Health & Fitness
With a Far Less Jaundiced Eye, an Opinion From Local Clergy
A response to the opinion piece by the Rev. Imler, pastor of the now shuttered Crescent Heights Methodist Church, on the current divisiveness in our community.
Rev. Imler makes salient points in and it is clear to see that this opinion is rooted in charity and kindness for all involved. My respect for this is genuine. I must weigh in, however, on the issues that divide us in the Council Chambers. They all seem to involve revenue streams that are costly in real time on the part of the residents.
I must differ on the subject of . Why should I be grateful for a library project or a park plan that costs in the vicinity of $100 million when we are in the midst of a time when people live in their cars and stand in food lines? Shall I be grateful West Hollywood is in the black from a bond issue to spend on underground parking or new council chambers when so many are lacking so much? That is arrogance I do not own.
Listen to the council when they discuss a for the area in central Weho where the bars are located. It becomes animated. It should be festive and have music, and are they insane? We have taxis. With no reasonable way to enforce or implement "bans," we have them anyway. No smoke, no fur - no sense. But party shuttles to ferry the drinking crowd from bar to bar. I did not hear any talk of home drop-offs, but shouldn't that be part of a DUI deterrent?
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Weho is a unique little city, but it is not a "gay ghetto" nor is it an immigrant enclave - however the perception is just that. And in this perception, the reality slips through that we are divided at Fairfax - with different objectives, ideas and needs.
Never have I heard an enthusiastic word for a shuttle to take pre-schoolers from Plummer Park to West Hollywood Elementary while the PP preschool being recreated in roadside vernacular architecture as a cheese slice - and why is that? I suspect because it does not represent a revenue stream for the city and therefore we don't need it. But we do. Parents do. The neighborhood does.
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My sense is that our long-sitting council members all need a reality check on what the city is really about; what each side of town needs and why. How better to stand for your constituents when you know just where their needs lie.
When the voters return to the booths to make their choices, they may be far more informed than in previous elections and far more willing to opt for change—not party buses or underground parking.