[June Moreno]

I am personally seeking some community feed back and input:

Should Council eliminate the Parks and Recreation Board?

Should the P&R Board be replaced with a P&R Commission?

Should the P&R Board/Commission participate in the P&R Master Plan?

What should the duties of a P&R Board/Commission be?


Any response would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you for your  consideration

[:-)]

I these are the same people who made the Tree Master Plan, why would we want to get ride of them?  They already wrote a great Master Plan, use their experience for a P&R Plan.  If the P&R Director would listen to them, they could recommend some great programs to her and they could go out into the community and organize volunteers to help the Director.  They could put out a newsletter to inform the citizens of current and upcomming events and programs.  They could work with the schools, businesses and citizens to come up with ideas.
I don't care if you call them a commission or a board but keep them.  They are a valuable community tool.

[Guest]

yank it like your starting a chainsaw

[Guest]

Yeah they do get yanked around alot.  We lost EW Days and the 3rd of July.  There ain't any money so what difference does it make.

[Guest]

If they want to be the P&R Director they should apply for the job.  The ‘board’ is asking for too much.

[Guest]

In what way are they asking for to much?  Can you be specific?

[Observant]

Yeah, like picking up trash after EW Days and the Fireworks on the 3rd.  Dressing up like the Easter Bunny and Uncle Sam.  They were just plain greedy.

[Guest]

[Just saying]

[Guest]

[Yeah, But..]

Point taken, but most departments don't have commissions.

Example:
Department of Finance
Police Department
Department of Public Works
Clerk's Office (is that a department?)
Fire Department

The closest would be the Engineering Department working with Planning & Zoning.  And even that is a streatch.  Planning does nothing with permits and inspections, which is big part of the engeneering departments job.

[Guest]

we don't need a board to tell the p&r director how to do her job..  Thats the problem with this place /  to many backseat quarterbacks  ruining the show.

[gingerellie]

June, you put forth some good questions.  As I understand from reading the other posts, the P&R Board is volunteer.  So I take that to mean they are not being paid.  It also seems like the Board put together the Tree Plan.  Many people have expressed favorable views for it.  How would a commission be different?  Would they be paid or sstill volunteers?  And why change something that already is working?  Anyway, with my limited understanding of the situation, I say keep the Board.  They definitely should participate in the P&R master plan.  This is a plan for our community and we should be allowed to help formulate plans for it.  what should the duties be?  An earlier poster had some good ideas.  If the P&R director can actually start being a director ( and I do have doubts --  she hasn't done it so far) she and the board can brainstorm ideas for special projects for the young people such as career days or hands-on educational experiences, having people from EDgewater and maybe surrounding areas talk about what they do or are involved in, but in a fun way.  Small field trips might be good.  With the board giving their input  more programs for all ages  might be more doable.  I do apologize for going on so long.

[Cottonwood]

I do not get the feeling that the P&R Board is even interested in telling the P&R Director how to do her job, that will be the City Managers authority.  Laying out the Master Plan is another story.  The Tree Commission presented the Arborist with a vision, he made it practical and cohesive.  The Tree Commission doesn't tell him which trees to mark for taking down nor do they climb the trees and cut out branches.  They don't sign contracts or apply for grants to implement the Tree Master Plan.  That is the arborist job with the approval of City Council and the City Manager.
Why in the world would the P&R Board be any different?  Of course they are going to need professional assistance in authoring a Master Plan and part of that assistance if not all of it should come from the P&R Director.  Unfortunately I doubt that she has the maturity and skill to perform that duty and thus the need for a skilled P&R Planner.

[Peter Wood]

Get real !!!!!! you don't need a PR board to manage a one person PR department with a one room 25X25 foot space in a condemened building we call a rec center.  This City has so many more important things to worry about why don't you all get a hobby like an ant farm ////////////// that's pretty hard to screw up.

[Cottonwood]

Yeah, but... wrote:

[Guest]

[Guest]

it called the Ice Ranch

[Guest]

keep dreaming

[Guest]

[Cottonwood]

It was meant to be cute.   .

[Cotton]

Guest of 9:35am wrote:

[Devon Barclay]

There are some things boards and commissions really excel at. There are other things they tend to do poorly. As bodies made up of citizen volunteers, boards and commissions don’t usually make good project planners, and they’re not excellent at overseeing public work and improvements on a detailed level. There’s a monument to this argument on 25th Avenue. The simple fact is, that’s not their purpose.

What boards and commissions do is provide a lifetime for public priorities, and a forum for citizens to direct the programs and projects of their community. As political bodies, boards and commissions exist to bring in ideas from the community, feedback, and vision. That’s what they’re really good at, and why every City with paved roads and a City building in the state, with a major public department, has a board or commission to provide input to that department and make sure the public’s wishes are being heard, and actuated into real work.

Citizen boards and commissions exist to write Master Plans in broad strokes, keep in touch with the professionals their cities hire to implement those plans, monitor progress, provide ideas and feedback, and liase between the elected officials who may or may not fund future progress of those plans, and the experts the City hires to carry them out. They’re a sounding board, a fount of ideas, and stewards of the community’s desires.

All of this broken down, in specific context: a good Parks and Recreation board or commission works to draft a Master Plan for P&R activities within the city, and then works to make sure the priorities identified in such a plan are adopted and carried out. They speak to neighbors and stakeholders, get voices into the process, and monitor how well services are being delivered, in line with the plan – once it’s approved by Council.

They don’t place orders for bats and balls, they don’t say “how” something needs to get done. But if the people’s needs aren’t being met, a good P&R board is the first place citizens can go to to be heard, and, in an ideal world, trust that those concerns will be passed on to their elected leaders for action.

This is the very basic model of the Parks and Recreation boards and commissions in every corner of the state, and especially so in our neighbors and similarly-sized communities. Boards and commissions exist to be and do the political stuff, so that employees can – well, do their job.

In a time of clarification under the new Charter, it’s time the Parks and Recreation board found its clarification. It’s a group of folks who know pretty well how to work with an expert and devise a Plan. And the city needs one. That done, all they should have to do is ensure that the work getting done around this place fits the needs addressed in that plan, and if it’s not, advise Council, Mayor, staff, and the City Manager, that they have reservations – which, more often than not, are the reservations reported by the community at large.

A clarifying document – like, say, a new, well-written ordinance – would be a great first step in getting things right again in this place, paying some respect to the community, and letting the Director do her job without silencing the City she's doing it in.

[Guest]

Excellent perspective Devon.  I see one issue though that doesn’t appear to be getting adequate attention.

Over time the PR Director’s job description seems to have morphed into not “how” something gets done, but “what” gets done.  Until the clarification you are asking for creates not only the role of the Board, but also a delineation of duties between the Department and the Board the existing conflicts have no resolve.

Not trying to beat a dead horse here, but again this is an area where I have high hopes for the success that a skilled City Manager will bring.

[City Manager]

I heard Council Prez tonight, and I agree. How does a board of citizen's, giving their input, make the paid employee (the Parks and Wreck Director's) job easier?

More importantly - how does City Council make the City Manager's job easier? Once we get one, let's dissolve Council, and all the other citizen led boards, and just hire people to make Edgewater's decisions for us. They're much, much better at it.

Heck, they're the pros! They know what's up! The permanent fence in the park, the Abbey, the Ice Rink, the alley paving... professionals do a WAY better job of running this place than the people who actually live here. And I heard planting trees and shrubs in the dead of Winter is much more efficient that the tired old tradition of Spring and Fall planting. Dang, our City building is gonna be pertty in Summer with all them shrubs gone.

[The Voices]

Yeah, sending cranky old people up to Black Hawk to gamble away their SS checks is the way to go.  Besides the kids have enough activity .  Like tagging that freshly painted gazebo in Memorial Park.  I'm sure the 15,000 people or so enjoyed the darkened walk out of Citizens Park last July 3rd not to mention the mud pit they had to negotiate on the North side of the park.
Instead of cutting down the dead street trees identified by the arborist our P&R Director followed the voices in her head and took out the healthy mugo pines on the South side of City Hall.  Can't wait till this girl gets ahold of the P&R Master plan, wonder what the voices will tell her then.

[Bogart]

Remember that classic scene in Treasure of the Sierra Madres, we had one last night.  There were the citizens trying to keep their treasured parks.  Then the banditos approached them:
"Input?  We don't need no stinking citizens input!"
And so it goes.

[Ignored]

I guess we now know where we lowley citizens stand.  There is some serious replacement needed on Council and the Mayors seat next November.  I'm almost afraid to let these people select our City Manager.  This is the worst City Government I have seen in 25 plus years as an Edgewater resident.

[Guest]

Did Council eliminate the P&R Board?  That's a bad idea if they did.  It is my understanding the P&R Board writes the P&R Master Plan.  I was hoping to see some childrens programs other than arts & crafts stuff.

[Status Quo]

Council didn’t vote to dissolve the board nor did they vote on anything to define the board’s duties.  After a long discussion every thing was left exactly where it started.  The boards is in limbo and the master plan will be contracted out to a professional planner.

[What?]

We're going to pay big bucks for a Master Plan that gets ignored just like all the other Master Plans?!  Oh great!

[Guest]

I agree we have needed a new police building for over 20 years and nothing has been done yet we can build museums, hire contractors, waste thousands on studies.  This is just another embarassment to an embarrassing city.

[worried]

While I agree with you all, that Edgewater has been abysmally irresponsible and short-sighted with the management of grant monies over the years, the fact is we can't build a new Police Station with funds allocated for recreation-type programs. Grant money comes with strings not of our making.
Please don't mistake me for a City apologist, as I am not. However, I have seen instances when what was learned from a study is what was prudent not to do. The inaction can easily be mistaken for "no positive result" but that is not always the case.  Information gleaned from studies can also guide the community away from potentially even more costly errors if we are open minded enough to accept it's counsel.
Of course, there have also been studies we have paid for with our precious grant money that we did not implement because the time between the study and it's implementation was enough time to elect a different Mayor with a different agenda and the study was sent out the window like a paper airplane. Politics.
That Edgewater doesn't have any sort of Parks and Recreation programming for our young people however is a mistake we could have avoided by thoughtful planning. Instead we have studiously ignored the need as well as the responsibility of a community to address these needs with the funds we have been given to provide for them.
Instead, we closed our eyes and pursued "money making projects" designed to increased property values and revenue.
 In truth, we weren't very successful at those endeavors and now we have very little to show for our efforts and the young people, with no where positive to go, prowl the alleys at night.
I am cautiously optimistic that a City Manager will be better at long range planning than our well meaning but ultimately unqualified city fathers and mothers have been. Investment in a community comes in many forms. In times like these investing in the well being of our neighbors and their children should be one of them.

[grown up here]

You all should be ashamed of yourselves.  Have any of you volunteered to help with the city?  Have you helped with the P&R department and have seen just what goes on?  Have you been to city council meetings and actually listened to what happens there?  I think NOT!!!  I myself have volunteered many many hours to this city and have seen how the money gets spent.  There is not enough revenue here in Edgewater to do any master plan.  The P&R director is doing all she can to keep the city afloat and kicking.  
The police department is taking off hours to make ends meet.  If all the citizens would put their dollars INTO the city, there might be revenue for July 3rd and Edgewater Days.  Don't bitch until you've been there and volunteered.  Get off your butts and shut your mouths.  Do something you hypocrites !!!

[Yes I Do!]

Actually, yes, I have and do.  Many people who post here contribute countless hours to the City.  That is why most posts on the Talking Stick are thoughtful and meaningful.  This form has contributed to informing the citizens to crucial issues facing the City and practical resolutions to those issues.  It also points out the short comings and failures.
I have no doubts the P&R Director works hard but, is she effective?  One thing is for sure, she simply does not play well with others.  The P&R Board has at every turn tried to assist her and she takes any input as critizism and a "lack of respect".  That attitude is juvinile at best and unprofessional at worst.

[Bottom Line]

If we as a community can't afford some fireworks for our July 3rd tradition, which is the one thing we do right.  

CLOSE THE DOORS.

[Passing it on]

Recreation activities FOR THE YOUTH IN OUR COMMUNITY is not fireworks for people's 4th of July parties. In fact, the adults in this community are the only ones who get any recreation programs (fireworks, trips to go gamble) it's not about the adults its about the kids and the adolescents and the high schoolers.
It isn't Edgewater Daze, or fireworks, it is about doing the right thing as a City of adults for the community. Which has always been one of the essential components of being a good place to live.

[With kids]

The fireworks and Edgewater days were not just adult events, they were family events.  That is not to say we don't need more youth oriented activity.  We used to have a great Halloween celebration but that was nixed.  The P&R Director recently tried to charge a $1 a head fee for our children to participate in a Halloween party and planned to do the same for the Easter Egg Hunt.  Niether event was worth the cost due to poor planning.
The only way we are going to be able to identify the needs and desires of the community and compare them against the available fiscal resources is to conduct a Master Plan process lead by a community oriented P&R Board.  The most important part of that process will be a valid survey and many public meetings.  I do not believe our current little girl P&R Director is capabale of heading up such a project, shes to busy hogging the ball.

[Guest]

I just drove by Memorial Park for the first time since the gazebo was painted.  Two words, ticky-tac.

[Guest]

It's not on my migration route, what is wrong with the gazebo, paint color?

[Designer by trade]

Paint color and the fact that except for  the trim (which was dark green) it was not designed to be painted.  It's a gawd awful pinkish biege.  IMHO, it looks trashy.  They should have painted the trim the original green and stained and sealed the rest.

[Keep it simple]

I am offering this as an idea. The idea is to take the ordinance on the books now, reword it to fall in line with the new Charter and Council can always revisit it at a more advantageous time to expand or contract it's scope.

I believe this is what is there now:

ARTICLE 12

Parks and Recreation Advisory Board

Sec. 2-12-10. Creation.

In accordance with Section 11.7 of the Charter, the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board has been created. (Ord. 12-08 §1, 2008)

Sec. 2-12-20. Duties.

In addition to the duties set forth in the Charter, the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board shall prepare and submit, from time to time as requested by the Mayor, a proposed master plan for the development and maintenance of a modern park system; shall cooperate, as requested by the Mayor, in preparing the portions of the proposed City budget pertaining to parks and recreation; and shall make, as requested by the Mayor, recommendations for the establishment and conduct of recreational programs for the City. (Prior code 16-2; Ord. 12-08 §1, 2008)

My suggested revision.

ARTICLE 12

Parks and Recreation Advisory Board

Sec. 2-12-10. Creation.

In accordance with Section ? (the section stating Council will create committees, boards and commissions) of the Charter, Edgewater City Council has created the Parks and Recreation (Board or Commission). (Ord. 12-08 §1, 2008)

Sec. 2-12-20. Duties.

The Parks and Recreation Board (or Commission) shall assist in the preparation and submit to City Council, from time to time, as requested by the City Council, a proposed master plan for the development and maintenance of a modern park system; shall assist, as requested by the City Council, in preparing the portions of the proposed City budget pertaining to parks and recreation; and as requested by the City Council, shall report recommendations from Edgewater residents for the establishment and conduct of recreational programs for the City. (Prior code 16-2; Ord. 12-08 §1, 2008)
_____________________________________________________
Here is my reasoning (such as it is...)

This way the Parks and Recreation Director will not work with the board directly but will work with and for the City Manager.

The board or commission is an advisory committee to Council bringing them their ideas and the expressed needs of the community that they have received in their meetings and through community out reach efforts.

Council could bring what they wished to act on to the City Manager during City Council meetings and the City Manager would pass the information to the Parks and Recreation Director in the form of an assigned task the CM would like to see occur based on Council's instruction.
Then the City Manager would report the result to Council when the action has been completed.

Would that make everyone happy? I think this complies with the Charter but I'm not positive and I don't have the ability to comb through it right now. That is why I am posting this for critiquing. So, anyone? Have at it. Besides, that's what we have a City Attorney for, right?

[Guest]

Sounds great.  Very practical and productive without all the political BS.  This way the board/commission could move forward without re-inventing the wheel.

[Guest]

If everyone who writes on here goes to city council meetings and voices an opinion, things would be done differently.  The voice of the city has a lot of impact.  Most of you are all talk (or write) and not enough action.  Help your fellow elected officials by suggesting something meaningful and following it through.  Sitting on your hind ends and griping on the computer does not get things done.  If you don't like how things are done in Edgewater, then either move out, help out or shut the heck up!  We are all here together in this city of ours.  Most of us have lived here for more than 20 years yet don't and won't lend a finger for anyone.  Sad, sad, sad.  Life is too short to dwell on the negative and what everyone has done wrong.  Most of us have lived a full life and should be nurturing the younger generations to fulfilling a full and meaningful future.  Which means "positive thinking"!  We will not have people opening businesses, buying houses or helping the economy in this city if all they hear are the gripes and compliants.  Come on people, brighten up a little and bring out the good side.  Our city as a whole has an image to maintain.  Right now, it is awful !!!

[Guest]

Gentle please...  Keep it Simple offered a productive suggestion.  There was nothing negative about it.  As for the duty of citizens to go to council what happened to our elected representatives going to the people.  Sure during a campaign they are all over our streets kissing babies and making promises but as soon as they get sworn in they disappear.  They are not deaf, they hear us just fine.  What they do with what they hear is a different story and out of our control.

Besides, most of the people who post here do go the council - a lot.

[June Moreno]

Keep it simple,
Thank you, I did not think of that idea when I went to Coucil with my ordinance which is based on ordinances from other cities.   The only addition to your proposed P&R ordinance is one required by the City Charter in 9.2 (12):

[Guest]

It was gentle for what I wanted to say!  And, no, people do not go to council meetings.  Maybe one or two.  That is not the people of the city and, no, the council does not hear you.  They have no idea what the people would like, seeing they do not see volunteers helping engage in anything.  There are a certain few but that does not constitute the "city".  The P&R director is having an awful time with the budget cuts.  Also, she has no children, so she does not realize what kids do these days.  She is also young and does not realize what the "older" generation would like to implement and keep going.  People coming into Edgewater have no idea as to what has gone on in the past or what to expect in the future.  No "welcome wagon" of information is given or even suggested in the Hub or from out lovely city.  How can they know who to talk to  if they do not know?  Information is key for everyone, young and old alike.  Help by volunteering, not mouthing.

[Keep it simple]

[Keep it simple]

I feel I should hasten to add, if the P&R Board is essentially a clearing house for community feedback and other P&R information all they will be doing is providing that information to Council. Council will decide whether they want to use any of it. They have no independent power.
June, to your question about departmental liasons, I wonder if it is reasonable to say, in the context of City Council advisory boards and commissions, that as only Council can enact legislation that would affect City Departments the City Manager should serve as liason between Council and all the City Departments under his or her supervision?

[Guest]

Bossert, Johnson and McElhany seemed to be most supportive of an active PR Board.  Maybe one of them will pick this up and bring it to the floor sooner rather than later.  The outline presented here is pretty much in order.  I’m sure it won’t take much more than a phone call or an email to any one of these three to get the ball rolling.

Keep it Simple, THANKS!

[Fiscal Conservative]

Guest who believes you were gentle compared to what you wanted to say - You say

[Read the Charter!]

Actually you can’t use the same Open Space funds used to pay the P&R Director to pay for police officers.
I do not understand why the Council continues to allow the Mayor to give directions to the Boards and Commissions.  The new Charter redirects the power over the B&Cs to the Council to determine by ordinance and in two cases (P&Z & BOA) mandates an ordinance be written to determine whether a B&C answers to Council and/or the Manager, nowhere does it mention the Mayor.  I see few instances where a B&C should answer to the Manager if at all.
The Council should not eliminate any of the B&Cs at this time, they are extensions of Council and are an asset to Council.  Other than appointing people to most B&Cs (CRCC excepted) the Mayor has no control over them.  Council does not have to wait for the transition from Mayor to Manager to take place to redefine the P&R Board, Tree Commission and Historic Board and redirect their advisory duties towards the Council instead of the Mayor.  This would stop a lot of the current BS going on with the Historic Commission and the attempted dismantling of the P&R Board (Sure the Council can eliminate the P&R Board but, why in the world would they want to?  The P&R Board is suppose to be Councils advocate).
In short, the Boards and Commissions are part of Councils toolbox and the Departments are part of the Managers toolbox.  Together they should be able to fix most things.  So get up off your butts Council, stop complaining and write them ordinances to redifine those B&Cs and give them plenty of power to do your bidding.  Forget the Mayor and her lame duck managerial powers and alliances with the equally unqualified P&R director, we will have a Manager soon enough.

[The Harlander]

I agree with Read The Charter!.  The paradigm  has shifted and the Boards and Commissions should serve at the will and pleasure of the Council.  Any ordinance that refers to the duty and responsibility of a Board  or Commission to answer to/or be under control of the Mayor needs to be repealed immediately and those duties and responsibility redirected towards Council.  Councils responsibility is first to the citizens of Edgewater and not the Administrative Staff or employees.  The Boards and Commissions will advise Council on the desires of the Community and the Administrative staff will advise Council on the reality and practicality of those expectations.  Checks and balances folks, checks and balances.  It’s all right there in the Charter.  It’s time to take implementing the Charter seriously and that requires a great deal more than hiring a City Manager.  The balls in Councils court, are they willing to run with it?
As for the Mayor, you have a lot of vacancies on the Boards and Commissions.  Shouldn’t you be out in the community looking for good candidates to fill those vacancies?   It is one of your new Charter mandated duties afterall.

[Guest]

Not to toss a fur ball in the mix but funding any employee whose job is "of a Parks and Recreation" nature is the only requirement Open Space has. Open Space doesn't specify beyond that. So technically, it would be entirely possible to assign a rookie policeman to work exclusively with our young people running recreation programs and they would qualify to be funded through Open Space. You could, of course, also split the 45 K salary that exists now for the Director, into two positions more in line with the actual services we need our Parks and Recreation department to provide and have a part time administrative Director and a part time recreation leader or two who's job it would be to actually run recreation programing. Charter doesn't say the P&R Director must be a full time position. Charter also doesn't say you couldn't combine a Directorship, for example, the Public Works Director position could be the Public Works/Parks and Recreation Director and that person could supervise recreation staff funded by Open Space money and/or VISTA volunteers because our demographics (i.e. this is a poor neighborhood) would allow us to apply for VISTA volunteershttp://www.americorps.gov/about/programs/vista.asp,
who work full-time on a government stipend.
Or the City Manager could assume the Parks and Recreation Director position as well and supervise Parks and Recreation leaders. Then we would have a City Manager/Parks and Recreation Director who could delegate duties such as tree planting, park maintenance etc. to the Public Works Director, writing RFP's and coordinating grant proposals to the City Clerk and the Finance Director and overseeing an active Parks and Recreation program for the community.  
This is the sort of human resources analysis that a City Manager could undertake to expand our present resources and increase quality programming for our community. This can be a dynamic, building time for Edgewater in spite of the dreary economic realities every municipality faces. If they find a City Manager who knows how to activate and utilize the resources that are - and have always been - out there. We have, so far, simply failed to use them.

[The Harlander]

Someone who has a clue.  I assume Guest, you have put in an application for the P&R Board, they need your knowledge.
I have a simple analogy for what a city is:
A group of people gets together for their common good and writes an article of incorporation and bylaws (the Charter).  From among them they choose the Board of Trustees whose job is to determine the WHATs and WHYs of the corporation.  This would be your elected officials and they in turn select from the shareholders certain advisors, these would be the Boards and Commissions.  The Trustees then hire a CEO to implement the HOWs by hiring specialist called Department Heads who then hire the employees to do the work of the corporation.
The corporation, fellow shareholders, is called the City of Edgewater and it belongs to you, not some department head.  The Trustees should know this and if not, we the share holders may choose to replace them at the next election or fire them via a difficult process called recall.
Like I said, it is a simple analogy but, an effective one.

[peacemaker]

[The Harlander]

Peacemaker,
Point taken.  It was meant only as a procedural reference speaking to the powers of the shareholder citizens and not a recommendation.  I absolutely do not have nor do I support any thoughts of recalling any elected official at this time.  Just so the folks know, a recall attempt is a very difficult and painful process for anyone involved.  It is hard on the community, the official recalled and the people behind the recall.  It is at best  an action of despair and should always be the absolute last course of action.  It literally brings a city to its knees and has far reaching consequences.  I know from personal experience and it is my firmest wish that Edgewater never again has to go through it, ever.

[peacemaker]

Thank you, I knew that is what you really meant.  

[Ed G Waters]

Harlander
Lets see if I got my damn head wrapped around this thing.  Here is my analoglist ouput based on your analogilogical input.  I'm the City Council and I have a hankerin to do sumpthin.  Now I got these voices that talk to me (and I do) and I call them the Advisors (and I do).  Now them advisors is plumb like the Boards and Commissions.  Now these advisors are telling me that my hankerin is for some brew.  Imagine that!
So after listining to the voices (and I do), I determine that just any brew won't do, I want Malt Liquor and not just any Malt Liquor.  What I want is Colt 45, yes sir the blessing of the brewers art, that's want I damn well want.  Hell yes!
So I go to the boss, Mrs. Edge and I tell her about the hankerin, the voices and the Malt Liquor Colt 45 stuff and all.  Then the boss, call her City Manager, done up and say's sumpin like............"You got the money?"  Now you see right there we got ourselves a problem but, we also got a hankerin.  So I do a little creative math involving the chewing Tobaca Tin Can fund I got set aside out there in the garage.  Then the Misses (remember her? Shes the boss) calls my daughter who is the driving department head cause she's the onleist one that don't have a DUI.  And the Boss tells the daughter to go get the Colt 45.
Now in the end my City Manger (the boss) and my daughter (the department head) are really pissed off at me.  But thats OK cause the hankerin has been hankered and the voices are silent.
Is that what you meant Harlander?

[The Harlander]

Yeah Ed, in your own special way you get it.  I would however advise you that  the voices never go away, nor do you want them to.  But just as Council should not desolve their Boards and Commissions,  I think you need to give your voices a little more direction, especially when it comes to those "special funds".  In the end I think the Boss and the Director Daughter will be happy with you.  I guess just like Council, the choice is yours.  Cheers.

[Guest]

Hmmmmmmm.......................MPD at it's best.

[Curious]

Acronyms are fine but what does this one mean?

[Guest]

Multi Personality Disorder.