OWCAP Curtly Rejects the City Council's Management Agreement Modification Overtures

Query: Did Councilwoman Wicks and Council Director Cook secretly elope last week?

Well... three days have elapsed since our last Marshall White/FY 2010 update, and according to this morning's Scott Schwebke story, there have been no buzzer-beating breakthroughs or compromises. Negotiations apparently remain at an impasse. Nobody has evidently been successful in pulling that rabbit out of their hat.

Although Mr. Schwebke reports that Council Chair Wicks took the initiative, and transmitted a letter to OWCAP, respectfully requesting an amendment to the Godfrey/OWCAP management agreement/lease, to provide continuing pool operations beyond January, 2010, OWCAP Chairman George Garwood responded with the diplomatical equivalent of "Go to Hell!" (...or worse.)

Adding insult to injury, we invite our readers to Ms. Wicks' letter and Chairman Garwood's curt response, wherein his rude two paragraph slap-down is addressed not to Council Chair "Amy Wicks," but rather to to somebody named "Amy Cook." (Perhaps it's possible that Councilwoman Wicks and Council Director Bill Cook eloped last week, although we don't believe this is a real possibility... inasmuch as Mr. Cook has one wife already.)

Although we don't want to make a big deal out of this probable clerical error, we do believe this Garwood gaffe provides a helpful glimpse into George Garwood's administrative sloppiness, which can't possibly bode well for his organization's future management of the Marshall White Center.

And back in his city hall ninth floor throne room, Boss Godfrey is reportedly gloating at the mischief he's made, wherein the council has been successfully painted into a corner, and now seems to be leaning toward funding the MWC for the full 2010 fiscal year. A big spender like Godfrey of course can't conceive of any reason the council might want to provide an economic cushion for the fledgling MWC new management, as it embarks upon MWC operations in an admittedly underfunded present condition, with $3.2 million "hoped for grants" remaining yet unfulfilled.

The Council meets tonight to approve the city's final FY2010 budget. In this connection, we invite anyone who might attend tonight's meeting to provide us a report of tonight's results, via the lower comments section.

Speaking of reader comments... the floor's open.