steve,

i’ve appreciated your concerns about community input and discussion. i’ve even been of the opinion that we should delay the vote to allow more time to hash it out. however, after reading the mayor’s state of the city address, i have changed my mind.

when we voted on MAPS, we didn’t have details on what kind of decoration the ball field would have, or the depth of the canal, or the configuration of the boxes in the civic center. we voted on whether or not to fund the projects. after they were approved, the citizens group carefully guided the projects to successful completion, even with a shortfall for finishing the convention center. the issue before the public now is not the details, but whether to do the project at all. seeing as how it pretty much boils down to transit and core to shore, i say bring on the proposal. are we going to invest money in these two HUGE civic works? i hope the answer is yes (unless the proposal deviates wildly from what is outlined in the address).

it is frankly pointless to argue the details if the proposal is not going to be enacted. the oversight panel has gone a long, LONG way to re-establishing credibility and trust in city hall, and should be continued.

by the way, i think the real effect of maps for kids is only now beginning. there is still much construction to be done, and you need look no further than edmond or norman to see what good schools and public spirit can do for a community. sorry i’m rambling.

David, what I’m hearing, however, and what Bryan’s article hints at is that there may be items on this ballot nobody has heard of yet. Likewise, while I’m not advocating one way or another on this, I am asking questions. And as I recall, the original MAPS ballot was out for at least 2-3 weeks before it was finalized by council.

Hello all,

Just a little about myself here. I am a balloon decorator (weddings, banquets, trade shows, etc…). I love downtown, but most of my work there is at the Cox Center or the Skirvin. I am severely underemployed right now due to the economy.

Anything that makes people want to have festive events Downtown is great for me and my talents. So far, the Convention Center and Central Park components of MAPS-3 fit right in with my interests. I also am in favor of a COTPA overhaul. Today’s Council action to comission a study for a centralized transit hub is a step in the right direction.

I am a fan of my City and all it has, and all it can become. So, you can understand that I am like a child, looking at a present underneath the Christmas tree. I know it is for me, but I cannot open it myself. And, the present will not be open until the time comes. I think I know what’s in the package, but I want to know about every item in the package RIGHT NOW, before it is opened. I want to hear from the gift-wrapper what the contents are. Don’t worry, I will still be excited when the presents are unwrapped.

So, Steve, and Mr. Ball, and to my elected leaders, and to the OKC Chamber, what are in that big package for me?

I think this just goes to show how preposterous this process has been. I’m just thinking, at this point, hopefully it does not fail and risk the momentum we’ve built up over years of due process that led to success. Of course I freely admit I only say that because I’m not getting what I want out of MAPS 3 and Core to Shore, but everyone knows that about me already.. all I can say is hopefully what we do get works as intended, and not as advised by people who actually know stuff about urbanism.

As for the emails, the reality is that city councilors don’t check their email and they get screened first by secretaries. Some secretaries will read and your msg and say, “I definitely want to forward this to the City Councilor,” and others see something like this and say, “More MAPS concern. We’ve had enough of this. I only forward emails from people in the district who have specific problems and concerns. Delete.”

Nick, in all the years I covered city hall, it was only one or two council members who took this kind of approach and their political careers were short lived.

I imagine what you’ve experienced as a reporter for the Daily Oklahoman is quite a bit different than what I and others without community credentials have experienced..