Tyler Nixon is Famous (and funny)
A woman broke he hip becuase the sidewalks in Wilmington REALLY suck.
So she sued and won, and the city changed the rules and said, “You have to fix the sidewalk infront of your house” the Delaware Supreme Court said, “Not so fast.”
Then the mayor said, “We’ll have a fund to fix the-worst-of-the-worst.”
Then Typer Nixon said,
“The mere fact that there’s an emergency program being proposed to me is an admission that the city’s in the wrong,” he said. “Sidewalk maintenance is a charter-mandated service, so the city should create a Hope Commission for those who hope they don’t break their legs walking down the street.”
And the NJ was kind enough to explain Nixon’s joke by saying, “The Wilmington Hope Commission was created by Baker in 2005 to address the root causes of violent crime” in the very next sentence.
What is interesting to me is that Wilmington has services that are mandated that go unfulfilled while it also has regulations that are a “new mandate” that always seem to fine and penalize the people.
I am sure that the people need things that are mandated like good sidewalks, protection of their persons, defense of their civil liberties etc. but all those seem to get less priority then the latest project of the week which usually involves L&P and some way to fine residents for previously non-existent offenses, often retroactively. Or for keeping their garbage cans out too long…. Or not trying to ensure public order through HUD and community development instead of ensuring public order through giving people opportunities to open their own businesses, or other initiatives that have a meaningful impact for the already poor.
So just like in the USSR around 1992, many of them wind up turning to drugs or alcohol or social violence as an outlet for the implicit violence of unjust regulations and bad policy.
I mean come on. There is a way to do things so that the people living in the city prosper and that the disadvantaged in the city are lifted up, and there is a way to ensure that the city stays the same and the disadvantaged remain that way.
The problem as I see it is that the City advisors only want to tell the Mayor what he wants to hear. Not what the problems are. So they raise taxes, increase the number of government workers, increase the regulatory structures, but never look at the overall welfare of people on the East Side, never seem to worry about the Hispanic community on the west side, and never worry about the problems of public health, education of lifting the people up so they are in a better state ten years from now then they are today.
If there was a better way to keep the already poor, poor, I do not think they could have found it.
As far as I am concerned, Baker should turn Wilmington into a model for the rest 0f the country, not sit back and take on every new project when mandates go unfulfilled. Or work through committees to make new projects when the infrastructure of the City needs so much work. Think it is possible?
I heard one City Councilperson attribute to “the blogs” the claim that the city would need to be wholly responsible for sidewalks — to include snow and ice removal; weed and trash removal; the whole nine yards. I did pipe up and correct that individual, but suspect that this is being repeated in the “conversation with the community”. If there is a conversation with the community (which I don’t think that there is — I just think that it consists of Bill Montgomery claiming a 16% tax hike to cover it), it ought to culminate in a real voter referendum. And they are not serious about that since they would be well on their way to add that to the November election slate, right?
but all those seem to get less priority then the latest project of the week which usually involves L&P and some way to fine residents for previously non-existent offenses, often retroactively.
Precisely what are these projects of the week that incur these new offenses?
dude seriously? does anyone read Brians long comments? good lord man.
I was thinking of the new 50$ fine for garbage cans left one day too long out on Baynard Blvd. But there are more.
And for sidewalks, I was thinking of West street- you ever walk down that one? It needs work. And by not allowing new businesses without the slew of city permits you need, it is hampering the buisness climate in the poor neighborhoods. And it has been for a long time.
Cassandra: there may be some underlying truth to the claim that blogs are the reason why Wilmington must take care of its sidewalks (or so that is the gist I got from your comment.) Although the author of that statement was no doubt attempting to be derisive towards bloggers, he has a point.
We print what no one else is saying, and what everyone else wants to hear about…………….
If it weren’t for us, half the shit that goes on in this state would have passed down the line unnoticed.
The $50 fines are a result of tickets given to folks who are not keeping their properties free of trash, who have overgrown properties and who don’t handle their trash in accordance with the law. These fines and the instant ticket regime is part of an effort to implement some Broken Windows ideas to try to address quality of life issues in the city. The trash problem in this city is certainly ginormous and I don’t have any problems with the city enforcing its own rules and laws governing that trash.
So what are the other mandated priorities getting in the way of public protection, etc?
No objection from me regarding sidewalks. West St is my neighborhood and Washington St in particular is a real issue. Those gorgeous trees are heaving the sidewalks so the problem is not just fixing the sidewalk, but taking down those trees too. They won’t survive the kind of repair needed there.
And this: And by not allowing new businesses without the slew of city permits you need, it is hampering the buisness climate in the poor neighborhoods. And it has been for a long time. is just bullshit. I can walk you through West Center City and point out the businesses here that do seem to thrive — the junk stores. Junk food, junk liquor, junk dollar store crap that sells for more than a dollar over here. I recently provided testimony at a ZBA hearing showing a map of 11 of these junk stores in West Center City alone — not including the West of Market business district. And there are more folks looking to put up more junk businesses over here too. Whatever city regulations there may be are certainly no impediment to quite a few folks who badly want to stand up more junk businesses over here. And in the main, these junk businesses don’t provide much if any employment for folks who live here.
Hi Kavips — I do think that you are right — blogs did help push this issue and keep it alive. My point to this city councilperson is that blogs are not asking the city to do the snow and ice removal and the sidewalk weed control, and sidewalk sweeping. My memory of this issue was centered around the city’s obligation for sidewalk repair — not in turnkey year-round sidewalk maintenance and upkeep (which is what this councilperson was telling folks).
“I heard one City Councilperson attribute to “the blogs” the claim that the city would need to be wholly responsible for sidewalks…”
Oh, that is rich. Perhaps if the councilperson would spend more time reading the city charter instead of the blogs, he’d realize what has real power.
Kavips: A lot more than half.