Disruption at RDC detailed (05/23/06)

To the editor:

I would like to respond to an article in the May 16 issue of The Commercial Review under “Bond Issue is Discussed.” A small section of that article stated that a local resident, Frederick M. Bailey, “was asked to leave this meeting after he became disruptive.”

The section of the article I am referencing goes to say that Mr. Bailey said “he didn’t think that the Redevelopment Commission cared about downtown Portland and stated that the commission should be more concerned about the decay of the downtown rather than the area near the Wal-Mart Super Center.” May I address this statement first?

Those of you that have followed the progress of the Redevelopment Commission would know that downtown Portland from county road 100 North all the way to the arch bridge has been included in the newly-established TIF district to insure that future development of the downtown district can be supported by the incremental taxes captured by the TIF district.

I am certain that I can speak for my fellow commission members that current and future development of the city’s downtown district is a priority to all of us and will continue to remain such during the life of our TIF. Now, back to Mr. Bailey’s actions at this meeting.

Once again, for those of you that have attended all or a few of the several RDC meetings to date would know that every meeting is opened with the following statement by me, as president of the commission. I quote myself, “anyone in attendance wishing to address the commission members are asked to wait to be recognized and then approach the podium, please identify yourself and what organization, if applicable, you represent. This helps to have accurate recordings of the meeting minutes and identify who said what.

At a point in Monday’s meeting, Mr. Bailey did just that and addressed his concerns about developing the downtown area to the commission members. It’s fair to say Mr. Bailey was allowed ample time to express his views and when finished, went back to his seat.

Further on in the agenda, two representatives from Schneider Engineering of Indianapolis, had agenda time to present a project that would widen the existing Industrial Drive, which included cost estimates, options that could be considered by the commission and other pertinent information relative to this road widening project which was identified in the RDC’s plan as a priority of the TIF district project summary.

It was during this presentation that Mr. Bailey proceeded to interrupt Schneider’s presentation. I, as president of the RDC, asked Mr. Bailey not to continue to interrupt Schneider’s presentation and to please take a seat and hold his comments until acknowledged to approach the podium with any comments.

I would like to point out here that one of my duties as president of the commission is to oversee and conduct a meeting that insures that those requesting agenda time and those that request to approach the podium do so in a fair and orderly manner.

Unfortunately Mr. Bailey continued to disrupt Schneider’s presentation without following my request. At that time I explained to Mr. Bailey that if he continued to be disruptive that he would be asked to leave the meeting.

To quote Mr. Bailey, after my remarks to him, “I came here to be disruptive.” That being said, I exercised my authority as president of the RDC and asked Mr. Bailey to leave the meeting. There was no arguing between Mr. Bailey and Mayor Hosier, however, the mayor as a courtesy to Mr. Bailey, did accompany him outside to explain to him that the TIF district and commission were very cognizant of the needs of the downtown district and would work diligently to assist in its current and future development opportunities.

For those of you who may be interested, Mr. Bailey’s comments, “I cam here to be disruptive,” are on tape and available for public review.

I believe that it’s important for the citizens of Portland to know that as members of the commission we take our responsibilities very serious. We will always curtail any intentional disruptions at any of our meetings. Many of the consultants and other professionals that attend our meetings at our request are paid well to do so. It’s our charge to see to it that they are allowed to present their material without unjustified disruptions.

In summary, Mr. Bailey and any other interested attendees are more than welcomed and encouraged to attend RDC meetings. Our only request of you ... please follow the rules of our meetings.

Bob Quadrozzi

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