It was just a Chess Move

Mondays are bad enough but waking up to a dismal, rainy day doesn’t help. And then I started to think about TRNA’s 6pm meeting tonight at Compass and the day just became more dreary. Power grabs among members of a neighborhood association are just so unsavory.

Neighborhood Associations SAY that they are not political and I say everything we do and believe is based on politics. As Thomas Mann said in The Magic Mountain, “There is nothing that is not political. Everything is politics.” This was proved in the Bryant Park parking lot fiasco. Neighborhood Associations need to take a stand on issues that affect them and that is every decision made in this City. Moving a parking lot never should have turned out “political” but BPNA along with some residents made it so. Often times I hear NA presidents saying, “We are not political. We do not want to get involved in politics.” This is a bunch of hooey. Those neighborhood associations that don’t involve themselves, will be ineffective in ever getting anything positive done.

Tonight we get to hear both sides of the story—whether or not Tropical Ridge Neighborhood Association’s election was properly noticed and per its By-Laws. Tropical Ridge has so many problems (and goal aspirations), that Mary Lindsey still has her finger there. City Commissioner Jennings, along with CRA Commissioner Jessica Rockstein who both live in that neighborhood, are some of the members who are asking for a new election.

The argument as I understand it: Proper notice was given for TRNA’s new election to be held on January 4. At the last minute, that meeting was rescheduled to December 28. Notice was delivered late that morning and posted on the web site and in an e-mail. There was no reference to elections taking place that night. Many people did not receive notice and arrived on January 4^th for the election meeting. I would imagine that members want to be convinced that this was not just another "deceptive flyer." This all occurred between Christmas and New Year's when many people have made other plans, are out of town, etc. and relied on the original meeting notice.

If there are that many people who are members that believe that the meeting was not noticed properly, why not just have a new election and make everyone happy? What is there to fear? But this is politics, right?