I welcome my good friend
Joe Mangiamelli to the Shorewood blogosphere. He has been a regular contributor to the North Shore Herald's opinion pages, and I know he has a variety of strongly held opinions. He was a supporter of mine during this year's campaign. I look forward to a healthy debate on the issues facing our Village.
That said, I must disagree with his comment about the Village Board having become a "pothole government."
"Local democracy, like the practice of medicine, must keep the well being of the individual in mind if the government is not to become "pothole government". Although filling potholes and other routine processes are also important, the living patterns and the improving of the culture of its citizens must rise above these mundane functions."Although I frequently and publicly level criticisms at the Board, I must come to their defense in this case. I do not believe that criticizing them for being too involved in the day to day operation of the village is a fair criticism at this point. They just passed an ambitious master plan for complete redevelopment of Oakland and Capitol drive, the heart of our Village business district.
There are many in our Village who support the contents of the master plan, and many who oppose it. Whether you like what the details of what the Board has passed or not, their plan is ambitious and forward thinking. In my view, the board is fully engaged in long range planning for all aspects of the future of our village, not just on day to day management.
