Parkside: Reference Guide, Council Meeting Edition
ByBig City Council meeting tonight, June 10th, 5pm!
For those of you new to the suspicious Parkside land deal, here are some handy links:
The Parkside Files: 299 pages of FOIA documents from the City and County pertaining to the deal
The Parkside Players: A work in progress listing the individuals and groups involved
Parkside corporate blog: A sophmoric but entertaining effort from an anonymous blogger at Parkside, LLC
Parkside Truthiness: A satire of the above from an anonymous blogger at Snarkside, LLC. Very funny, and with more facts than the corporate blog.
Pack Square Conservancy’s Reasons For Opposing The Building: Addressing design flaws and violations of the PSC Guidelines agreed to by the County, City, and PSC.
The Mountain Xpress cover story on the deal.
For a list of posts here at Scrutiny Hooligans on the enterprise and a quick cut’n'paste list of email addresses for the County Commission and City Council, jump into Read the Rest…
Owner’s Affadavit – With a picture of the old Affadavit and the meaning of this piece of paper.
The City Council Resolution – Text of the Council Resolution to be voted upon on June 10th.
Top Ten Contest – Fun contest about why Parkside must not be built.
See You Tuesday – Fun graphic inviting folks to the Council meeting on June 10th.
Foolish Citizens Unite – The first hints of support from City Council for preserving the park land
The Time Is Now – Regarding the June, 3, 2008 County Commission meeting during which Stewart Coleman sought a new Owners Affadavit.
With Whom Will Peterson and Stanley Side? – Regarding the political loyalties at play in the debate.
Coleman’s Self-Inflicted Wound Sends Him Back To County – Regarding how Stewart Coleman forced a return to the County Commission when he avoided presenting his building to City Council.
Take Action – County and Coleman Hope To Avoid Responsibility – Regarding the Owner’s Affadavit.
Commissioner Gantt Gets It – An email from David Gantt regarding the County Commission’s responsibility in the matter.
Flippant Coleman Lies About Opposition – Regarding Stewart Coleman’s disrespectful and dishonest jab at his opposition.
Coleman Downsizes – Regarding shrinking the building to avoid Council review.
A View Askew – Regarding the altered “view corridor” drawings.
Satirized – Regarding a website satirizing Coleman’s corporate blog.
“Public Forever” – A photo of the Pack deed.
The Great Negotiators, Part II – Regarding the County’s buyback offers.
On The Radio – Coleman and Tom Israel appear on Matt Mittan’s Take A Stand.
Incorrect and Wanting a Handout – Regarding the Countys buyback offers.
Time To Say Something – Advocating people write Letters To The Editor.
Coleman and County Teamed Up Against the Conservancy – Regarding the County’s enmity towards the Conservancy over Parkside.
The Great Negotiators – Regarding the County’s buyback efforts.
“Public Forever†or Forever Lost? – Regarding an A/B Pi Resolution seeking an investigation of the land deal and reacquisition of the park land.
Time To Pay Attention – A heads-up that this thing was about to get CRAZY!
Endgame? – The first whispers of a buyback effort.
On The Ground – Report from the April 2, 2008 Planning and Zoning Committee.
Coleman Needed Four Votes, He Got Three – On the April 2, 2008 Planning and Zoning Committee.
Since Calling For Someone Else To Investigate Doesn’t Seem To Be Working – A copy of the Freedom of Information Act request.
The Parkside Follies Come to the P&Z – A preview of the meeting.
More Questions Arise – Early questions about the land deal and government misfeasance.
Thought Experiment – Parkside Edition – An absurd list of things that would have to be true in order to de-stink this land deal.
Bothwell: Bill Stanley “Certainly Knew†He Was Selling The Park – Report from a Democratic Candidates’ Forum in Black Mountain
You can let City Council know how you feel:
mayorbellamy@ashevillenc.gov, jandavis@main.nc.us, rcape@charter.net, hollyj@buncombe.main.nc.us, drmumpower@aol.com, newmanasheville@aol.com, billrussell@charter.net
And County Commission:
nathan.ramsey@buncombecounty.org, commissioner@davidgantt.com, bill.stanley@buncombecounty.org, carol.peterson@buncombecounty.org, davidy@fugazync.com, wanda.greene@buncombecounty.org
9 Comments
June 10th, 2008 at 12:57 pm
Not sure if you already posted this, but I found it interesting. Parsidetruth.com is owned by the Brite Agency, a marketing firm.
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June 10th, 2008 at 2:35 pm
What is that Bryan?
You should re-count your letters!
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June 10th, 2008 at 3:08 pm
OK. Parksidetruth.com is owned by the Brite Agency, a marketing firm. God forbid if someone makes a simple mistype.
Tigerswede, are you part of the marketing campaign as well or just an ass?
I thought that it was interesting that the Parkside team would use a faux blog and have their marketing firm buy it. On one hand it is cleaver that they are using a blog to counter the info that citizens are putting out there. On the other hard it is overtly stupid to have had your marketing company buy the domain because it just show that it is a PR stunt and will have zero positive impact on public perception. While all that is on the blog could very well be the truth, it will come across to most people as spin and bs.
In the grand scheme of things not a big deal, just a small detail I noticed only because I look at that sort of thing.
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June 10th, 2008 at 3:20 pm
If you can’t laugh at yourself, who can you laugh at?
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June 10th, 2008 at 3:22 pm
I saw that as well, Bryan, and thought it was just another legal barrier between Coleman and any falsehoods that might be communicated. The attack on the Pack Square Conservancy there is especially galling.
I appreciated your comment from a few threads back where you explained that the moral of the story is: Invite the Public. By doing everything via the good-old-boy system, developers create the enmity they complain about.
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June 10th, 2008 at 3:52 pm
I was pretty surprised to see your “web development” firm do work for “The Peaks at Wolf Ridge”
-Resort living at 41 exclusive mile-high homesites.
-Equestrian Center
-Private airport
All located within walking distance of the Appalachian Trail.
How do feel about that development?
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June 10th, 2008 at 3:54 pm
Bryan:
Votes are in and recounted. He’s an ass.
Tigerswede wrote:
You.
Bryan: There is nothing unusual for a company to hire an outside PR firm to handle media. I believe the firm you work for does PR work for clients.
Of course, your company has scruples.
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June 10th, 2008 at 4:25 pm
Low Key,
Hiring the PR firm was not what I thought was odd. I just thought that it was odd that they would be so overt. The company I work for has done PR from time to time. Our focus has always been product or service oriented. We do not do spin, which is what the parksidetruth blog is. I have nothing against spin or firms that practice it. It is my opinion that the effort made was not worth the price tag when people can clearly see it for what it is. People buy spin when they do not realize it is spin. If it is clearly spin people see it as a lie.
Tigerswede,
The peaks was a project and a client prior to my joining the company.
The company I work for is not much different from any other marketing or design firm. Not all of our clients are inline with our personal philosophies 100%. While I am a big part of the decision making team. My personal politics plays a big part in the type of clients that we go after, but does not mean that I will turn away a potiential client because I do not agree with them politically. I will not help them lie or mislead the public. I will work with them to improve their company philosophy and business practices as it relates to environmental, labor, and overall ethics. The approach I bring is a value that has drawn clients to our company. Our clients, whether they care for my brand of politics or not, want a partner that will educate them, push them, and implement marketing campaigns that do three things: make them money, increase the quality of their brand, and help them to be good. That is what I do.
And by the way TIgerswede, I thought your jabs were funny. And you are a ass. But hay we all are at times.
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June 10th, 2008 at 5:08 pm
Agreed.
And to be clear: I was not being sarcastic when I said your company does have scruples. I work with several firms that have used your company’s services, and all have spoken highly of both the quaility of the work, and ethical standards.
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