Irked mayor bolts meeting with City Council

[DowntownNow]

As reported in today's Tulsa World

Irked mayor bolts meeting

by: P.J. LASSEK World Staff Writer
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
5/20/2009 3:39:10 AM

Mayor Kathy Taylor walked out on a City Council committee meeting Tuesday after being interrupted while trying to discuss the Tulsa Stadium Improvement District.

"Councilor (Bill) Martinson, I would sure like to finish a sentence," she said. "I know you don't want me to, but I would like to, if you don't mind."

Martinson responded, "I do mind because I want to make sure ."

Cutting Martinson off, Taylor said: "OK, when you want to treat the Office of the Mayor respectfully and you want to submit to me a question in writing, I'll put together a response."

She then gathered her belongings and walked out.

"Well, they've dodged another issue," Martinson said as Taylor left.

After the meeting, Taylor said the type of behavior continually displayed at committee meetings will not be tolerated by her or her staff members when they appear before the council.

Martinson said he was frustrated because nobody would answer his questions.

The discussion involved an increased assessment fee on downtown properties that is scheduled to go into effect July 1 and whether the city will continue to provide supplemental funding for services.

The increased fee will continue to fund services such as street cleaning and landscaping but also will fund $25 million of the downtown ballpark construction costs.

The assessment now raises about $500,000 for services alone, and the city supplements that with a cash payment of $429,000 beyond its share of the assessment fee.

The new fee will raise $1.1 million for the services portion of the assessment.

Taylor said after the meeting that the city no longer will continue its $429,000 cash contribution.

Downtown Tulsa Unlimited, which provides the services, sent a letter April 29 to the mayor and council asking about how much would be available. The letter also states that state law requires a municipality to provide the same level of services it was providing before authorizing a district. In 1978, the city chose to make a cash payment in lieu of services which were provided by Downtown Tulsa Unlimited.

Martinson asked several times during the meeting what the city planned to do.

"The city, one way or another, either needs to kick in the nearly $500,000 or needs to provide the services it hasn't been providing that it was paying for," he said.

Taylor said confusion exists about whether the city's "voluntary" supplement for services is required. She said it's not.

Martinson appeared agitated that his question about what the city would provide in lieu of its cash payment wasn't being answered.

"If you're saying the city isn't going to kick in any more money, we've shifted the responsibility to the business owner," he said.

Taylor said the city is providing substantial services downtown, such as planning, street improvements, landscaping and more police security.

The new assessment district was created by the council last July, but the council has yet to approve the assessment roll that allows for the fees to be collected.

In a separate discussion, it appeared that some councilors were not persuaded to move forward Thursday on approving the assessment roll.

They discussed waiting for a pending opinion from the Attorney General's Office on the assessment district, which they were told likely would be ready in early June.

Officials expressed concern that that would not allow enough time to finish the assessment documents and begin collecting fees July 1.

But Councilor Rick Westcott stressed the need to wait for the opinion.

"A wrong decision made timely is still a wrong decision," he said.

Assistant City Attorney Bob Edmiston said that if the attorney general's opinion comes back negatively for the city, it would give "greater merit to a lawsuit" by one of many property owners contesting its assessment fees.

Councilor David Patrick said, "It may be better to do it right the first time."


While I will assume that the agenda item was brought forward for disussion and the Mayor was asked to make comments, I would also assume that those comments led to questions that required answers so that the Council had the neceassary information to move on with the assessment role.  I will reserve any opinion of either Councilor Martinson's or Mayor Taylor's actions until I can watch the replay that starts tonight at 6:00PM.

But what causes me concern here is that Taylor is essentially saying the level of service that has been provided in the past will be dramatically reduced as a result of the City not making a payment in lieu of services as it has done for the last 30 years under the old Main Mall assessment.  This is not what had been promised...what was promised was that all within the IDL would now enjoy the same level of service that had been provided to only a small area the closer they were to the Main Mall. 

There was never any discussion in moving the assessment district forward for approval that the City would not be paying what it had allocated over the last 30 years. 

The legal matters involved seem to regard state statutes as informed by DTU. 

Now if Martinson was asking pertinent questions and not getting direct answers, I can see a cause for frustration.  If the Mayor was actively and directly answering the questions and being cut off, then that was wrong too.  But again, I will wait to make a definitive opinion either way until I see the replay.

This did not help the Mayor's position in trying to get approval this Thursday of the Assessment rolls btw.

[tim huntzinger]

Wow.  Martinson grows a set and Her Honor reveals herself to be an overstressed, thin-skinned tyrant!  You go, Bill!

Would be great if there was an online news source that would publish stuff like this outside of the World.  But alas, independent journalism is dead in this town, huh?

[RecycleMichael]

Martinson was wrong. He asked the question three different ways even though the answer was given the first time. When the Mayor tried to be clear in her answer, he cut her off mid-sentence. She asked him to allow her to answer, he was rude back.

He should apologize.

This was not about funding or budgets or city business. This was about the Councilor being rude. It has been happening over and over. The council sub-committee meetings have become Councilors attacking city employees, volunteers serving on boards, etc.

Why is rude behavior acceptable?  

[Hoss]

Martinson was wrong. He asked the question three different ways even though the answer was given the first time. When the Mayor tried to be clear in her answer, he cut her off mid-sentence. She asked him to allow her to answer, he was rude back.

He should apologize.

This was not about funding or budgets or city business. This was about the Councilor being rude. It has been happening over and over. The council sub-committee meetings have become Councilors attacking city employees, volunteers serving on boards, etc.

Why is rude behavior acceptable?  

Every time I've ever met Martinson (I met him at the BOK Center grand opening and at Ikes anniversary party) he came across as an obnoxious doosh.  This isn't surprising to me in the least.

[tim huntzinger]

Cry me a river! The Princess cannot handle an awkward conversation? She just expects absolute obedience and deference? Give me a break!

[RecycleMichael]

Cry me a river! The Princess cannot handle an awkward conversation? She just expects absolute obedience and deference? Give me a break!

Your views on proper etiquette have caused you to be banned from this forum before.

[TURobY]

Every time I've ever met Martinson (I met him at the BOK Center grand opening and at Ikes anniversary party) he came across as an obnoxious doosh.  This isn't surprising to me in the least.

I'm glad someone else noticed that. I thought that maybe I was the only one.

[swake]

Cry me a river! The Princess cannot handle an awkward conversation? She just expects absolute obedience and deference? Give me a break!

Speaking of obnoxious dooshes Tim.....

[tim huntzinger]

Your views on proper etiquette have caused you to be banned from this forum before.

You are a real tight butt.  FOUR YEARS later you are still bringing up this!! Get a life! AND I WAS INVITED BACK!

[RecycleMichael]

You are a real tight butt.  FOUR YEARS later you are still bringing up this!! Get a life! AND I WAS INVITED BACK!

You don't have to shout.

I like you. I think your opinions are fun. But you have been known to get out of control.

P.S. stop looking at my butt.

[tim huntzinger]

You don't have to shout.

I like you. I think your opinions are fun. But you have been known to get out of control.

P.S. stop looking at my butt.

But it is sooooooo . . . well, you know.  But with you it looks like I should watch mine, too! Ha ha! Mucho amore, mi amigo!

I think it is sad that instead of responding at all to the thread that, again, I become the topic.  I am not flattered.

[waterboy]

So, Tim, you think council committee meetings should be conducted like a Fox talk show? You really wanted her to cut him off at the knees on recorded TV so you could then say she was a shrewish, overbearing nit? Its not obedience and deference, its respect. TV journalists on talk shows are self aggrandizing idiots who play for ratings. We expect more from elected officials.

He's running for her job. She knows it, everyone knows it who is paying attention. Did you see him respond to the Fox reporter over the overblown councillor/mayor parking "issue"? Are those the cajones you want for mayor?

[tim huntzinger]

So, Tim, you think council committee meetings should be conducted like a Fox talk show? You really wanted her to cut him off at the knees on recorded TV so you could then say she was a shrewish, overbearing nit? Its not obedience and deference, its respect. TV journalists on talk shows are self aggrandizing idiots who play for ratings. We expect more from elected officials.

He's running for her job. She knows it, everyone knows it who is paying attention. Did you see him respond to the Fox reporter over the overblown councillor/mayor parking "issue"? Is those the cajones you want for mayor?

I have not seen the video, have you? It sounds like a heated discussion but what kind of leader is that thin-skinned? Princess! Lots of people get on my nerves on this board but I have never let it dissuade me or go take my marbles and go home, especially if I was an elected official.

[waterboy]

I have not seen the video, have you? It sounds like a heated discussion but what kind of leader is that thin-skinned? Princess! Lots of people get on my nerves on this board but I have never let it dissuade me or go take my marbles and go home, especially if I was an elected official.

"If I were...." is easy to say till you're in the position and everyone is targetting you for something And using this board as an example of your tolerance isn't quite analagous. I can read, I trust that our local media is not totally corrupted and no one has stepped forward to dispute the reporting. You seen anyone dispute the account?

Do you ever remember LaFortune being interrupted in such a manner? Inhofe? Savage? Any elected mayor in Tulsa? And I repeat, if she had responded in kind you wouldn't have called her a Princess you would have called her a nag. She loses by your estimation either way.

[nathanm]

I have not seen the video, have you? It sounds like a heated discussion but what kind of leader is that thin-skinned? Princess! Lots of people get on my nerves on this board but I have never let it dissuade me or go take my marbles and go home, especially if I was an elected official.

It's not about thin skin, it's about having a productive conversation. If a person won't let you finish a sentence when they ask you a question, continuing the conversation (or meeting) is useless and a waste of everybody's time.