Question for Arlington

Do Mayor Cluck and His Council Need to Go?

Arlington Water

Talking about Tarrant County water restrictions has raised some comments and push back. 

Read the comment here and read what happened at the Arlington Council meeting on the FW Weekly.

Again, we are about conserving water, but still take issue with the word - permanent.

And the thought that any variation from that schedule (ever) is a $2,000 fine is disturbing. 

Also, should we conserve water to bring new people to the area?  Shouldn't the reason be to provide it for our kids and their kids?

If a city has 16 candidates....

There's a reason. Be there Thursday and find out what it is.

City Council Candidates will attend first forum Thursday at 7:00 PM

By D. J. Zitko

Sixteen challengers for five seats on the City Council!

It is an extremely rare occurrence to have five seats in contention. Two seats are open due to resignations and three of the incumbents are up for re-election. In total, nineteen candidates are listed in the City Council races.

Fourteen of the challengers will take part in the first city council candidate forum this Thursday night, March 15th. This free event is open to the public and gives citizens an opportunity to meet the challengers and listen as they give timed responses to questions on the issues that face our city. The event will be held at the Odis Pharr Community Center, 3535 Marathon,Pantego, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. The event is hosted by the Arlington Tea Party.

The organizer of the event, Kelly Canon, a former candidate for City Council herself, spoke with the Arlington Voice about the forum’s format, “Due to the large number of candidates this year, we will keep answers to timed, one-minute responses. Each candidate will be given an opportunity to briefly introduce themselves and talk about the issues that are most important to them as a potential/future council member.”

Read the full story at the Arlington Voice.

Hey, Hey, Hey...Goodbye

Mel LeBlanc is no longer an Arlington Council member and he's no longer in the running for the next election. 

Read about it on the ArlingtonVoice.com.

In response to allegations surrounding his recently cleared drug investigation, Councilman Mel LeBlanc submitted his resignation to the Mayor and City Council and will be stepping down effective Tuesday, February 14th.

Name that Tune - Part 2

A column in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram has a familiar ring to it.

See if you can name the economic development boondoggle being discussed.  Don't they all start to sound the same?

Add this to the list: the failure of ________.

That was the proposal for a ____-billion dollar development between ________ and _____. Since the _____ was built in the early 1990s, ______ and city leaders dreamed of a town center with shopping, entertainment, hotels and high-rise condos -- an upscale money generator to justify the taxpayer subsidies that went into the ______.

That fantastic notion turned out to be a fantasy, at least for the first two decades. But the proposals also sucked all the retail oxygen out of north _____. In spring 2008, ____ -- a development pushed by former _______ -- was officially scrapped, and not long after, downtown began to emerge with a style all its own just a mile-and-a-half away.

Too much to tell...

happening in Arlington.  Packed council chambers, the Rush Creek Drill site vote, the issue of high density apartments, the list goes on.

We can't keep up, but Arlingtonvoice.com can.

Different city, same story

A recent Letter to the Editor says it all.  Too bad YOUR city can't read.

The citizens keep putting it together.  Good thing THE PEOPLE are paying attention.  That's about all they can afford to pay anymore.

Arlington apartments
At the Jan. 3 Arlington City Council meeting, presenters for the Center Court Redevelopment project said it is not aimed at students then used students in explaining why it did not need the correct number of parking spaces. All but one council member drooled over the project even after the council was blindsided by the developer talking about tax incentives.

This project is way too big for the property, and yet the council approved the zoning. Only one council member voted no, and I thank Sheri Capehart for her common sense. The rest of the council could not hear what those closest to the project site could hear -- the stretching of truth. Those who spoke in support do not live in this area, which shows the council does not care about the people in our neighborhood. What a slap in the face.

-- Sandra K DenBraber, Arlington

Muzzle the Dictators

Another letter writer takes issue with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram Editorial board and their "opinion" on the Arlington City Council debate. 

Read the letter in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Dictating to the people

The Star-Telegram Editorial Board could use a lesson in how dictatorships work. (See: "Arlington: Time limits aren't a muzzle to public debate," Jan. 3)

I found this quote troubling: "No, the job of the mayor and council is to make often-difficult decisions about city issues and put policies in place to improve life in Arlington. That purpose is not served by people who believe they can browbeat council members into seeing things in a particular way."

Really? So the Arlington City Council is an all-powerful government who should do what it feels is "right" for the city, its constituents be darned? Are the people who voice their concerns just a nuisance whose "purpose is not served by people who believe they can browbeat council members into seeing things in a particular way?" The Editorial Board seems to favor "big government" that is all-powerful and all-knowing, and works for the collective good.

What the editorial fails to realize is that Stalin and Mao thought the same thing. Look how that worked out for the Russians and Chinese.

-- David Blair, Fort Worth

Silence!

Is what Mayor Cluck would like in Arlington. It came to light in June during several packed council meetings when citizens were denied the right to speak. 

The editorial in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram seems to have a lot of holes.  THE PEOPLE making comments noticed.  They point out the Texas Open Meetings Act law and the right citizens have to speak.  (Are speaker time limits not outlined in City Charters? )
 
People usually end up addressing council in person, when their phone calls and emails go unanswered.  I can personally attest to this, along with several others, as well.

TOMA (Texas Open Meeting Act) treats public hearings differently from regular agenda items. State law basically says the public must be given the opportunity to speak at a public hearing. 0 minutes is NOT an opportunity to speak. 10 seconds, as the last speaker was allocated after 19 min and 50 sec of other speakers, is NOT an opportunity to speak. TOMA has been violated.
It ain't Cluck's town.  It belongs to the citizens.  The "leaders" may want to listen.
  
But his responsibility does not end there. His decisions can't be arbitrary, and of course he should not use the power of the chair to steer the outcome of the debate.

Cluck is open to criticism because his decision to limit speakers' time seems to have evolved in an ad hoc manner during the past year. The tipping point came in June during public hearings on the Hike and Bike Master Plan and Thoroughfare Development Plan.

The discussion was heated, there were large crowds and council members appeared to be eager to get the issue behind them. Cluck limited public comments to a total of 20 minutes from each side. With the large crowd heavily tilted against the plans, some of the opponents didn't get their chance at the microphone.

Cluck can also be criticized for lack of consistency. Sometimes people get two minutes, sometimes three. It is unreasonable to expect any speaker to plan an effective presentation without knowing beforehand exactly how much time will be available.

New "News"

From Arlington.  THEY get it.

Good luck to the Arlington Voice! Coming soon, to everywhere near YOU!

Here's hoping Fort Worth gets a Voice, too.

Latest Arlington Flood

But the game is still the same.  Everyone involved pointing fingers and blame at each other.  And the homeowners left holding the bag.

It's nice of Arlington to offer them a place to stay for at least a week.  What happens when "the City" floods YOU?

Read about it in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Two homes on Hillside Drive and a home on Woodside Drive were damaged Oct. 26 when a 12-inch waterline at the Pierce Burch Water Treatment Plant ruptured during a $400,000 waterline renewal project.

The city is still investigating the cause of the break, but officials have said Ark Contracting Services would cover property damage claims. But this week, Travelers Insurance notified affected homeowners that it does not believe that Ark Contracting is responsible for their damage.

"Travelers' review of the contract between Ark and the City reveals the contract does not obligate Ark to be responsible for damages occurring outside the scope of the contracted work," the letter to residents stated. "Further, we do not believe Ark was negligent in their actions giving rise to the flooding. Therefore, we will be unable to assist you with your renovations and suggest you look to the City."

The news of the insurance denial came as a surprise to resident Carol Cash, who said city officials have referred her complaints to Travelers for three weeks.

Cash, who has asthma, said the city denied her request for temporary housing Nov. 11 after a doctor recommended that she move out of the home until the mold is removed.

Cash said that she isn't thrilled about spending the Thanksgiving holiday at a hotel but that her home has become unlivable.

The water treatment plant has nearly flooded Cash's home twice before, she said. She wants the city to buy her home, which she feels has been drastically devalued.

"I don't want to be their neighbor anymore," Cash said. "It's not fair to us homeowners. We didn't ask for this. They destroyed our property."

Another flood "study"...

This one in Arlington concerning Rush Creek Watershed.

Once it's completed FEMA and the Corp will get involved.  YOU know what that means.  Cha-ching.

Read about it in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.  Then watch the Arlington flooding that happened Wednesday, though no one is sure the cause for the water main break.  Those living near the waste water plant have been flooded many times in the past several years.  Maybe they should study that, too.  Check it out on Fox 4 news.  What all runs downhill?

In September 2010, Tropical Storm Hermine sent several feet of floodwater raging through dozens of west Arlington homes and the Willows at Shady Valley condos. The city, saying that no amount of dredging would stop Rush Creek from flooding, bought 48 of the affected homes and the condominium complex as part of a $16 million program to address chronic flooding.

During Tuesday's City Council meeting, interim Public Works and Transportation Director Keith Melton outlined a planned Rush Creek watershed study that aims to identify its true 100-year flood plain, which hasn't been updated since the 1970s.

Many of the homes in the Shady Valley area were built before those flood maps were adopted. Over the years, development upstream has increased storm-water runoff flowing into the creek and through the downstream neighborhoods, causing millions of dollars in flood damage.

Arlington wants to determine how high Rush Creek storm water could rise once the watershed is fully developed. Rush Creek, which encompasses about one-third of the city, is the largest of the city's nine watersheds and has the most undeveloped land within it, Melton said.

The study, set to be presented to the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers in 2013, will help the city identify possible drainage and storm-water-retention projects to protect structures, interim City Manager Bob Byrd said. The studies could help FEMA determine a new 100-year Rush Creek basin flood plain, which could affect homeowners' flood insurance premiums.

________________________________________________

Some Arlington homeowners said they were shocked and completely helpless when a water treatment plant mishap sent water rushing through their homes.

“I’m a realtor and was working at my computer and happened to look out the door and saw water coming 90 miles an hour down the hill,” said Carol Cash.

She said this is not the first time water from the plant has flooded their home. And her family has been trying to negotiate a settlement deal with the city.

WHO to the rescue?

A letter to the editor in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram tells you how things are run in Tarrant County.  Don't be mistaken, it ain't just Richland Hills.

If a Texes hero shows up, they are going to be busy. 

Rescue Richland Hills

Richland Hills has ceased to function as a city, and there's no Superman to rescue us. We have a city charter that is old and outdated but is the current, legal policy voted in by our citizens. It is the law.

Or is it? Various members of the City Council are routinely violating the city charter but there's no way to hold them accountable since they abolished the city's Ethics Review Board. The city manager, who has won numerous awards for management of the city, is under siege by the council. Each week more City Council actions are being hidden in "executive session." Residents loyal to certain councilmen are allowed to misbehave during council and board meetings and are creating a hostile workplace for volunteers and city employees. Councilmen are ordering the replacement of opposing board members without following due process.

Richland Hills has become a Wild West town run by thugs and bullies. We need an intervention! I have contacted various elected officials within Tarrant County and my state representative but so far no one seems able or willing to step in, call this obviously unethical behavior into question and save Richland Hills.

-- Ralph Smith, Richland Hills

Arlington pay out

Roger Summers writes another gem to the Letters to the Editor in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Courting in Arlington

When Arlington's city manager, with scant explanation, was invited to leave the building, his billfold was stuffed with about $140,000 of taxpayer money. If his performance was such that he was given the ol' City Council heave-ho, why the generous payoff? Yes, we know, we know. It's in the contract. And who agreed to the contract?

Reason for the swift kick out the door? Not much is being said, except for that time-worn, oft-used, nebulous dodge that says we're heading in a different direction. So much for transparency. Let the speculation swirl.

The mayor did say, though, the city would get back to paying attention to neighborhoods -- streets, water and sewer services.

Does this mean the city will stop going steady with the likes of a stadium builder, gas drillers, out-of-town college student apartment builders and such and actually venture a date now and then and dance with those who brung 'em -- the residents?

Well, Tickle Me Elmo.

But we'll see, we'll see.

-- Roger Summers, Arlington

Rush Creek - One year later

Read about the flooded Arlington neighborhood in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Stagner lived at the corner of Woodland Park and Woodridge Drive for 41 years until last Sept. 8, when Tropical Storm Hermine sent several feet of floodwaters raging through her neighborhood. Stagner remembers worrying that she and her son and daughter would have to retreat to the attic for safety after the swiftly rising creek burst through her windows and began filling her home chest-deep with muddy brown water.

It will be Stagner's turn to be comforted this month when the wrecking crew comes for her former home. The city bought it and 48 other flood-damaged houses and The Willows at Shady Valley condominiums this year as part of a $16 million program to address chronic flooding along Rush Creek.

City officials have repeatedly said that no amount of dredging will stop the creek from flooding and that tearing down the homes and apartments to create green space to absorb storm-water runoff is the only practical solution.

"I feel very strongly there is nothing we can do to hold that back," Mayor Robert Cluck said. "We have to get people out of harm's way. We have accomplished that to a large extent."

So far, 17 homes have been razed, and 16 others are scheduled to be demolished by early October, city officials said. The 100-unit Willows condos, which the city bought for $4.5 million, are set to be torn down by the end of the year.

Once cleared, the land will be regraded, reseeded and maintained by the city. The new green space will be incorporated into existing parks.

The city issued bonds to pay for the flood-control project, which will be repaid over 20 years using storm-water fees paid by water utility customers.

"It's a very efficient way to make this whole thing work," Cluck said. "Had we not had that, I'm not sure where we would have gotten the money to do it."

"We lost everything but essentially the clothes off our backs," said Lowe, whose family spent three months living in a hotel before buying a new home in south Arlington. "It was very easy to sell [to the city]. We would not have gone through this again for anything."

Water WHERE?

While Grand Prairie cuts back on the water drillers can have during the drought/water shortage, Arlington says full steam ahead.  (The picture above was sent to us from Fort Worth last week, no surprise there).

Only one council member had anything to say, really??  THE PEOPLE are the ones bringing this up, WHY aren't the elected officials looking out for their constituents?  Don't they need water, too?  Or did they make a deal?

Read about it on WFAA.com.

Feil giving them Hell

Another North Texas Watchdog, watching out for YOU. 

Read about Kim in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. 

Among her goals is to have Arlington, which has more than 380 active gas wells, and other cities require vapor recovery systems aimed at reducing the amount of smog-causing volatile organic compounds being emitted from drilling sites.

Feil criticizes the city leaders as too dependent on statistics and studies provided by the gas industry.

Not all sheep

The letters to the editor in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram prove that while the majority may be blind as a bat, not all citizens are sheep.

Letters about fuzzy math, one sided reporting, education, skewed priorities, groups that claim to represent all are just a few topics today.  Read them all.  Be sheep free.

Energy savings?

Arlington is spending $2.3 million to replace windows in a 30-year-old building. (See: "Arlington replacing single-pane window panels on City Tower," Monday)

The $78,000 a year potential savings in energy costs sounds great until you do the math. It will take more than 29 years just to break even on this investment. Is this really a wise use of funds in a time when government is supposedly looking for expenditures that can be cut?

-- Suzanne Hencken, Chico

I noticed the reporter only reported one side of the story and did not talk to Montgomery. Is this the current way to report? Is an article only the information that fits the story the reporter wants to write? What is the rest of the story?

-- Dan Moore, Fort Worth

Skewed priorities

How can Fort Worth be designated an All-American City when its priorities are so skewed? There is no money to open even one swimming pool for Fort Worth residents, and libraries are short of funds. However, $68,695 can be spent to put lights on a radio tower near Interstate 20 and Campus Drive. How much will the electric bill be for that tower and the ones in the Lancaster Avenue median?

Almost $25,000 is expected to be spent to help landscape and irrigate the median on a back road at the Fort Worth boundary with Saginaw. I know city funds are budgeted for specific purposes but it's time to reallocate funds to do what will accomplish the most good for the most people. I don't even live in Fort Worth, but I find this situation hard to ignore. Fort Worth residents need to speak up!

-- Pat Friar, Saginaw

Where will YOU be tonight?

You have options.  You could attend the Arlington City Council where they'll be discussing the Hike and Bike Plan.  The last Arlington City Council meeting was so much fun, YOU might not want to miss this one.

Or you could attend the Trophy Club/Roanoke Town Hall where Congressman Michael Burgess will be speaking. 7-8 at Byron Nelson High School.

See you there!

Political Pow-wur

A letter to the Editor in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram speaks volumes about the Arlington City Council meeting where citizens that went to be heard were instead, thrown out.

Pow-wur shift

Some Arlington citizens -- you know, common folk who pay taxes, fees and inconsequential things like that -- want to talk about a controversial and divisive thoroughfare plan.

But the mayor says not so fast. Only 20 minutes' discussion collectively for the pros, 20 minutes for the cons. No matter how many citizens want to speak to the council.

The mayor proclaims he has the pow-wur. He invokes the pow-wur. Shush little citizens. Go sit in the corner. Play the quiet game.

So he borrows the Dallas County Commissioners Court's muzzle.

What do the mayor's fellow council members say about this virtual shutoff of debate? What's that, council members? Couldn't hear you. Must be bad acoustics, huh?

But a stadium builder, gas well drillers and out-of-town apartment builders get a city hall full of 20 minutes. But Arlington residents? Who do you think you are?

An entrenched incumbent came ever-so-close to biting the political dust in Saturday's runoff election. Could be a not-so-subtle message there and it might embolden residents. While quietly being obedient, corner-sitting little people, maybe they'll conclude that in coming elections, why, they just might invoke the pow-wur, too.

-- Roger Summers, Arlington