We got some more world class drama coming out of city government. Luckily, The Sconz is here to provide you front row tickets at the Thuytre.
Hey Columbo--maybe she's off today. If not, maybe she was on her lunch hour. I noticed it was a yahoo email address which of course can be used from any computer. Puh--lease spare the politics on this site. Thanks in advance for your cooperation.
That is a constituent's response to the accusation Ald. Thuy Pham-Remmele has launched against Lisa Veldran, the head of the Meadowood Neighborhood Association and the Council Administrative Assistant, of wasting Council time and resources.
It all began when an employee at a Walgreens in Meadowood emailed the Council to voice concerns about the potential of her employer selling alcohol. She wrote the neighborhood was "going downhill" and "easy access to alcohol isn't going to help matters."
To that Thuy sympathized:
Personally I wish somebody would propose a coffee shop or a small bakery for area residents to congregate after using the library service or doing business at Meadowood Mall to help revitalize our neighborhood.
However, we don't always get to pick & choose private enterprizes... The sad reality is that when a neighborhood goes down in values it attracts all kinds of undersirable elements with negative impacts!
Thuy copied the email to the entire Council, as well as several neighborhood groups, including the Meadowood Neighborhood Association. Veldran responded, clarifying that the Walgreens in Meadowland is not applying for a liquor license.
Thuy was not happy. "I am surprised that Council Administrative Assistant Lisa Veldran is using both Council office time & facility to clarify matters with ORNA and Meadowood Neighborhood Associations," she responded.
The irony is that Thuy had already committed an open meetings violation by copying the entire Council on her correspondence with the Walgreens employee. Regardless of rules, Veldran was making a good faith effort to prevent more waste of time and resources on a moot issue when she sent her email.
Nevertheless, props to Thuy for pointing out that just because Walgreens hasn't formally requested a liquor license at that location, doesn't mean it doesn't intend to pursue one. As proof she showed an email that a Walgreens rep sent to her asking to discuss a potential license at the Meadowland location.
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