Sustainability Initiative and the Emperors Clothing

Mayor Mark Kruzan along with Councilman Dave Rollo made a pitch for yet another piece of legislation under city control called the sustainability initiative. This recent initiative is supposed to promote economic vitality, improve human conditions and preserve and enhance community character. Their plan is to establish a commission to oversee what they call the three pillars of our community, economic development, environmental health and social equity. Interestingly enough this twelve-member commission will be made up entirely of mayoral and council appointees. This partisan commission has all the makings of being an environmental lap dog for the liberal no-growth left by diverting attention away from city hall. By establishing this commission the Mayor and City Council will add yet another layer of bureaucracy to local development and instead of having to oppose projects themselves they will be able to acknowledge the recommendation of the “Sustainability Commission” which will do their dirty work for them.

If our Mayor wants to work on a new initiative that will improve human conditions I recommend one that addresses problems that exist within city hall. Sources from within city government indicate moral is at all time low reportedly due to the Mayor’s tyrannical attitude and his incessant micromanagement. Furthermore he is gaining a reputation for being habitually late to meetings that is if he shows up at all. It was reported that during a recent visit to IU by the ambassador from Korea that Mayor Kruzan, who was scheduled to represent our city, never bothered to show up which was quite an embarrassment for the local and University officials in attendance. His lack of experience in understanding the intricacies of people management are obviously overwhelming him to the point where he is continually failing to meet his obligations as mayor. Several initiatives have come out of the Mayor’s office as of late; most are nothing more than smoke and mirrors seemingly to divert attention away from the real issues. Mayor Kruzan learned along time ago that in government words are stronger than actions and it couldn’t be more obvious than with the proposed sustainability legislation. It must have kept them up nights coming up with all the clichés and syntax to describe a whole lot of nothing. This reminds me of the fairy tale where the emperor is sold a new set of clothes, if you keep talking long enough before you know it people will believe just about anything.