Jackie Wilson Said …
What It’s All About
Happy Mother’s Day
Any resemblance between the scene portrayed above and any interaction between myself and my mom is totally unintentional.
More on Stage Center
Today I had an update on the effort to turn Stage Center into a children’s museum. I figure this expanded questions and answer bit with Tracey Zeeck, co-organizer of Children’s Museum of Oklahoma might be of interest:
Q: What is the latest development on efforts to place a first right of refusal deposit with the OKC Community Foundation?
A: Unfortunately we were not able to agree on terms.
Q: Why couldn’t you work within their timeline and requirements?
A: OCCF had generously offered us First Right of Refusal for $25,000, which would essentially give Children’s Museum of OKC FRR for 5.5 months. While we were pleased that they saw enough value in our effort to offer this, their timeline simply didn’t match ours. As anyone could guess, a fundraising effort of this magnitude (est. $30,000,000 to fully complete the project, and open the museum to visitors) requires a much greater time commitment than just a few months. That said, we did counter with an offer to pay their $25,000 fee if it meant that we could extend the FRR to one calendar year. They declined.
The one-year effort still puts fundraising in a relatively aggressive time frame, but we feel like it’s reasonable, given the current interest in the project. We believe that a year would give us time to do foundational work to ensure success, such as running a feasibility study, creating a targeted strategic fundraising plan, getting materials prepared and a committee trained for fundraising effort, getting meetings set with potential funding partners before their budgets are finalized for 2013, and then going out and gathering those financial pledges so that we can get to work building the Children’s Museum of OKC!
Q: Does this mean your effort is doomed?
A: Absolutely not. In fact, it means the opposite is true. Instead of sitting and waiting, we can now forge ahead with our current fundraising efforts on our own terms
Q: How is fund raising going?
A: With such a limited time (remember we just kicked off the project the first week of February for an RFP that was due Feb 29th!) we developed our entire scope with a “dream funder” in mind. We envisioned a potential superhero who exemplifies the independent spirit of The New OKC. Someone willing to work toward the universal good that we’re trying to accomplish through this project. Opening the doors to every child, from every walk of life. And we built the project with that fictional character in mind. Then we identified who that superhero actually might be. And while I obviously can’t name names, I can tell you this: To date we’ve presented to this like-minded organization for the naming rights and are now on phase two of a grand proposal, at their direction, incorporating their next-level suggestions. Honestly, whether they end up partnering with us or not, this idea shaped our efforts, and that alone was a gift, for it resulted in our creating an extremely inclusive project based on the goodness of our then-fictional hero.
Q: What is the extent of public support for your campaign?
A: Let’s first put it into perspective: With no budget whatsoever, most everyone in OKC knows about our project, although it didn’t even exist until February of this year. That’s fast. As a PR person, I’ve never seen anything so naturally explosive as the love for this project. People stop me in the grocery or at the park to ask if I am ‘the children’s museum lady” and give me their phone number or email address so they can help when the time comes. Of course, it still feels as if some don’t believe we can do it. Which doesn’t surprise us, nor does it inhibit our efforts in the least. Oklahoma City is a place where a single person can make a difference. Imagine then what 1000 people can do.
Q: How much of an organization have you built in trying to save Stage Center, turn it into a children’s museum?
A: We have incorporated (Children’s Museum of Oklahoma City, Inc.) and we’re working on getting our 501(c)(3)status, which, as you may know, can be a relatively lengthy process. Fortunately we have the help of attorneys, civic and government leaders, business people, museum experts, child advocates, community folks, and even some family foundations making up our interim board of directors, and they’re willing to put their hearts and dollars and sweat into this as well. And then there are the fans. OKC enthusiasts who want nothing more than to have a safe engaging place for their families to play and grow together, downtown, in our generation’s most iconic building.
Q: What’s next?
A: We continue to move forward, of course. As parents, we teach our children to share, to take turns, to be honest, and to stand up for what’s right. We quote The Lorax, that “a person’s a person, no matter how small.” Now we’re in a position to behave the way we ask our kids to behave. We’re committed to seeing this through, and seeing it through correctly. We’ll continue to partner with other cultural organizations and child advocacy groups too, for we believe that a high tide raises all ships. The more we do for families and culture and preservation in Oklahoma City, the richer all of our lives here will be.
Sabotage
Incredible Tributes Keep Coming for Judge Manger
Awesome! I had the privilege of working with Judge Manger for many years. I was an unofficial Court Liaison for the Development Services Department (Neighborhood Services). Every Friday I would attend court and provide updates on citations issued.
As usual Judge Manger would listen to all the explanations then render his decision. One day an elderly man appeared in court. I saw him walk slowly into the court room and take his seat. The court room was about half empty when Judge Manger called his name. The elderly man struggled to rise from his seat. Judge Manger said “Sir be seated for a moment, I will come to you” Everyone in the court took a breath and some motioned with their lips “WOW”. The Judge did something that I had never witness in my almost 30 year tenure as a City employee. He stood up from the bench and came down and sat beside the elderly man and adjudicated his case. Awesome!
Comments Getting Caught in the Spam Filter
There are a lot of comments getting caught in the filter – most notably those on the posts about Judge Bill Manger. I’m freeing them up as quickly as I can. I encourage you to not repost the comment if it doesn’t appear immediately.
Memorial Service Set for Judge William Manger
I got to catch up with Stacey Davis, director of the city municipal court, and learned that yes, my friend Bill’s death surprised everyone. Just Monday he was doing his normal rounds at the courts, being his usual cheery self. An apparent heart attack took him from a world not ready to give him up.
I understand that Manger will be buried in his ancestral homeland of New Jersey (I think he’d get a kick hearing me refer to it as such). His family will be holding services at the Oklahoma City Chapel 11 a.m. May 11. I have every intention of being there.
Great Event Coming Up this Weekend
Autism Oklahoma Piece Walk and 5K to raise funds for Oklahoma Families
Fundraiser brings together those affected by Autism throughout the state
OKLAHOMA CITY– For thousands of individuals affected by autism, May 5 will be a day to encourage others to run or walk for a cause. The Autism Oklahoma Piece Walk and 5K is an annual event in which groups form teams to earn donations for families affected by Autism in Oklahoma.
The name refers to a puzzle piece, which has been the symbol for autism for decades. Like a puzzle piece, those affected by autism experience a puzzling disorder that prevents them from “fitting in.”
So far this year, the walk has raised over $100,000, surpassing fundraising goals and expectations from committee members.
“Each year, this event has grown and it is thanks to the families who continue to participate and spread the word,” event co-chair, Kathy Thompson said.
The event will take place outside the Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark on May 5 starting at 7:30 a.m. The morning will be filled with family-friendly activities in and outside the ballpark.
A Resource Fair will open at 7:30 a.m. in the breezeway of the Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, 2 S Mickey Mantle Drive. The fair will feature booths of organizations from across the state. The Philharmonic Instrument Playground, Unpluggits Play Studio, Bounce Houses, the Forever After Princesses, Victory Dance and the OKC Jedi’s will entertain children of all ages.
The Piece Walk will begin at 8:30 and is free to everyone. The run will begin at 9 a.m. and cost of participation is $30 before the event and $35 on May 5.
Packet pickup for runners will take place May 4 from 4 to 7 p.m. at Red Coyote in Classen Curve. The first place runner will win a pair of running shoes from Red Coyote. To register, visit www.piecewalk.org.
For more information on Autism Oklahoma and the 2012 Piece Walk & 5K, please visit AutismOkahoma.org and piecewalk.org.
Loss of a City Judge
Judge William Manger
I want to thank the City of Oklahoma City for making Project 180 so confusing that I ended up with a $50 ticket I had to contest in court. This is not sarcasm. It is a genuine moment of appreciation.
Confused?
Friendships are an odd thing. You get to know someone, and then you go different directions in life, and a friendship ends up more like an acquaintance. You don’t mean it to happen. It just does. And when you meet up on the sadly rare occasion, you have a lot to catch up on, and you walk away wondering why you hadn’t kept in touch.
Such was the case with Bill Manger, who I first got to know when I was a cub reporter just making my mark covering the crime beat in the early 1990s. There was an opening on the Crime Stoppers Board, and I already had an idea of ripping off an idea I had seen in the Dallas Morning News of running a weekly “Most Wanted” feature (there’s now a local tabloid dedicated to just that). I was invited onto the board by Roger Wagnon, who was then in charge of the OCPD’s Crime Stoppers office. It was then that I met Bill, who was an attorney with the old Western Electric plant (I think it was AT&T at that point). He was a good guy, devoted to his community, and I enjoyed grabbing coffee with him after some of the meetings. He later became a city judge, and in 2003 he was asked to take over what had become a mess of a municipal court as presiding judge. Bill took on the task, and note that the operation has been free of any controversy ever since.
Bill and I would always enjoy catching up when we ran into each over the past several years – but it was always by happenstance. And when it was time to plead my ticket (City Manager Jim Couch even suggested I do so), it was pure random luck that the judge hearing my case was none other than Bill. I plead “no contest,” explained the confusing situation with unmarked parking spots on unfinished Project 180 streets, and he kindly reduced my ticket from $50 to $20 in open court. His friendliness and reasonableness was not just directed at me – as I waited my turn in his courtroom, I saw him kindly and respectfully greet each and every visitor to his courtroom (I say visitors, because for Bill, no one was a defendant really – they were all guests with unpleasant business awaiting to be addressed). Away from the courtroom, Bill and I visited and talked about downtown’s transformation. We talked about the plans for construction of a new court building. I spoke excitedly, of course, when I realized he didn’t know about Retro Metro OKC, and I urged him to visit the site and look at the old photos of the city.
This was two weeks ago. Bill died overnight as his city was celebrating the Thunder triumphing over the Dallas Mavericks in the first games of the NBA playoffs. That $20 ticket was well worth the chance to see my old friend one last time. And if I had known his days were limited, I’d gladly pay $50 or more to have had the chance to enjoy one last cup of coffee with his honor.
After searching Oklahoman archives, this story by co-worker Don Mecoy best captures Bill’s service to our city:
Busy court dockets help judge feel the love for his vocation
By Don Mecoy
Business Writer
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Municipal Judge William J. Manger is in his element, attired in a black robe, seated before a television set and camera presiding over video arraignments of prisoners housed in the Oklahoma County jail.
“I’m not very popular today,” Manger said, as yet another stone-faced inmate walked off-screen without acknowledging the judge’s comments.
Manger tells an inmate charged with assault and battery that he can post bail or stay in jail until his court date. The man shakes his head and stalks off camera.
“We didn’t tell him what he wanted to hear,” Manger said.
Harold, an older inmate who has appeared so frequently before Manger that the judge addresses him by his first name, says he will serve jail time at a rate of $75 per day to cover his fine. Told he’ll get out on July 3 or July 4, Harold replies, “What day is this?”
“We’ll see you next time,” Manger said as Harold departs.
“He’ll be back on the fifth,” the judge said.
Finally, a woman who has spent two days in jail expresses gratitude when Manger dismisses part of a traffic fine so she can go free immediately.
“God bless you, sir,” she said.
“There it is,” Manger said. “Now we’re feeling the love.”
Manger’s humor is limited to comments between arraignments, which he takes seriously. But his enthusiasm for the work is evident.
“I love this job. I enjoy coming to work every day because no day is the same as the day before,” he said.
Manger has been an Oklahoma City municipal judge for more than five years and has been the presiding judge since 2003. He was hired by and answers to the Oklahoma City Council.
The presiding judge shoulders more administrative duties than the other municipal judges and needs to able to communicate effectively with staff members and city council members, who regularly check on cases, Manger said.
“We’re as good as support personnel, and we have an outstanding support group from our employees in court administration, and they are to be commended for the work that they do on an everyday basis for all the judges and the public,” Manger said.
The most serious cases municipal judges handle are called “jury division” cases and include offenses such as driving under the influence of alcohol, marijuana possession, and assault and battery.
The court’s busy dockets are filled with contested traffic violations and defendants who have failed to pay fines.
Manger, 61, said he hasn’t become jaded by the routine, which can involve up to 200 cases per day.
“You need to recognize that we live in a diverse city, and when a defendant comes into your courtroom, you have to understand that this may be their very first encounter with the legal system, and you have to be patient with defendants in front of you who aren’t represented (by an attorney),” he said.
Manger said he most enjoys dealing with the public and offered this tale to illustrate:
A woman in her 80s, when asked by Manger for her plea, responded: “Guilty, sonny.”
“I said, ‘Ma’am, I appreciate that. You’ve been very honest. You’re not wasting the court’s time, and you’re certainly not in contempt because maybe I am young enough to be your son. So let me give you the minimum fine in this case,’ ” Manger said.
But that’s not to say that Manger can’t be stern.
In one instance, a defendant who already had been granted extensions to pay a fine was seeking more time. When Manger asked why she was unable to pay the city, the defendant said the money was spent on her bill for cable TV.
“My clerk didn’t even wait; she just dialed for the marshal,” he said. “So they had the option to either pay or stay (in jail) at the rate of $75 a day. When I send someone with the marshal, they’ve pretty much tested everybody’s patience.”
About 90 percent of defendants pay their fines or bond when offered the choice of “pay or stay,” Manger said.
Manger definitely feels the love when it comes to his vocation.
“I have absolutely no desire to go anywhere else but right here and end my career here as long they’ll have me,” he said.
