Oh council

With apologies to Walt Whitman

Oh Council, my Council, the meeting’s nearly done
Agenda long and tedious, and midnight’s almost come
The end is clear, adjournment near, the video is ending
Members clear out to go on home, it is too late for drinking

But oh town! Town! Town!
Oh precious burg of mine
The new motions that they have passed
Will haunt us for all time

Oh Council, my Council, rise up and do your jobs
Put on a tie and suit jacket and try not to be slobs
For you the public did elect, for government they’re yearning
But you’re not paid a salary, and nought you full are earning

Hear Council, our Council
This town around you sits
While you stay here and legislate
In awful starts and fits

My Council does not answer, it remains pale and still
My Council does not feel my vote, perhaps it never will
The Borough’s headed for the rocks, the Council couldn’t care
The Council presses claptrap, of facts it’s unaware

Arise arise oh public
And call your councilmen
Or else our Borough all too soon
Will sink into the fen

Hope for council

"Monkeys Think, Moving Artificial Arm as Own" -- headline in The New York Times, May 29th.

Feenick's Wocky

With apologies to Lewis Carroll


In Feenick’s Ville the slithy toves
Do gyre and gimble down Bridge Street
Out before the sea-di-sea
With pony tails replete

Beware the kas-e-dee my son
The pen that writes initials bad
Beware the skip-er-do’s reports
That obscure the facts so sad

He took the Phoenix in his hand
Hard with it he batted back
He blogged a bit for some relief
And watched the mural crack

And as in drunken daze he stood
Outside his fav’rite Bridge Street bar
Authority came upon him quick
“Garage for parking cars!”

One two one two and through and through
A fan that heats and then ignites
A house or two go up in smoke
Such things do give us frights

And has thou managed yet to get
All Feenick’s Ville’s good public dough
Oh frabjous day, Calloh Callay
They are such fools you know

$35,196.69 per space

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports on May 9th that the new garage at Main and Cherry Streets in Norristown has 483 spaces and cost $17 million.

You are welcome to check my math.

A job for NASA

Anecdotal evidence suggests that on Friday and Saturday nights there's a wait for tables at both Molly's and Iron Hill.

My conclusion is that there's no parking problem, but rather a restaurant seating problem.

To that end, I propose that Council immediately form a Neighborhood Alehouse Seating Authority to address the root cause of this problem. I'm sure that the authority members will find a way to publicly fund a solution.

Leading by example

In Phoenixville government, that would be by bad example.

The State Ethics Act requires that public officials and certain public employees file a publicly available "Statement of Financial Affairs" with the Borough Secretary by May 1 of each year.

Neither Council President Wagner nor Acting Borough Manger Watson have filed theirs.

Mr. Wagner didn't file last year's statement either.

The State Ethics Act provides that "no public official shall be allowed to take the oath of office or enter or continue upon his duties, nor shall he receive compensation from public funds, unless he has filed a statement of financial interests as required by this chapter."

Dive right in

If you haven't yet discovered the Diving Cat Studio at 246 Bridge Street, you need to get hoppin' (or is it divin').

It's a place that will put a smile to the face of a curmudgeon (a type of salamander, I am told).

Anyway, I picked up a wonderful gift there this afternoon for my Mom.

Really a unique selection of craft items and full of customers in the middle of the afternoon.

For their website, click here.

Every circus needs a sideshow

Word has it that Mayor Scoda signed the Parking Authority Ordinance on April 29th.

Now that Council has solved its parking problem, let's see what the Authority does.

Don't forget, every circus also has someone walking behind the elephants, carrying a shovel. Sound like the citizens to you?