Arkansas Blog

Here's my harangue to my City Board Member:

"To B. J. Wyrick,
"Please do not reappoint Jane Dickey to the CAW board. Even when her expertise
is balanced against the appearance of impropriety, the city would be better off
appointing a different person to that position. With the likely expenditure of
large amounts of the water utility funds to solve the Maumelle situation, it's
time for the City of Little Rock to cut its credibility losses."

"I'm afraid that the perception of fiscal irresponsibility and tainted influence
may lead to problems with the passage future city bond issues. And it wouldn't
be limited to the '09ers this time."

"The "Find Your Representative" page on the Little Rock web site does not
recognize Legion Hut Road as part of Little Rock. You may discover that many of
the addresses in your district will not be able to find out who their city board
member is, using that web tool. I plugged in your home address and got "no
results found." I hope that isn't a political statement."

They can't seem to hire competent web designers either.

Of course, we are free to contact any city director we want. However, they are most likely to listen to someone in their particular ward. Mayor Stodola, Fortson, Kumpuris, and Adcock are at-large and in theory represent any resident of the city.

Now that I say that ---- I notice that several Directors just have "board@littlerock.org" as their email. Common sense tells me that they are less likely to read and respond to an email that is not directly to them -- why they don't have individual email addresses in 2008 is very strange.

Hoglawyer,
"why they don't have individual email addresses in 2008 is very strange"

Because the city is so cost-conscious they don't want the added expense of allowing voters input to their decision-making process with the incredible extravagance of individualized email accounts for the board members. They get all of the input they need by hobnobbing with the financial elite - see the society pages. Why confuse the priorities with comments from lowly citizens, when the people who fund the Mayor's and the Board Members' campaigns are more in tune with the needs of the community? (When again did they say they'd get rid of the at-large Board positions?)

Who is it in the overpaid Mayor's (who makes more than twice as much as the Governor) office who screens the generically addressed board emails, especially when they can't figure out what district a voter is in? Perhaps, as a civic gesture, each of us can loan the city one of the free email accounts we get from our own ISPs (I've got a couple of extra). How much more would they have to overpay Aristotle to provide those email accounts?

After the screening of the generic emails, do the LR Board Members even see the emails that may be contrary to the Mayor's point of view?

When the open-mike period of the LR Board meetings begins, I swear I can see each of them turning on their MP3 players. Watch, and occasionally you can see them adjusting their earbuds or reaching into a pocket to change the volume, because it is obvious they are not listening.

Predict the future. Check out the Rose Law Firm contributions to the Stodola Campaign.

A couple more points re Jane Dickey seeking reappointment to the Central Arkansas Water Commission- customers of CAW are spread out in something like 15 cities (a friend of mine who lives in Austin gets his water from Cabot and it's CAW water) and numerous unincorporated areas, but only the NLR City Council and LR Board members get to vote on CAW Commission reappointments. The way I look at it is that all these NLR Councilmen/women and LR Directors have a much larger constituency on this issue, not just voters in NLR or LR or the ward/district who vote to elect them, but a duty to 400,000 CAW water drinkers to represent all their interests. I hope this is not a concept alien to them, and I hope they can rise to the occasion (well, we know the NLR City Council did not do so Monday of last week).

Jay Dehaven and partners bought the 810 acres in the Lake Maumelle watershed from Winrock Sod Farms on June 30, 2005, 3 short years ago day, for $4.55 million. The CAW Commission will likely be considering in the very near future buying most or all of that land from Dehaven for something like 2 1/2 or 3 times the price per acre. You can do the math on the price. Jane Dickey likely had a role in forbidding CAW from bidding on this land three years ago, and now she thinks that lapse in judgment justifies a reward, 7 more years on the CAW Commission where she can continue to deliver large monetary rewards for Rose Law Firm clients.

CAW with Dickey's approval also recently gave over $400,000 in free infrastructure to a new industry locating in Little Rock. That money will be paid by every CAW residential customer for years to come. That same CAW Commission has declined to provide financial support for lowly residential customers.

"Mark Stodola is really serious about putting new blood on city commissions (that was his argument for denying a new term to Larry Lichty on the Airport Commission)" - that was Stodola's pay back to Larry Lichty who was behind pushing Stodola, once he was elected, and anyone in his firm out of representing the airport. With Stodola taking office and his association with his firm supposedly at a minimal, he was still hoping the firm could continue representing the airport. Don't believe there is a friendship lost there, but Stodola and Dickey are friends, so I am sure whatever his vote will be, he is campagining for her re-appointment.

I noticed that several board members have that "board@littlerock.org" email address, so I sent individual messages to that address with each of their names in the subject line. I received one reply from the Mayor, one from Hurst, and second from the Mayor late this afternoon:

"Thank you for your recent input on Central Arkansas Water. Since CAW is
a legally independent body, the appointment process differs from other
typical appointments. Actually, CAW vacancies are filled by a vote of
the remaining CAW commissioners and then are subject to confirmation by
the governing bodies of the two cities. Each member serves until his or
her successor is elected and qualified. Your opinions have been
circulated to the other Board members. We appreciate your interest in
this important matter.

Mark Stodola"

I suspect the email account board@littlerock.org is routed to an underling in the city managers office who sends back robot answers. The ONLY way to put pressure on the LR board is to show up in person, have silly signs or buttons to display unity, and ask to speak on the issue. The board will first then defer their vote to either VERY late in the evening or to a future meeting, hoping to outlast the crowd. You have to stay to the end, and keep coming back. Altho the CAW meetings have almost no visitor space, the same tactic will work there. Letters, emails, phone calls have extremely little effect. Lookin' them in the eye, in front of their own cameras, is the best way to make them figure out what is the right thing to do.

Here's the e-mail response I received from the good Mayor:

Thank you for your recent input on Central Arkansas Water. Since CAW is a legally independent body, the appointment process differs from other typical appointments. Actually, CAW vacancies are filled by a vote of the remaining CAW commissioners and then are subject to confirmation by the governing bodies of the two cities. Each member serves until his or her successor is elected and qualified. Your opinions have been circulated to the other Board members. We appreciate your interest in this important matter.

Mark Stodola

DrRing & Wyle E.- thanks for posting Mayor Stodola's boilerplate replies. Wow! He's more insensitive that even I gave him credit for being.

Mayor Toadola supposedly told some folks privately that he could assure Jane's reappointment votes were in hand (or did he say in the bag). Wonder how he would know such a thing given restrictions on public officials such as mayors and directors discussing such public business in private amongst themselves? Anyone care to fess up, Mayor?

We'll find out tomorrow night at nearly the end of the LR Board meeting (commission appointments are the last item on the agenda) if 6 out of 11 voted 'Yea' to 7 more years of corporate leadership on the Central Arkansas Water (CAW) Commission. You've gotta start somewhere to turn these things around, and what better place to start? I've been told that Dean Kumpuris, a safe vote for Dickey, may miss the meeting, so unless 6 vote no the vote may get delayed until a future meeting. Maybe until the public loses interest?

Dickey understandably doesn't want to give up the lucrative business she brings in for the Rose Law Firm by giving away CAW freebies (e.g, a $400,000+ infrastructure giveaway to a new company moving to town that then signed on with, guess who, the Rose Law Firm). Why, the ratepayers won't mind paying for that little token of Jane's appreciation. And, after all, she doesn't get paid per se for her 'public service' on the CAW Commission, and she has to pay the rent somehow. And you thought diamonds were a girl's best friend!

Jane Dickey is to the CAW Commission what Arkansas Natural Resources Commission Director Randy Young is to the Pollution Permission Commission.