Toledo isn't the only city questioning the effort of competing in the All America City Awards.
Rowlett, TX, has an on-line Citizen Forum and one of the discussions is about the participation of the city in the All America City Awards - and whether or not the expense is worth it. Interesting, much of what is being said there is what is being said here - there are other things more important than applying and competing for an award, no matter how prestigious such an award claims to be.
An interesting question has arisen on that web page regarding just how many applications were received. You see, they don't release the number of communities who've applied, only the finalists (there are 39 this year). So the question they ask in Rowlett is whether or not all the finalists were the only applicants. But since the applicant list is never released, there is no way to ever know. They also question the dubious claim that such awards aid in economic development, wondering how you can measure such a claim.
Apparently, the idea of cities focusing on their core functions and not going after so-called 'highly prestigious' awards is one that is shared across the nation.
Showing posts with label All America City. Show all posts
Showing posts with label All America City. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Saturday, April 04, 2009
Controversy over All America City award
It's good news and bad...
Toledo has been nominated as a finalist for the All America City Award. That's a good thing. Three projects - the Neighborhood Block Watch Program, Toledo GROWS and CAPA City (a youth program) - were highlighted in the application.
These are good programs and deserve the recognition and prior awards that have been given to them.
But many city residents are questioning how Toledo can be a finalist for such an award when we've got a $27.7 million budget deficit and the all the problems resulting therefrom.
The award program requires cities and presenters to travel to the National Civic League award ceremonies (in Tampa this year) and compete with the other finalists over a three-day period of time. The winners are announced at the end of the presentations.
At the press conference announcing our finalist status, Mayor Carty Finkbeiner was asked - or at least reporters tried to ask - if city money would be spent on this function and whether or not competing for such an award was the right priority for him considering the deficit and union problems.
His response was that he was going to stay on the positive side, that he was 'in charge' and wasn't going to answer such a question, and that reporters should 'get a life.'
While I understand the desire to focus on a positive thing for the city, it is ridiculous for the mayor to not anticipate such logical and reasonable questions at his press conference. He could have made such statements about no city monies being spent as part of his announcement, thus eliminating the need for reporters to ask, but he didn't. Instead, he got testy and indignant that they would even dare to suggest that the issue of funding an expensive trip during such economic struggles might have any relevance at all.
And when he gets like that, he says things he shouldn't - like telling reporters:
As callers and emailers to WSPD have said they are going to write the hosts of the competition and tell them what is really going on in Toledo, one can only wonder if our mayor and his comments will again become a national embarrassment. Sadly, because he wasn't exactly forthcoming on the application when detailing the 'challenges' the city faces (he identified declining participation in Block Watch programs and hunger as our challenges), the fact that the city is in dire financial straights may come as a surprise to the award sponsors.
Also, it would be a shame if the application's highlighted programs suffered as a result of our mayor's penchant for painting a rosy - and incomplete - picture of the city.
What he should have done was admit the financial struggles, point out the serious challenges, and highlight the deficit and the job losses and the foreclosures. And then point out that in spite of all those things, we have successful programs in the city that are flourishing despite the gloom of our economic conditions. This approach would have acknowledged the true state of our city and used that as a backdrop for showcasing the positive things that are going on and the can-do spirit of our citizens.
Instead, the award judges are going to get communications from Toledoans that will make it appear as if Carty was trying to hide the true condition of Toledo or that he was ignoring the elephant in the room.
If the truthfulness about our city and its condition is made known and negatively impacts Toledo's standing in the competition, Carty will blame others for pointing out the facts, accusing them of negativity, rather than blame himself for failing to be honest about those facts in the first place.
Have you had enough yet?
Toledo has been nominated as a finalist for the All America City Award. That's a good thing. Three projects - the Neighborhood Block Watch Program, Toledo GROWS and CAPA City (a youth program) - were highlighted in the application.
These are good programs and deserve the recognition and prior awards that have been given to them.
But many city residents are questioning how Toledo can be a finalist for such an award when we've got a $27.7 million budget deficit and the all the problems resulting therefrom.
The award program requires cities and presenters to travel to the National Civic League award ceremonies (in Tampa this year) and compete with the other finalists over a three-day period of time. The winners are announced at the end of the presentations.
At the press conference announcing our finalist status, Mayor Carty Finkbeiner was asked - or at least reporters tried to ask - if city money would be spent on this function and whether or not competing for such an award was the right priority for him considering the deficit and union problems.
His response was that he was going to stay on the positive side, that he was 'in charge' and wasn't going to answer such a question, and that reporters should 'get a life.'
While I understand the desire to focus on a positive thing for the city, it is ridiculous for the mayor to not anticipate such logical and reasonable questions at his press conference. He could have made such statements about no city monies being spent as part of his announcement, thus eliminating the need for reporters to ask, but he didn't. Instead, he got testy and indignant that they would even dare to suggest that the issue of funding an expensive trip during such economic struggles might have any relevance at all.
And when he gets like that, he says things he shouldn't - like telling reporters:
"Let me stay on the positive side and let me suggest that you guys get a life. We will, in all due respect, and I really do mean, get a life."
As callers and emailers to WSPD have said they are going to write the hosts of the competition and tell them what is really going on in Toledo, one can only wonder if our mayor and his comments will again become a national embarrassment. Sadly, because he wasn't exactly forthcoming on the application when detailing the 'challenges' the city faces (he identified declining participation in Block Watch programs and hunger as our challenges), the fact that the city is in dire financial straights may come as a surprise to the award sponsors.
Also, it would be a shame if the application's highlighted programs suffered as a result of our mayor's penchant for painting a rosy - and incomplete - picture of the city.
What he should have done was admit the financial struggles, point out the serious challenges, and highlight the deficit and the job losses and the foreclosures. And then point out that in spite of all those things, we have successful programs in the city that are flourishing despite the gloom of our economic conditions. This approach would have acknowledged the true state of our city and used that as a backdrop for showcasing the positive things that are going on and the can-do spirit of our citizens.
Instead, the award judges are going to get communications from Toledoans that will make it appear as if Carty was trying to hide the true condition of Toledo or that he was ignoring the elephant in the room.
If the truthfulness about our city and its condition is made known and negatively impacts Toledo's standing in the competition, Carty will blame others for pointing out the facts, accusing them of negativity, rather than blame himself for failing to be honest about those facts in the first place.
Have you had enough yet?
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