Who Gets to Vote? Ohio Issue 2Ohio voters will decide this fall whether noncitizens can vote in local elections. State Issue 2, which would change the state constitution if a https://www.ohiosos.gov/globalassets/ballotboard/2022/2022-11_issue2_certifiedballotlanguage.pdf (majority votes "yes"), proposes that only adult U.S. citizens who legally reside and are registered to vote in Ohio for at least 30 days can cast a ballot in future state and local elections. Backers of the amendment say it's important to uphold the integrity of citizenship, while opponents argue it's an unnecessary part of a trend to cut down on voting access. Barberton Speedway Up For SaleBarberton https://www.facebook.com/BarbertonSpeedwayOH (Speedway), a presence in Norton before it was a city, is up for sale after the death of owner Greg Prunty in June. Sue Young, a sister of Prunty and executor of his estate, said in a recent phone interview that she is hoping to sell the http://www.barbertonspeedway.net/ (speedway) to a buyer who will continue racing at the quarter-mile track. Summit County Gun Buyback and Safety Training InitiativeWhile in the https://www.beaconjournal.com/story/news/local/2022/09/19/summit-county-sheriffs-office-planning-gun-buyback-event/65981260007/ (planning phase now), Summit County will spend 55,000 on gifts cards and advertising (including gift cards from Dick's sporting Goods, and Acme Fresh Market) to exchange for guns. I'll keep you posted when the dates are announced. Christmas GrooveThe Christmas Groove is an annual benefit concert that seeks to raise awareness and benefit those in need in Northeast Ohio. In 2004, a group of friends and a few musicians assembled for a common purpose: to create a family-friendly concert that would entertain and bless others during the Christmas season. http://www.christmasgroove.org/ (www.christmasgroove.org) Free Women's Self Defense Class McEbright Community Learning Center at 349 Cole Avenue in Akron on Tuesday, September 27 from 6p-8p. Thanks to Akron Ward 7 Councilman Donnie Kammer for helping sponsor the event. (source: https://www.facebook.com/SummitCountyProsecutorSherriBevanWalsh/posts/pfbid02Qoyj47KmPiEhU8i9qiQyVNvaQBcmq4JXyDN32ifRU29SFywSpSAfdSwPtQPEytfql (Sherri Bevan Walsh, Summit County Prosecutor)) Citizen Oversight Board Presented to Akron City CouncilProposed Timeline of Ordinance: Introduced to Akron City Council – Sept. 12, 2022 Second Reading at Council – Sept. 19, 2022 Third Reading and Possible Passage at Council – Sept. 26, 2022 If passed by a super majority (9 members of Council) the ordinance would go into effect immediately, if passed by a simple majority (7 members of Council) the ordinance would have a 30-day referendum period before implementation Immediately after passage, the Mayor's Office would open applications to Akron residents who are interested in being on the Board (must be 18 or older) – Sept. 27, 2022 Applications would remain open until October 31, 2022 Mayor Horrigan will present his choices to City Council in Dec. 2022 (given that there have been enough applicants to fill the Board) A Board would be in place by the first quarter of 2023 Mayor Horrigan would then work to create a City Charter initiative to go on the Nov. 2023 ballot enshrining the Citizen Oversight Board into Akron's Charter Mentioned in this episode: Please Support This Show If you get any value from the show please consider giving some of that value back and help us keep the lights on by going to www.akronpodcast.com/value any size donation is appreciated. https://akron-ohio-podcast.captivate.fm/value (Value For Value) Start Your Podcast Today Join the School of Podcasting When you join the School of Podcasting you can quit worrying about: Are people going to listen to me? (Yes, cause I'll show you how to see what they want). Am I going to sound stupid? (No, as I'll show you the magic of editing) It will cost a million...

Hour 1 -  Nick Reed is live at Scramblers Diner for the Friday Road Show. Here's what he covers this hour:  Writer and producer, Jack Cashill, wrote a story regarding former Republican Sen. John Danforth and his involvement with Senate candidate John Wood who is running as an Independent. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-KY, thinks that Republicans have a lukewarm chance of flipping the Senate in November, citing "candidate quality" as a factor.  ALSO -  Melanie with the Galloway Village Neighborhood Association joins Nick this morning: There is something on the November 8th ballot that you need to know about... For over four years, Galloway Village Neighbors have successfully blocked a proposed 5 story apartment complex across from Sequiota Park. Determined to silence legitimate concerns, the City of Springfield of Springfield actively fought in court to deny every Springfield citizen's right to vote, siding with the developer and against the City Charter. The Missouri Court of Appeals chastised the City's actions and ordered the rezoning to be placed on the ballot. Voting no in November will stop the development.

The City of Morris, MN has passed a measure to disband their police department. They shout to the hills that they support their police, and then held closed door meetings to discuss the handling of the situation by the City Manager, Blaine Hill. How transparent of them. What happened? Why the secret meetings? 29 days after their reassurances that the police would not be going away, these police supporters on the council dismantled the city's force. Mayor Sheldon Giese cites a lack of ability to hire enough staff to keep the department, but we doubt that it's that people just refuse to work there. Many police are looking for jobs outside of the Metro. This looks a whole lot more like poor planning. Morris is a college town. It's not a small town. There are things going on. Can the Sheriff's office handle the increased workload? Is this going to be a trend in outstate Minnesota, and is this a back door way to get rid of the police in police-friendly areas? We also discuss the illusion of inflation versus the Consumer Price Index and this "great job market" and what is really causing the overabundance of available jobs. Minnesota touts 1.8% unemployment, but as with all things government, that number is manufactured... just like how inflation is calculated. Newsflash: none of this is going to get better soon. Have you checked out our Spotify playlist? At the beginning of each episode, Jason quotes some song lyrics that have to do with the subject matter of the podcast. Andrew never knows what they are, but now he can… and so can you! We've launched the Spotify playlist: “Community Solutions Music From the Podcast!” You can listen to Roundabout from Yes after listing to Episode 30 on Roundabouts… or kick back and enjoy a rocking playlist just for the thrill of it. We add a new song every week. Subscribe and enjoy! Don't forget that you can also subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Spotify!

On this Hacks & Wonks week-in-review, Crystal is joined by former Seattle mayor and current Executive Director of America Walks, Mike McGinn. Mike starts off discussing what he looks for in candidates. Then Mike and Crystal spend time talking about the Seattle City Council putting ranked choice voting on the ballot, how that impacts the conflicting approval voting initiative, and the differences between both systems. Next, they break down reporting on how the lack of housing is actually the leading cause of homelessness, and what it will take to properly make an impact on our state's homelessness crisis. Finally, Crystal and Mike ask why elected leaders continue to politicize, ignore and defund public safety programs that have proven to be effective.   As always, a full text transcript of the show is available below and at officialhacksandwonks.com. Find the host, Crystal Fincher, on Twitter at @finchfrii and find today's co-host, Mike McGinn, at @mayormcginn. More info is available at officialhacksandwonks.com.   Resources Vote by August 2nd! Need to register to vote or update your registration? Go here: https://vote.wa.gov   “People Power Washington's 2022 Policing and Public Safety Voter Guide” https://www.wethepeoplepower.org/wa-state-legislature-2022   Available now for State Legislature primary races! https://www.wethepeoplepower.org/washington-state-legislature-candidates-2022 -------------------------- “Seattle City Council puts ranked-choice voting on the ballot” by Melissa Santos from Axios: https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2022/07/15/seattle-city-council-ranked-choice-voting-ballot    “Cause of homelessness? It's not drugs or mental illness, researchers say” by Gary Warth from The Seattle Times: https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/cause-of-homelessness-its-not-drugs-or-mental-illness-researchers-say/    “Homelessness is a Housing Problem,” by Gregg Colburn & Clayton Page Aldern   “Mayor Harrell Wants to Give Cops an Extra $30,000 to Work in Seattle” by Hanna Krieg from The Stranger: https://www.thestranger.com/news/2022/07/13/76404101/mayor-harrell-wants-to-give-cops-an-extra-30000-to-work-in-seattle    “King County Expands Public Health Approach In Response to Rising Gun Violence” by Natalie Bicknell Argerious from The Urbanist: https://www.theurbanist.org/2022/07/14/king-county-expands-public-health-approach-in-response-to-rising-gun-violence/    “Seattle Might Soon Defund a Promising Police Alternative” by Will Casey from The Stranger: https://www.thestranger.com/news/2022/06/23/75477450/seattle-might-soon-defund-a-promising-police-alternative    Transcript [00:00:00] Crystal Fincher: Welcome to Hacks & Wonks. I'm Crystal Fincher, and I'm a political consultant and your host. On this show, we talk with policy wonks and political hacks to gather insight into local politics and policy in Washington State through the lens of those doing the work with behind-the-scenes perspectives on what's happening, why it's happening, and what you can do about it. Full transcripts and resources referenced in the show are always available at officialhacksandwonks.com and in our episode notes. Today we are continuing our Friday almost-live shows where we review the news of the week with a cohost. Welcome back to the program, friend of the show - one of our favorites - activist, community leader, former Mayor of Seattle and Executive Director of America Walks: the popular Mike McGinn. [00:00:57] Mike McGinn: I think we need to add a little more to that intro - I think we need more, I think we need more. Glad to be here, thank you so much. [00:01:05] Crystal Fincher: Glad to have you here. This past week, we actually hosted a couple of candidate forums - one in the 37th legislative district, another in the 36th legislative district - because ballots are arriving, you should probably have your ballot, or get it tomorrow if you don't have it yet because the election on August 2nd is upon us. In one of those forums, one candidate that you had endorsed got emotional talking about your endorsement meaning a lot to them, so certainly popular with a number of people - largely, just because of the work that you have done. So appropriate that we're here talking to someone who has gone through many campaigns himself, right as we have so many people going through that same process, and everyone is receiving their ballots so they can vote. What's your take on ballots dropping? What are you looking out for? What are your thoughts? [00:02:08] Mike McGinn: Yeah, it's so I - number one, I'm appreciative and maybe I shouldn't advertise this, but when people call me and ask me about running for office, I almost always speak with them. I guess - call me before you announce is my one thing - as I tell people, there's only two times when you're pretty much guaranteed coverage in a race - when you announce you're in it and when they announce the election results. So you really wanna get out the gate well, and I think a lot of people tend to think - well, I just need to get in the race, I need to start telling my friends, and I need to start raising my money - they haven't really thought through what it is they're doing and why they're running. And that's the thing I look for the most in a candidate - is there values - and I think we have a tendency, and sometimes Democrats in particular have this tendency, to look for the policy positions and someone's depth of knowledge on policy issues. And I think that's important, but to me, the policy positions are usually important because they're gonna reveal something about the underlying values of the person - what really matters to them, what do they choose to highlight, and how do they choose to approach it? So I don't expect, particularly first-time candidates for office, to have depth of knowledge on a wide variety of issues. I think that's unrealistic, and I think you're just rewarding the facile mind or the person who reads the - the policy wonk type who reads everything all the time. I'd be looking for who's the person who really has been engaged and has put their values into action, shown where their heart lies by what they've chosen to work on and how they've chosen to work on it. And you might be able to forgive a little policy difference here or there if you feel like their heart's really in the right place, 'cause people can tell you the right thing when they're running 'cause they know what'll ring the bell, but what will happen when it gets hard? What will happen when the pressure hits? Will they stick with that, or will they move somewhere else? And so that also leads to one of my favorite questions for a candidate - tell me a time you did something hard, even if it might have been unpopular. Tell me, and what was, it? And that's another thing I look for. So it matters to me what people have chosen to work on over the years and where they come from, and that's what I tend to base my endorsements on. Are they gonna be able to do something hard when the pressure of office gets in there? 'Cause if you don't do something hard before you get elected, you're probably not gonna do it after you get elected - the pressure's too much. [00:04:48] Crystal Fincher: Yeah, you will not do it after you get elected. And we've talked about this a bit before, but absolutely that, and a lot of times people look at running as - oh, this is really hard, once I just win this election, then I can to the work of governing and - but no, it gets harder, it gets much harder. The work begins once you finish your campaign, which is a scary thought for people going through all of the ups and downs and work of - it's certainly a lot - but it does not get easier, the scrutiny and the accountability only grows from there. And so I'm similar - after all of the time that I've spent just paying attention and watching candidates up close and seeing how they operate before they run, during the campaign - translates to how they govern. 'Cause a lot of the things that you do when you're actually running for office don't translate to the job of governing and meeting the needs of your constituents. And it really is this issue that I think we're facing all over the place - how can we have Democratic majorities, Democratic governor, leadership House and Senate, Congressional majorities, yet be stuck on what we need to pass, even on things just like - hey, we need to act to codify women's right to abortion services, people's right to privacy in law - and we don't have the votes to do that in Congress. And even calling a special session here, within a Democratic majority, and so a big question is not just - Hey, are you progressive? Are you a Democrat? Do you know what the right policy is? - 'cause every single one of those people running and people we see running in the state do know the right answers, right? The answers that will make people nod their heads and agree with them and - okay, they like it. But when Congressional leadership and House leadership is saying - Hey, we're close to passing this bill, we just need - this isn't gonna fly - so-and-so member over here doesn't want this provision that is key to serving people in your community who you know need it, we just need you on the Yes vote, don't hold this up, don't be difficult, don't do that, you're not playing that kind of stuff. Are you going to say - No, this is important and I'm a No without that, or I'm going to need this in, or how do we work this in, we can continue to talk but this needs to be in and we need to figure out how to get there - where those things are not going to be compromised away. Because we've done a lot of the easy stuff - a lot of the problems that continue to get worse, like housing affordability, we're seeing rights recede, we're seeing income inequality continue to get worse. And the action needed to solve those problems, the action needed to solve homelessness, the action needed to solve to make our streets safer - that's the hard stuff. That's the stuff where there is not uniform agreement among Democrats or progressives. That's the stuff where there is not agreement from leadership in these bodies to say - okay, let's do that. That's the controversial stuff. And we need people who will stand up and say - We have compromised that away before - we've taken action on all that other stuff, it's time to move on this stuff that we know is critical to making our future better and not just perpetuating these same things. That's my feeling. [00:08:38] Mike McGinn: Well, we've got this - you're previewing an issue that we're gonna talk about - housing and homelessness - I almost wanted to jump right in there with that, but I'm also really intrigued by what has happened with, as folks may know, there was signatures collected to put approval voting on the ballot this year. Meaning a change in the system by which candidates are elected in Seattle would be put into the City Charter and apply in future elections. And the basic concept of approval voting was that in the primary you could select every candidate that you approved of. And that has a certain appeal when you have, as we do here in legislative races or City Council races coming up next year, you'll have seven or eight candidates and you don't wanna waste your vote on someone that doesn't stand a chance of winning. And so that was the appeal. And as background, there's a sizable contingent of folks who've been proponents of ranked-choice voting and who've opposed approval voting. But they have spoken to the City Council, and the City Council is now - City Council has a choice when something collects enough signatures to go on the ballot - the City Council can either just put it into law, they can send it to the ballot, or they can send it to the ballot with an alternative. And the City Council has approved an alternative, which is to use ranked-choice voting, to select your top two. So you get to select, I don't know how many ranks they're gonna put in, but you'll be able to rank the candidates in the race. And the lowest-ranked candidate - they count multiple times - so everybody goes like 1-5 for their candidates, or whatever the number is here. And once they tally the first round of votes, the lowest-ranked candidate gets knocked out and everybody who voted first for that person, you look to their second-choice votes and add them in. And you keep doing that until somebody - until in this case - until you reach top two for the primary. So in one case you just - everybody I like. In the other case, you go - here are the people I like in the order I like 'em, and that will end up picking our top two. And it's just - I'm sorry, I know I'm doing a lot of explaining here - but the other part of it that's fascinating is the way the ballot is is - Do you think we should do something different? is the first question. Should we consider an alternative? And if you say yes, then they will ask - Which one do you like? Do you like the approval voting or do you like the ranked-choice voting? So we're gonna have a great discussion here about - 'cause let me tell you something - ranked-choice voting advocates and approval voting advocates both really, really care about why their system is better than the other. So we're gonna hear a ton of that, but I think there's a fundamental question, which is - Why change what we have? Because that's the first vote. And so - [00:11:44] Crystal Fincher: Yeah, that is the first vote. [00:11:45] Mike McGinn: That's the first vote. And I don't know - I'll put my cards on the table - I'm definitely voting Yes, that let's change what we have. We can talk about why. And I don't know - I wanna hear all the arguments about which is better than the other as this debate progresses, because I do think - I personally think both would be better - that's my take. [00:12:07] Crystal Fincher: I have a different take. We talked about this a little bit before in the program - I do have a different take. We have been discussing ranked-choice voting, there's been a movement for ranked-choice voting for quite some time in our state from a lot of community advocates in a lot of areas across the state. This is something that has had support on the ground from within different communities and different counties across the state. I will tell you that I do like ranked-choice voting and if the vote were up to me, I would choose to do that. But I will also say that we've tried ranked-choice voting in Pierce County before and it didn't go very well. And not because there was a flaw with ranked-choice voting, but because we need to invest in the voter education that it takes to do that. It's one thing for very online people - people who live and breathe politics and policy who are going through and know what the ballot question is gonna look like from the Council, and we got the update on the Council decision. Most people do not have the time, or even know where to begin to look, or have the inclination to figure all that out, right? And they're dealing with elections pretty much when they see their ballot arrive in their mailbox. And there are lots of people in different situations - there are lots of people who do not have home internet access - the majority of my neighbors do not have home internet access where I live. They're looking at stuff on their phones, they're doing different things, but it's not like they're getting a lot of information online. And for people who are not plugged in online and getting all of the alerts from government - there actually isn't great outreach person-to-person, through the mailbox, people - hey, this is gonna change. And if someone gets a ballot and they don't know what to do with it, the decision that they most often make is not to vote. And that confusion is just a bad feeling for people who do want to vote. And that causes a - hey, what what do I even do with this, I don't know. And so I think ranked-choice voting is excellent. And I think that we have to make sure that there is a planned investment and strategy to make it work, to outreach to every community, to reach out to people in language, to work through community centers, to work through churches, to work through everywhere - to make sure that the community understands that this change is coming and this is how to work through it. And not just a - hey, we're gonna have some news coverage as ballots drop and that kind of thing. But months and months beforehand to do that - that is what it takes to really enfranchise people. Or else we're gonna see really low-turnout elections and a lot of frustration and a lot of pushback that reflects on the system, when really it's a reflection on the implementation. And that would be the case for either one of these initiatives, really - that's not just tied to ranked-choice voting. I think that was a lesson that we learned that would apply to any kind of change. So I personally would just implore anyone working on this to have a plan that isn't reliant on the news getting the word out, that isn't reliant on people learning online what to do - that you are going out and educating the people about the change because in order to empower the people and to enfranchise the people who are most frequently left out, that step is critical. [00:15:45] Mike McGinn: I think that's absolutely right. And a few different thoughts - one is that there is that threshold question of why change. And one of my fears in this process is that the proponents of either approach will focus on the - why is my - what's the difference? And it's natural in campaigns for - just campaigns don't like gray, they like black and white. And so the opportunity here for the proponents of one to say that the other one would in fact be an unmitigated disaster, if approved, is gonna be really strong. But that leads to a really interesting point because - what is the goal of the proponents of each? Is it to get a change, or is it to actually - or would they prefer that the voters not approve the threshold question? And I don't know, I'm not trying to - I'm not, this isn't coming from any place of knowledge, of motivations of anybody - on my part. But that could be a concern - is that the voters could say - we're just gonna vote No to the change at all. And that would put the idea of change further in the rear-view mirror, or further off in the horizon to actually get a different system in the future. I do think the advantage of both - just to go to the threshold question - is just in fields where you have five or six candidates who feel like there are gradations of difference, or maybe there's a couple in that camp and a few in that camp - the ability to say these are the people in my camp that I would be happy with. And again, under the system, you can just bullet vote approval voting - I'm just gonna vote for one, I'm not gonna vote for anyone else 'cause I don't wanna - this is the one I really want and I don't wanna help anyone else. Or you could say three or four are acceptable - I suppose in ranked-choice voting you could do the same - I'm just gonna vote for 1, 2, 3. [00:17:50] Crystal Fincher: You can choose to not rank. [00:17:50] Mike McGinn: Yeah. Or you can choose - I'm just gonna vote for one, I'm just gonna bullet vote for one 'cause I really don't wanna help anyone else. But that's less likely 'cause you probably wanna show who you're saying your choices are - yeah. And so I think that gives - I think that puts more power in the hands of the voters. It is a little discouraging that it's in August of an odd-year - so it's a small number of voters expressing their preference, as opposed to a general election or at least an even-year election where you've got a big turnout for Governor or President or Senator or Congress and the like, compared to the odd-year. [00:18:31] Crystal Fincher: Well, I think the approval voting forced that hand because I do think that, and I think lots of people and the Council made the case when they approved this yesterday - that the people, especially for the length of time that people have been advocating for ranked-choice voting here in this area, that people do deserve a choice. And we were at the point with approval voting that they may not have had a choice about the kind of change that they wanted. So hey, if we're gonna vote on a change, let's actually have a conversation about the change. And I do think that the approval voting making it on the ballot helped that. You talk about, you mentioned - what is the motivation, do people actually want the change, do people not? I think that's a multi-layered and very interesting question. And I think, as we've talked about with candidates lots of times, and I think applies here is - well, who supports it? Where is the support coming from? Who is launching these initiatives? Do they have a history in this community? Is it external? Are these big-money interests who have a history of donating to causes and you can see their alignment with you or not? I think a lot of people are questioning, I know a lot of people are questioning that with the approval voting initiative. And the question about - do we want change? I think a lot of people are questioning, given some of the really big-money interests involved, is that - are they enacting change now to prevent further change? Is really one of the big questions, saying - Hey, we see the polling about where age groups are, where the increase of renters, where increasing number of people are not just getting more progressive, they're like, okay we gotta flip this system, and we need to fundamentally transform a lot of these systems that we're seeing. That is not a negligible percentage in Seattle and it's on the precipice - they can win City Council seats. We have a Socialist winning City Council seats, we have other very strong progressives winning City Council seats, and they're getting closer and closer to being able to win Mayor once again. And so I think that everyone sees that coming, and we're seeing a national movement in the same way that they see demographic shifts happening that makes it less likely that the Republican Party would maintain control without enacting legislation that limits things that expand the numbers of people who are enfranchised to vote. I think this is similar in that we see this change coming and it's unnatural - Let's make a change and make it sound progressive and do that - that's certainly what a lot of people are talking about. [00:21:25] Mike McGinn: I hear that, I hear that - but sometimes what people think they're doing and what they're actually doing aren't the same thing. And I would think about district elections in the City of Seattle. Do you remember who brought us district elections - turned out to be, it was Faye Garneau and it was Eugene Wasserman and - [00:21:46] Crystal Fincher: Wasserman - that's right. And another Ballard - [00:21:50] Mike McGinn: Yeah, and these were - they were business-aligned people who - I knew all of them, of course, 'cause they were really active in their communities and in ways that were positive, even if I didn't agree with - [00:22:10] Crystal Fincher: Positive and negative - I agreed with them on some stuff, disagreed on others. [00:22:12] Mike McGinn: Disagreed on others, but yeah - Eugene Wasserman didn't didn't like the bike lane on Nickerson - he represented the North Seattle Industrial Association. But he did appreciate - he was trying to, he was working to protect businesses in Ballard and that was his motivation and it was a fine motivation. But I think that - the reason I bring this up and I really do appreciate that those individuals - is that they were in some degree responding to the fact that the downtown business community had so much influences compared to the local, the business districts and business people outside of downtown. And it had that effect, but it also had the effect then of reducing the influence of the Chamber of Commerce, even though they're spending tons of money still - in fact, the reason they're spending more is 'cause they have to spend more to deal with the fact that somebody can get elected in a City Council race by knocking on a lot of doors and having a better grassroots effort and it costs less money. So I think that while they were hopeful it would lead in one direction, it actually led in a somewhat different direction. So I tend to look more closely at what would happen under approval voting than what might be the motivation. And I almost regret bringing up motivation because I think it puts people in a hard spot - I think what I was trying to get at earlier was, if you're campaigning for ranked-choice voting, are you okay with nothing getting through and we'll come back with ranked-choice voting later, or do you really want to get a Yes on the first vote and get it through. And I think the same thing is true of the approval voting advocates - are you okay with getting the Yes vote on the threshold question of, Should we change?, even if it means that ranked-choice voting comes in as opposed to what you prefer. And I think that that might change how either side approaches that threshold question in the case they make. Will they be more interested in saying what's wrong with the other guy's approach or the other person's approach, as opposed to really laying the groundwork for why we need a better system and why we should be looking at the two of them? [00:24:27] Crystal Fincher: Yeah, I think that's interesting. I also think - and I don't know how that's gonna turn out, I think it's gonna be fascinating to see what the goal is. I do think it's telling, looking at the strategy, that certainly approval voting felt more comfortable on the primary ballot than in the general just to get it over the finish line in a lower turnout election. I do, even on that one, I do think there's - I don't think the business community is a monolith. I absolutely think there's value in not letting our mega-corporations that happen to reside here dictate policy, because that does contradict what a lot of neighborhood business associations, local business associations, what small business wants, which - there are lots of small business organizations and Seattle Chamber organizations that support the JumpStart Tax - it has a ton of help in there for small businesses. However, Amazon has a different take on it. And so those interests are not often aligned. And while looking at the amount of businesses that are facing lease increases and citing that as a reason that they're going outta business, there is an income inequality conversation in the business community that is very similar to the one in the personal community. And I do think we should talk a lot more about that, just in general, 'cause those interests are not - they're not aligned and small businesses are increasingly saying we're being harmed by the practices and impacts of big corporations and what they're doing and the effects that their practices are having within the community. That said, we'll continue to follow this - I think it is gonna be a lively conversation and I do appreciate the points that you raise about it. And it is true - sometimes people think they're doing something and it turns out a little bit differently. So it'll be interesting to see. And I think - [00:26:35] Mike McGinn: I think it's a worthwhile debate too. I think this is a good debate to be had really between the two systems and I've heard points from both sides that are worthy - everybody's worthy of taking consideration of. I have to just say - I guess I'm just, as a pure primary voter in Seattle myself, I like the idea of being able to pick more than one person in a race or rank them in a race. I just like having a little more agency in this selection process than picking one outta seven or eight candidates and hoping that I made a good, hoping I made a strategic vote as opposed to being able to vote a little more with my heart. [00:27:16] Crystal Fincher: I also like the idea of having more agency. If I could choose between nothing, approval voting, or ranked-choice voting, I would choose ranked-choice voting. You mentioned politics likes black and white, but reality is in shades of gray. And to me that's another difference between approval voting and ranked-choice voting. And it allows you to know everybody - generally people don't like everyone equally, and you might have - oh, there's a couple who I really like and a number of others that aren't there, or a situation where the person who I like does not look viable and I do actually want progressive policy to pass. And that can be a different situation. But in just a binary approval - binary voting - like, Hey one Yes - you're only voting for one person and that's it. You do have to make additional considerations to say - my vote - I may be able to get maybe not my first choice, but my second choice across the finish line - they, I think, can win. But if I vote for this other person I'm really taking away a vote from the person who can win. With ranked-choice voting, you could say - I know my first choice may not be the person who is on top of the polls right now, but this is who I prefer, this is who my heart says to vote for, they're my number one. And my number two, if they don't make it, I can at least know that my vote wasn't wasted and not going towards a candidate who could take down the moderate-industrial complex. And my interests and where that would be, it would be - I can still have a number two and I know that my vote will still count and not go towards not getting a more aligned interest across the finish line. So I like - I have a ranking, I wanna reflect that ranking. It's my thing. [00:29:23] Mike McGinn: Okay. Where to next? [00:29:25] Crystal Fincher: Well, let's talk about this article that was written this week in The Seattle Times by Gary Warth - the cause of homelessness - it's not drugs, it's not mental illnesses. Researchers say it's the lack of homes, which probably if you're listening to this podcast, probably if you've been involved in this kind of policy for a while, you're going - okay, we knew this. But if you look at the general conversation of the public and what we see on the evening news and what we see in headlines in our local papers and the recall elections for progressive district attorneys going on, there certainly is a strong narrative countering that - oh, it's addiction. It's people who are just lawless and who can't follow the norms of society. It's people who are beyond help. It's a choice that people are making. And no, not everybody who is homeless is in that situation. The one thing that everyone who is homeless lacks is a home - that's the biggest issue. It seems obvious, but there are so many things that seem obvious that unfortunately are not believed by some powerful and big-money interests who can control a lot of narratives and characterizations. And so I think the more we talk about this, the better. [00:30:52] Mike McGinn: It's a - first of all, the authors of the book just deserve a lot of credit because they really dug into the data and what the data showed them. And it's one of those things that you really dig into the data and then you get to the finish line and it then sounds obvious. But the work matters when you do this, which is that - it turns out that there's not dramatic differences in mental illness or substance abuse rates amongst different cities. So the single most explanatory factor was housing prices. Detroit has extremely low housing prices because it's lost jobs and it's been a - people have been leaving town. Now this is a place where you'd think that addiction and mental health issues would be serious, right? People are struggling, people are dealing with hard things - but they don't have the homelessness issue because whatever means of support are out there for people are sufficient for them to afford housing in a way that's not true in Seattle. We have people in Seattle who are working and can't - and are living in their car, they can't cobble something together to get shelter. And I think we also forget the way in which it works in the opposite direction. That if you don't have housing, if you don't have stability in your life - to escape for a little while into alcohol or drugs - geez, those of us with housing and with an income don't mind having a glass of wine in the evening and forgetting everything and just enjoying the moment. What must it be like for somebody who's struggling on a day-to-day basis? And so it's - I think it's just this - we do this thing as humans where when we see misfortune fall upon another, we wanna try to figure out why it's occurring to them and not to us and so we look to some type of personal behavior factor. Well, that's happening to them because of something they did. And I'll - I won't do those things and it won't happen to me. And it blinds us, I think, to the larger systemic factors that - so I grew up in the New York area, I'm a little older, and I just remember people in New York explaining why they didn't get mugged. Because they had a unique set of walking in the city skills, in terms of being alert and looking around and exuding confidence and fearlessness. It's just, they're just making stuff up, right? They're just making stuff up - it is something that could happen to them if - in certain circumstances. I think we tend to do that - attribute our good fortune to our behavior and other people's bad fortune to their behavior, and in so doing blind ourselves to the systemic factors at play. So again, real kudos to the researchers here for saying - look, we've looked at the data, multiple cities - looked at all the potential causes. And the one thing that really has a high degree of correlation is housing prices between - correlation between homelessness rates and housing prices. And it also then becomes an excuse for us to not allow more housing, right? [00:34:11] Crystal Fincher: Yeah - to not act, to do anything to fix it. [00:34:14] Mike McGinn: Right. It also enables us to say - well, we don't have to fix this, we don't have to allow an apartment building or backyard cottages or mother-in-laws. We don't have to allow, we don't really - for some people, in this case, this would be more the well-off corporations in town - we don't have to pay more for affordable housing for people who live in a nice neighborhood. There'd be like - well, this is just a problem of individual behavior and my opposition to new housing in my neighborhood has nothing to do with this. And so it's just a way to blame the victims and avoid accountability and responsibility for the systems we've built. And again, real kudos to these researchers for laying it out and I hope more people can be moved by that and have the logic of that overcome, I think, what is just our human nature. I just hope we can rise above that. [00:35:13] Crystal Fincher: Yeah, and we will link this book in the show notes - it's "Homelessness is a Housing Problem" with co-authors Clayton Page Aldern and Gregg Colburn, who've done a great job. And your point about - we love making excuses for why the things that we see with our eyes that are horrible problems that should not happen are things that we don't have a responsibility to help to fix, because someone did something wrong to wind up in that position. And it really reminds me, as we talk about COVID, as we're still in this pandemic - well, you didn't do this and you didn't do that. And someone's choosing to do this and either - well, this person can just choose to do something different. I don't need to take a precaution because I'm gonna be fine and if you don't feel like you're gonna be fine, you can choose to stay home. So that's a choice that you have and we don't have to take any other action in order to fix that. Or even with sexual assault - so frequently focuses on the actions of the woman. Well, what were you wearing? Why were you even in his hotel room or around him at that time? Did you lead him on? Well, you were out on the - why did you start to do anything with them? And it has nothing to do with the person who has been sexually assaulted - so the cause of rape is rapists. It's not anything that the woman is doing. It's the person who is perpetrating that sexual assault and our focus is so often in the wrong direction. Or victims of domestic violence - well, did you make him mad? Did you - what did you do? We're always looking for what someone did to wind up in that situation to basically justify why they deserve to be there, why they are not worthy as a person of anything better. And often that then goes to tying it - so since you are an unworthy person, since we have deemed you somehow immoral or undeserving, then you need to do these menial works and jump through all these hoops to prove to us - to basically purify and cleanse yourself back into worthiness again. And then - which is how we get means testing, it's how we get all of these programs that - well, you can't be in the condition that you are now, you're gonna have to clean up and take these classes and go to church service if you are going to be worthy of a spot in housing for us. Otherwise you're just kinda stuck out on the street. So it's - we have to get beyond blaming individuals for what research repeatedly shows are systemic problems. And this is a problem with homelessness, this is a problem with public safety, this is a problem with our public safety net, and issues like that. So I just - I'm happy this came out, I'm happy this is being exposed to more people. Lots of people when they encounter this are just immediately - obviously, this is the case. Or no, it's not - these people are choosing to be blah, blah, blah, blah, all the stuff. But there are people who are just like - okay well, I see that it's wrong. And if there is something that we can do to fix it, why wouldn't we do that? It's to all of our benefits. [00:38:37] Mike McGinn: And I think one of the things that deserves to be mentioned in here too is that stable housing turns out to be an extraordinarily great treatment for people with mental health or substance addiction issues. 'Cause I think another piece of just the throwing up of the hands - what can you do with somebody who has mental health issues who doesn't want housing? What can you do with somebody who's fallen into addictive patterns? We all know how hard it can be to change that behavior for an individual, whether it's a personal experience with people closer to us. Well, stable housing does a hell of a lot to help with that and that's - the data shows that as well - that that alone, without any other supportive services, can be extremely helpful to changing somebody's trajectory and how they deal with the world. [00:39:30] Crystal Fincher: You're absolutely right. You're absolutely right. [00:39:32] Mike McGinn: And lot more cost effective than the systems we have. [00:39:35] Crystal Fincher: Well, absolutely. The city of Houston in Texas - we know that Texas is dealing with a lot and their leadership has a lot of challenges. But Houston, Texas housed 25,000 unhomed people with a Housing First policy with exactly that - they know that housing is a stabilizer, they know that if we can get people into housing, it actually increases the likelihood that they can successfully address any other co-occurring complicating issue. Getting 25,000 people off the street in Houston, Texas - you're telling me Texas can do this and Seattle can't? Washington can't? We see these examples of success all around us and we're really willing to throw up our hands and say - Ugh, it is happening elsewhere but not here, but let's enact this sweep and invest all of this money into doing that when we know these people just wind up at another park, in another encampment, and further destabilized from this. It just doesn't make any sense and these things do need solutions, but we need to stop doing things that we know don't work and start moving towards where the mountains of evidence point to success. It is possible to do this. It is possible. [00:40:57] Mike McGinn: Well, it seems to me, you've segued into our third topic here. [00:41:00] Crystal Fincher: We have definitely segued into our third topic and it is - in the realm of public safety, as we were just talking about, this week news came out that Mayor Harrell wants to give cops an extra $30,000 to work in Seattle - an article in The Stranger written by Hannah Krieg talking about further investments in trying to address the shortage of police that Seattle is saying it has and trying to do this. And in this - one, there's lots of conversation about - is this even an effective intervention for the police hiring problem? Even if it was, this is - we can't hire cops and have them on the street for at least a year. This is a solution - even if this were to work to make people safer, even if - hey, this is what we need to do - this isn't a solution until late 2023, 2024. And we have gun violence escalating, we have all sorts of crimes and people being victimized, and people rightly justifiably saying - We need action taken now to make our streets safer, to make - to keep people's property from being broken into, to keep people from being victimized. And we keep talking about things like hiring police that have nothing to do with improving public safety today. And on top of that, this is coming on the heels of news that gun violence is extremely high - there was an article this week by Natalie Bicknell Argerious in The Urbanist. And also on news that Seattle is actually defunding an alternative response to public safety that actually was working and making people safer. The JustCare We Deliver Care program resulted in a 39% reduction in 911 calls - people on the ground are seeing things improve, there's less things happening that need intervention. This - if the police department was achieving these numbers, we would get that touted in every news release in the world, right? If any program was doing this. There was something that was working and it's being defunded. Why are we defunding public safety that works? I do not understand that - to then invest more in things that don't even have a chance to work for a year at best. It just is - I don't understand why we continue to invest in this. And the people in Seattle - we've seen that poll where when asked where - public safety is on the top of people's minds. And they're saying - what do you want done about it? If you could invest your money, where would it be? They're saying in behavioral health and addiction treatment services - treating the root cause of these issues. The people understand what is really needed and they understand the deficits, but it seems like we have this administration and several of them, frankly, that are just refusing to acknowledge or respond to that. [00:44:21] Mike McGinn: I would love to see the City Council hold hearings on and bring in experts on what are the most effective ways to reduce shootings and look at this from multiple perspectives. 'Cause what you see is when shootings go up or when crime goes up, it's just the pounding the fist on the table of we need more police. And we spend so much on police and we see where we're at. Let's try, let's really try the spending on the other things. I was looking at the statistics on this - the number of young people that are showing up in emergency rooms with gunshot wounds has just skyrocketed in King County. And what happened to the youth violence prevention initiatives that were started under Greg Nickels, expanded under - during my administration. We've had a lot of reporting on the number of police officers, or 911 response times, or why the police are unhappy and disgruntled, and whose fault it is that the police feel underappreciated? Is that the fault of the public for protesting or the fault of the City Council for suggesting that things should be defunded? Just 10% of that ink was spilled on what works to reduce shootings - okay, I'll ask for 50% of the ink be spilled on that. What really works? What are the proven programs? What's not working? And putting some of that pressure on the elected officials to show progress on this. And I think that the debate of number of police officers, and again, I believe personally that you do want an officer to respond in a timely way to a crisis, but that's not the only function of policing and it's certainly not the only thing of public safety. We also see - not surprising during a pandemic where people's lives were turned upside down, where people were stuck at home - we've seen a rise in domestic violence. So what are the strategies here? What would effective interventions look like? And I don't have an answer to that off the top of my head, but I tell you - if I were in this position, whether City Council or Mayor, that's what I'd be calling people in. Not debating the size of the bonus, right? And the amount of time we've spent in hearings on this question - 'cause it plays, I get it, it plays. But really calling folks in. And I think I'm repeating myself here, but this is a great place for Mayor Harrell to call a summit across the spectrum. What will it take to do this and call in the people in the City who are on the frontlines of working with youth, working with those in distress, working with domestic violence victims - and really just let's get all of the strategies on the table and let's start putting price tags to those. Tell me the programs that you think are working, tell me the programs that you think we don't have, tell me the programs you think that are not as effective as they could be, right? Or just tell me your needs and we'll invent a program for that need. This is the time really and it's - when there's a crisis like this and it is a crisis - the number of shootings in the City is a crisis. When you have this many gunshots, when you have this many people being wounded, there's a lot of pressure on elected officials to have the answer, to come forward - I've got something for you. But the danger of that is, is if you come forward and you say - I have an answer and we're gonna do this thing - it may work in the moment with the media or with the voters - Oh okay, well he's acting on it or she's acting on it. But if it doesn't actually change the trajectory of the issue, then it's just gonna come back around and get you as an elected official a couple of years later. And that's - and will also the effect the issues of trust in government and right track/wrong track. And we already have a lack of trust in institutions - the right track/wrong track numbers nationwide are horrible, last mayoral election they were terrible in this City. I don't see anything that's turned that around. And so this is a place where if you're gonna build trust and start moving those, start moving more people - those right track/wrong track numbers to a better place - this is really - this is not the time for - I've got the answer that plays well today in the media. This is the time for - I've got an answer that's gonna work over a longer term. So, public safety summit - pull everybody in and make it real, not for the cameras, make it real, make it multiple sessions and really come out with a series of initiatives around that - would be my recommendation to the mayor. And the City Council can jumpstart that by holding in-depth hearings on these topics - topic at a time, bring in the experts, really start building the pressure for looking at this. [00:49:49] Crystal Fincher: Yeah, I think that's really important. And I think your point about - look, this is not for the cameras. This is not the time to score political points. You can take it completely out of the political realm. It doesn't have to be where the mayor's at versus where the council is at. We happen to have a wonderful university smack dab in the middle of Seattle - more than one. And the University of Washington is a tremendous research university with criminologists who study this, whose job it is to look at the data. And as we talk, and as Mayor Harrell talks about how important it is to examine the data about what works - public safety is broader than just policing, it's broader than just community response. It involves a lot and to have people and to always include the voice of people who are truly experts on public safety and everything that encompasses - that's not an interview with the police actually, in the same way it's not the interview with a councilmember or an interview with the mayor. That's an interview with experts in crime and what reduces crime. And experts in safety and what increases that. So why do we not see criminologists quoted more frequently in The Times or interviewed by our evening news? Why are we not seeing that happen more frequently - that to your point - we have hearings and interviews and advisory groups and summits with people who are truly experts who understand and can share what is working across the country. What is working globally? What has worked locally and what is not working? What kinds of results, what kind of investment, what kind of return are we getting financially and in terms of safety and benefit to the community? I get frustrated that we keep this conversation so small and so limited and just this tiny focus in and repeated focus, unfortunately, right now on - well hiring, just hiring and there's so much more to it than that. Even if that is an ingredient, there's so much more to it that we just are ignoring while people are dying, while people are being victimized, while there's problems getting worse. And it's time someone actually steps up - just take this out of the political realm, talk to the experts and act. [00:52:21] Mike McGinn: I would include - when I say experts, I would include the community members who are - I think this is really important. [00:52:29] Crystal Fincher: Absolutely. [00:52:29] Mike McGinn: I think this is something we have to remember - that police are not the only guardians of the community. There are lots of people in communities who are acting as guardians - not in the sense of walking around with a gun and the opportunity and the monopoly on the use of force. No, in the sense of we care about the people here, we're trying to figure out how to help young people mature and get good jobs, in terms of we're trying to make sure that our neighbors are fed, that we're welcoming new immigrants into the community and helping set them on their feet and move forward. There are all of these people who really dedicated themselves to the idea that their community should be a better and stronger place. And they are - they have a lot of knowledge. They have a lot of knowledge and are experts as well in this regard. And bringing them in - and I think that's something we forget - is that public safety is a partnership between all of the guardians of the community. And when we're in this situation right now where - and this is one of the reasons why excessive use of force by police, or biased policing, or let's be really clear - or the public calling for biased policing, right? There are elements of the public that are calling for - we need to move the homeless out of downtown. Or I see somebody in my neighborhood who doesn't look like he belongs, which often means that they might be a Black person walking through a white neighborhood. All of these things where the public calls upon the police to do these things - that breaks down trust between community and police. And I think that's another piece of that - of restoring the partnership - it's why the police department needs to be different than how it is. And it's critical to success. And I think this reliance on policing as the guardians of the community is just destined to failure because it's just not how the world works. We don't - policing alone does not keep community safe. It cannot keep community safe by itself, yet that's the discussion we have when public safety comes up and we don't have a meaningful discussion about all the other elements. [00:54:55] Crystal Fincher: I completely agree. So we will continue to keep an eye on what's happening at the City. I hope the conversation does expand. I do completely agree with your call for a summit - bring in experts from within communities in Seattle, make use of the experts at the University of Washington, and get down to what actually does make people more safe. And goodness, don't defund things that we have wonderful evidence are doing the exact kinds of things that people are calling for to happen that make people more safe. And that frankly reduce the workload for SPD. We talk about a 39% reduction in 911 calls at a time when 911 calls are being cited for a reason that police, that Seattle police, are not investigating sexual assaults, they're not processing rape kits. This is a crisis. Why in the world would we defund something that is helping and making that more possible? It just seems like we are determined to run in the wrong direction to placate people's sense of retribution through punitive solutions that really are just backfiring in a way that won't be good politically. This is not the kind of record you wanna run on - what's going right now - you wanna have something that you can say - we did invest in the things that were working and it's paying off. And so it'll just be interesting to see how this conversation evolves. [00:56:35] Mike McGinn: And one of the articles you referenced at the beginning here, which is the police alternative program called We Deliver Care - that's exactly what we're talking about. These are people acting as guardians of the community, who aren't police officers but through their relationship with people who are experiencing homelessness or that are in distress - yeah, they've reduced 911 calls because they are able to deal with it through the services they directly provide. Yeah, this is - let's just put aside whether you're compassionate or not compassionate, whether you think one approach, where your ideology starts about what you think is the right thing or not. If this is delivering better results for less money, let's - maybe that'll move you, right? If this is delivering results, then let's do this. And that's I think what the We Deliver Care folks have been showing 'cause it's expensive to respond to 911 calls. It's expensive and if we can free up those officers for other work - solving crimes, getting through the backlog of cases that they need to investigate, breaking up burglary rings, breaking up theft rings - there's work that police can do that they're better suited for. And for people who are dealing with folks that are homeless - that are in distress and need help - let's get the right people for the job for that too. [00:58:08] Crystal Fincher: Absolutely. And with that, we thank you for listening to Hacks & Wonks on this Friday, July 15th, 2022. The producer of Hacks & Wonks is Lisl Stadler with assistant producers Shannon Cheng and Bryce Cannatelli. Today, we are thankful that our cohost Mike McGinn, who is an activist community leader, former mayor of Seattle and current Director of America Walks - you should totally follow America Walks, great work happening - he's here. We're thankful that he was here with us today. You can find Mike on Twitter @mayormcginn. You can find me on Twitter @finchfrii, and now you can follow Hacks & Wonks on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever podcasts are - we are there. Just type "Hacks and Wonks" into the search bar, be sure to subscribe to get the full versions of our midweek show and our Friday almost-live shows delivered to your podcast feed. You can also get a full transcript of this episode and links to the resources referenced in the show at officialhacksandwonks.com and in the episode notes. Thanks for tuning in - talk to you next time.

Full Text: Too much, all at once. Portland's city charter is long overdue for some rewrites. Few people deny that. Last month, the city's Charter Review Commission announced its proposal to overhaul the city's charter, with the reforms going to the voters on the November ballot. A central part of the reforms is shifting Portland to a “City Manager” form of government. But, the proposed changes do much more than just that. Stuffed into the ballot measure is also a reformation of the City Council into a 12-member body, which would be divided among four new geographic districts. Also new to the charter is the imposition of a ranked-choice voting system to elect commissioners and the mayor. To be clear, Portland's government badly needs reforms. The commission system does not seem to be adequately addressing Portlanders' concerns. Unfortunately, the Charter Review Commission has chosen to jam other tangentially related reforms onto the ballot, forcing Portlanders to either vote for all of the changes, or for none of them. This has raised concerns even from those who support charter reform efforts, such as City Commissioner Mingus Mapps. Instead, the Commission should have separated these reforms into separate ballot measures. Putting them all together forces Portland's voters to make an all-or-nothing choice, which may very well result in no meaningful changes being made at all. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coffeewithcascade/message

An Assistant Professor at Temple University, Sarah Cordes, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss Cordes' latest study, which measures the effect of charter schools on the diversity of nearby district schools. "Choice and Change: The Implications of Charter School Expansion for School and Neighborhood Diversity in NYC," co-written with Agustina Laurito, is available now. https://www.edworkingpapers.com/ai22-556

Temporary Co-Host, Brian Jones, returns to NOT talk about the liturgy. Instead, we discuss his time in a Cleveland inner-city charter school as a teacher and compare/contrast institutional schooling (public, charter, private, parochial) with homeschooling (hybrid, classical, and Robinson Curriculum). We also talk about the stupid "super Catholic" pressures we put on each other when it comes to schooling, number of kids, age of marriage, etc.

In this special youth takeover episode, produced in collaboration with KnowledgeWorks, Pittsburgh Allderdice and UPrep junior Ethan LeCuyer welcomes Lee Butler (City Charter grad), Jhordan Price (Propel Schools grad), and Michael Mitchell (Pittsburgh...

In this special youth takeover episode, produced in collaboration with KnowledgeWorks, Pittsburgh Allderdice and UPrep junior Ethan LeCuyer welcomes Lee Butler (City Charter grad), Jhordan Price (Propel Schools grad), and Michael Mitchell (Pittsburgh Perry junior) to discuss their views on personalized and equitable learning.

After today, 80 percent of May’s Tuesdays will have happened, leaving one more to go. While this one is with us, there are plenty of fake holidays to ponder including National Escargot Day, National Caterers Appreciation Day, Aviation Maintenance Technician Day, and National Scavenger Hunt Day. Can you find the clues in the May 24, 2022 edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement? If so, please let me know so I can also try to figure it all out. I’ll reveal who I am at the end of the program. Send this newsletter and podcast on to someone else so we can grow the audience!On today’s program:Charlottesville City Council holds first of two readings on new mechanism to provide tax relief for city property ownersA public hearing is held for a segment of an east-west commuter trail The candidates are in place for the 5th District Congressional race this November The General Assembly will head back to Richmond on June 1 Details on a planned condominium complex in downtown Belmont Shout-out to Charlottesville Area Tree Stewards In today’s subscriber-supported Public Service Announcement, the Charlottesville Area Tree Stewards continues to offer classes this spring and summer to increase your awareness of our wooden neighbors and to prepare for the future. Coming up on June 7 is a tree identification course taught on Zoom by tree steward Elizabeth Ferguson followed by a separate hike on June 11 at the Department of Forestry’s headquarters near the Fontaine Research Park. That’s followed by a tree identification walk at the University of Virginia on June 12 for the public. On June 14, Rachel Keen will give a lecture on Zoom on the Social Life of Trees. Do trees really communicate with one another? What is a 'mother tree'? Can a tree do anything to repel a pest? Learn more at charlottesvilleareatreestewards.org.Republicans nominate Good for re-election to Fifth District We are now three days into the general election stage for Virginia’s Fifth Congressional District now that both major parties have selected their nominees for the November 8 ballot. On Saturday, Republicans who attended a convention at Hampden-Sydney College in Prince Edward Category overwhelmingly selected incumbent Bob Good of Campbell County to seek a second term. According to a raw vote count, incumbent Bob Good received 1,115 of the 1,303 votes cast. Of the 24 localities with Republican committees, challenger Dan Moy of Charlottesville performed best in Albemarle County where he got votes from 43 of 128 convention delegates and in Charlottesville where he received 15 out of 28 votes. However, the convention used a weighted system which gave Good 1,488 votes to Moy’s 271. (view the vote tally)Democrat Josh Throneburg got straight to work with a press release pointing out that the number of votes cast in the convention were less than 0.02 percent of the population of the Fifth District.  Throneburg became the nominee by default when all other candidates failed to qualify for the primary ballot. Other resources: 5th District Republicans nominate Good to represent party in November, Lynchburg News & AdvanceGood defeats challenger at convention, will be on November ballot, Chatham Star-Tribune NewsRep. Bob Good wins GOP nomination for 5th District, NBC29Virginia Public Access ProjectVirginia legislators to return to General Assembly on June 1A date has been set for the Virginia Senate and the Virginia House of Delegates to return to Richmond to complete the special session that convened on April 4. The two Chambers will convene at 10 a.m. according to the Legislative Information System.One of the major pieces of business left to complete is the state budget and a slate of legislators from both Houses have been seeking to work out a compromise to reconcile both versions.  There are also several bills that passed both Houses but also have to be reconciled before it can be sent to Governor Glenn Youngkin for action. These include a sales tax exemption for food and personal hygiene products, changes to the make-up of the State Board of Elections, and the establishment of a Virginia Football Stadium Authority.  City Council holds public hearing on trail connectionA new partnership has formed between the City of Charlottesville and an entity that secures open space easements in Virginia, and that will slightly increase the cost of land transactions. “We have a property owner that we’ve been negotiating with and we have a granting agency in the Virginia Outdoors Foundation that’s providing the funding which has already been appropriated,” said Chris Gensic, a planner in the Parks and Recreation Department. When complete, the transaction will trigger a $3 fee for recordation of most deeds to go toward a pool of money to allow the Virginia Outdoors Foundation to purchase more land. Gensic said most localities of Virginia already have this arrangement but the city has yet to record an open space easement within its borders. The property in question would allow for the 250 Bypass Trail to continue on an already paved trail in the woods to the south of Charlottesville High School toward the Piedmont Family YMCA to the east“The parks department has been working diligently over the past few decades to acquire pieces of property to stitch together a trail network per the Comprehensive Plan,” “We’ve been discussing this particular acquisition that’s on the western end of McIntire Park.” The public hearing was held to move the transaction forward, but Council took no action. That will come when the deal is nearing completion. Rex Linville of the Piedmont Environmental Council said the parcel in question was significant. “It is a crucial link in the multiyear effort to create a shared-use path that will connect McIntire Park, the YMCA, and Charlottesville High School to Hydraulic Road,” Linville said. “This parcel is also a vital part of a larger four-mile loop that will connect these public resources to Michie Drive, the Greenbrier neighborhood, and the John Warner Parkway.” No city funds will be directly used in the transaction, according to Linville. Council approves action plan for federal HOME and CDBG fundsCity Council has approved an action plan for federal funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for the next fiscal year. Staff had suggested making some changes to the process in order to meet HUD’s guidelines, but some groups pushed back on some of those proposals. (read the staff report)“Staff will no longer request that the task force be changed to staff advisory,” said Deputy City Manager Sam Sanders. “Instead we’re going to focus on identifying income eligible participants to ensure that the diverse voice is always available.” Sanders said the city cannot use federal funds to pay participants to sit on that task force, but local funding can be found for that purpose should Council want to ensure participation by low income individuals. Charlottesville will also stop the process of designating a neighborhood to receive funds for three-year periods at a time. In recent years, projects in Belmont received those funds despite an influx of wealth. “Instead we will continue to work to identify projects that prioritize investment in those areas for the targeted low-income population to benefit from,” Sanders said. A project that had been recommended by the task force was $186,376.16  in funds for sidewalk improvements in the Ridge Street neighborhood, the current priority neighborhood. That will no longer be part of the action plan due to a concern that the project would not be completed in time to meet HUD’s deadline. Instead funds for project will be returned to the pool to allow for other proposals from the community to be funded for the Ridge Street neighborhood.  A second reading and vote on this year’s spending will be on Council’s agenda on June 6. City changing mechanism for property tax relief City Council will hold a work session with the Planning Commission this afternoon but before the joint session on transportation matters gets underway, there will be a second reading of an appropriation of $1.5 million in city funds to be used as grants to low- and middle-income property owners. This would replace the long-running program Charlottesville Housing Affordability Program (CHAP) that the city had been using to provide tax relief. Todd Divers is Charlottesville’s Commissioner of Revenue. “We’ve kind of scrambled to put together a program that I think is going to get us close to what we were doing,” Divers said. Divers said the previous tax relief program had been justified by the City Charter, but now a second avenue to justify the program will be used instead. “The Director of Social Services as the local Social Services board will be the official administrator of this program though I will be working in a cooperative agreement with her and we’ll still be effectively managing the program the way we always have,” Divers said. The move also allows the city to increase the threshold for eligibility for participation to a home value of $420,000, which is the average assessed value of a residential parcel in the city. The income threshold will be increased to $60,000. “This a grant program,” Divers said. “This is a grant for needy folks and the way that we are defining that is folks who make less than $60,000 a year and who own a home in the city of Charlottesville.”Divers said he estimates an additional 100 people will be eligible. The second reading is being held today to speed up the process to allow the process moving forward for this year. Shout-out for an ACHS program on the Fields of Honor This year, the Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society has been working with a group called the Fields of Honor to identify soldiers who were killed in action in the Second World War. Since February, ACHS researchers have helped locate several photographs of the fallen, including that of Private Clarence Edward McCauley who was tracked down through high school records. There are 18 remaining photographs to be found, and on Thursday, May 26 at 7 p.m. the ACHS will host Debbie Holloman and Sebastian Vonk of the Fields of Honor Foundation to talk about how you can take part in their volunteer efforts honoring the service and sacrifice of US WWII service members buried or memorialized at US war cemeteries in Europe. That’s Thursday, May 26, at 7 p.m. via Zoom or Facebook Live.Site plan meeting held for Belmont Condominiums projectOfficials with Riverbend Development have offered details on a proposal to build dozens of condominiums on undeveloped land in Charlotteville’s Belmont neighborhood. “I know on this site in particular I have been working with the neighborhood off and on for at least five years regarding this site and we’ve owned it for well over a decade now I believe,” said Ashley Davies with Riverbend Development.A previous submission that looked more like neighboring City Walk Apartments had gone to a site plan review conference in 2018 but that version did not move forward. “A lot of the feedback that we got from the neighborhood from that time is just that it felt like these two buildings were too big compared to what you see in the rest of the neighborhood,” Davies said. This development would include 130 total units and it needs city approval on three applications. Both a major subdivision and a site plan can be approved by staff, but a third requires endorsement by elected officials.“A critical slope waiver due to impacts to critical slopes requires a City Council action,” said city planner Matt Alfele said. “This means that application will go to the Planning Commission for a recommendation and then City Council for a final decision.” No date has been set for that Planning Commission meeting and a public hearing is not required. The six acres of property span many parcels which would be combined in the major subdivision. Since 2003, the zoning has been for Neighborhood Commercial Corridor which allows for mixed-use. Most of the buildings would be constructed in a form known as a two-over-two. “It looks like a townhouse style unit on the outside but once you go into the unit it actually has two units each two floors tall and there’s garages on the backside that have parking internal to those units,” Davies said. Davies said Riverbend has built these types of units at Brookhill in Albemarle County and they have proven to be popular. Eight of the units would be designated as being sale to households and individuals at a certain income level. The property is currently being used for automotive repair. One neighbor asked if the site needed to be remediated due to potential contaminants in the soil. Scott Collins is an engineer working on the project “As far as contaminants, they’ll be testing the soil as well when the asphalt and concrete is removed and checking the consistency of the soils and making sure it’s not contaminated and if it is, there are remediative measures that have to be in place,” Collins said. The site plan must be approved by staff if it meets all of the technical requirements. Staff has not yet completed the comment letter that will go to Riverbend. People still have until June 15 to make a comment about the site plan or to ask a question. But Council will have to approve a critical slopes waiver and one Councilor who attended the May 18 site plan conference did not like what he saw in the current project, taking his cues from a speaker from the Piedmont Environmental Council. Michael Payne said he preferred the previous approach Riverbend had taken. “I just would say that I’m pretty disappointed at where this has ended up,” said Michael Payne. “I feel like where this ended up is the worst of all worlds in terms of as Peter Krebs [of PEC] said the most impervious surfaces, the least compact and clustered development. And also the least affordable development. It seems like its the most sprawled version which will have the most expensive units and I think this project just would have been much better off to be more clustered and have more apartments similar to the Belmont Lofts project or City Walk for that matter.”  One neighbor suggested the city make a swap with the developer.“Wouldn’t it be lovely if the city could do an exchange with the owners of Belmont Holdings and give them the existing Clark School which is a gorgeous building with high ceilings and let them turn that into condominiums and turn this site into either a school or a park?” commented Deb Jackson. This is not likely to occur. Help Ting help support Town Crier productions!For one year now, Town Crier Productions has had a promotional offering through Ting!Are you interested in fast internet? Visit this site and enter your address to see if you can get service through Ting. If you decide to proceed to make the switch, you’ll get:Free installationSecond month of Ting service for freeA $75 gift card to the Downtown MallAdditionally, Ting will match your Substack subscription to support Town Crier Productions, the company that produces this newsletter and other community offerings. So, your $5 a month subscription yields $5 for TCP. Your $50 a year subscription yields $50 for TCP! The same goes for a $200 a year subscription! All goes to cover the costs of getting this newsletter out as often as possible. Learn more here! This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe

On May 7, Fort Worth has the chance to vote on two initiatives that address issues facing Fort Worth -- the 2022 Bond Election and Charter Election. Mayor Parker talks with City staff about what is in the $560 million bond package for streets, parks, libraries, police, fire, open space, and more and also discusses the 13 proposed amendments to the City Charter. Learn more about all of the Bond and Charter propositions at www.fortworthtexas.gov/government/may-election...A podcast hosted by Mayor Mattie Parker, Go Time takes a look at current city issues, innovative Fort Worth residents, and how we are moving the 12th largest city in the nation forward....Learn more about Go Time and nominate a future Go Time guest at fortworthtexas.gov/gotime. Listen to the show wherever you get your podcasts. Go Time is produced by staff here at the City of Fort Worth: Bethany Warner, Katy Reiss, and John-Michael Perkins.Katy and John-Michael also produce our Water Utility's podcast H2OMG, give it a listen.

The city government newcomer is working to hire a permanent city manager and new police chief.

We visit with James Arnold, Chairman of the City Charter Review Committee, to get the latest updates on the City Charter and to learn what the next steps in the process are.

The gang explains Stefan's goofy ribbon cutting ceremony pics and other news of the week. Drs. Russell Weaver and Jason Knight then join us to discuss their very interesting proposal for a more democratic Buffalo city charter--> Here's their full proposal: www.highroadpolicy.org Here's their Buffalo News article on the subject, pasted below for those behind the paywall. https://buffalonews.com/opinion/another-voice-to-build-back-better-buffalo-needs-a-people-centered-charter/article_83e17bf4-7ba3-11eb-b4c4-f368dac77c54.html Find us at: Facebook: www.facebook.com/squarepod Twitter: @squarepodbuff Jim: @JamesTamol Ryan: @darealryansteel Riy: @GFY ======================================== -Another Voice: To build back better, Buffalo needs a people-centered charter- The Covid-19 pandemic and ensuing crises have laid bare how our political economy is set up to reinforce, rather than combat, racial, gender, economic, and spatial inequality. In response, the intersectional racial and social justice organizing that has grown out of Covid-19 and the movement for Black lives has brought national attention to the need to implement new solutions toward a regenerative economy. However, rising calls to advance social and racial justice have yet to be answered with commitments to structural change in Western New York. In just the past few weeks, a public agency in Hamburg greenlighted nearly $7 million in tax incentives for Amazon to bring a few dozen low-wage jobs. And a probe by New York State revealed ongoing practices of redlining. Lack of progress toward structural change is not necessarily due to government inaction. Public agencies are actively engaged in meeting urgent Covid-related needs and reforming inequitable policies and practices. Unfortunately, an equitable, sustainable society cannot come from simple adjustments to unfair and discriminatory institutions. The path to a better world is one that collectively and continuously remakes the systems from which inequitable institutions emerge. Change requires a shift from focusing on events, like locally unwanted development projects, to understanding and democratically redesigning the structures that produce those events. Such change is the work not of reformers tweaking current institutions, but of reformers collectively (re-)imagining and (re-)forming new ones. One reformative change that can begin answering the growing calls for social, racial, gender and economic justice in Buffalo is a rights-based charter. To date, around 200 local governments in 12 states have passed rights-based ordinances or adopted rights-based charters or charter amendments. These tools leverage municipal home rule powers to institutionalize environmental rights, worker rights, rights of nature and democratic rights into local government practices. Codifying these rights in Buffalo can be a giant step toward a more inclusive and democratic economy and society – and doing so is in reach. By state law, any of the mayor, council or a citizen-driven ballot initiative can create a Charter Revision Commission. Such a commission can begin public education and outreach and collaborate with community stakeholders to draft a rights-based charter.

Part two of this interview. Title: Live Together, Die Alone parts 1&2 with Em Burnett and Jack O'Brien Description: Organizers Jack O'Brien and Em Burnett speak about the history of the People First Portland Movement and what it means for the residents and workers of Portland, Maine. People First Portland started as a DSA-led campaign to implement broadly popular regulations aimed at attacking the root causes of austerity on the municipal level by the process of citizen's referenda. Four out of the five referenda put on the ballot in November 2020 by People First Portland passed, including rent control, green construction regulations, a fifteen-dollar minimum wage (with additional hazard pay), and a ban on police use of facial recognition technology. This swift and decisive victory suddenly made Portland, a city of 67,000 in southern Maine, one of the most progressive in the United States.  Em and Jack speak about working on the campaign with the volunteers of People First Portland, the response by the city council and un-elected City Manager, as well as the opening of Portland's City Charter. The last of which opens up further possibilities for widening the aperture of public policy on the city level.    CORRECTION: Mutual Aid: A Factor in Evolution by Peter Kropotkin was first Published in 1905, not 1875.

  Organizers Jack O'Brien and Em Burnett speak about the history of the People First Portland Movement and what it means for the residents and workers of Portland, Maine. People First Portland started as a DSA-led campaign to implement broadly popular regulations aimed at attacking the root causes of austerity on the municipal level by the process of citizen's referenda. Four out of the five referenda put on the ballot in November 2020 by People First Portland passed, including rent control, green construction regulations, a fifteen-dollar minimum wage (with additional hazard pay), and a ban on police use of facial recognition technology. This swift and decisive victory suddenly made Portland, a city of 67,000 in southern Maine, one of the most progressive in the United States.  Em and Jack speak about working on the campaign with the volunteers of People First Portland, the response by the city council and un-elected City Manager, as well as the opening of Portland's City Charter. The last of which opens up further possibilities for widening the aperture of public policy on the city level.    CORRECTION: Mutual Aid: A Factor in Evolution by Peter Kropotkin was first Published in 1905, not 1875.