Roanoke Vice Mayor Lea Embarrassed Roanoke

Roanoke council votes to expand amphitheater study. Read it. It sounds normal.

Since 1996 The City of Roanoke has commissioned 12 studies on Amphitheaters or Hybrid-Amphitheaters for a total cost of $700,000-$800,000. This is the Roanoke I know and love. We think something is a good idea, we, as a community become passionate about it, Roanoke City Council Members ride the wave into office because the voters of Roanoke turn elections into single issue mandates and in the end the city I call home changes it's mind every few years and another 'study' on the same issue must be performed.

Twelve 'studies' in twelve years is a mighty big big chunk a learnin'.

I watched today's Roanoke City Council Meeting from the first motion by Vice Mayor Lea to the 'for the love of God please let this debate end' role call. I like the idea of Roanoke City Council, I ran for Roanoke City Council, but what I witnessed today was a public humiliation of our City.

We hired Red Light Management to do a feasibility study on the viability of a 'Commercial' Amphitheater on Reserve Avenue. Red Light Management is scheduled to present it's finding to Roanoke City Council and the public sometime in a week or so. This is where Roanoke left the normal Universe. In a normal Universe when you pay someone for a 'feasibility study' they will want their money and you would read the document before making any decision. Thus the definition of a feasibility study. Normal Universe.

As soon as Vice Mayor Lea began to speak Roanoke plunged into a weird place I had never witnessed before. Knowing Red Light Management was going to deliver the final promised study any day Lea made a motion that said - The current focus on an Amphitheater at the Reserve Avenue location was OVER. "Cease and Desist" all energy towards an Amphitheater on Reserve and Roanoke should focus on a 'Community Amphitheater' in Elmwood Park.

This is a horrible motion and Vice Mayor Lea should have to explain to his constituents why he would spend $120,000 on a document and not have the patience, fiscal responsibility, or interest in reading it's contents. His determination to make a motion to essentially drop Red Light Management so close to their presentation is seriously lacking in judgment. And now it gets mind numbingly arduous, and dangerous, to watch.

Dr. Trinkle is prepared for Lea's 'Motion to Quit Reserve' and files a counter motion. Brain go numb listening Bowers follow Robert's Rules time dilation begins. I couldn't believe what I was hearing from Lee. He wanted the City of Roanoke to pay Red Light for what they have done, ignore their Reserve Ave. Study, and build a "Community Amphitheater" run by our local non-profits like Event Zone. Wacky world inside Muse says "Yes! I'm not a fan of Reserve so an Amphitheater goes Downtown. Yes!" but sane Muse says, "I read what I pay for! Oh, it will be ready soon? I'll wait."

Lea's embarrassing 'motion' is not the way I want Roanoke to proceed towards a true Amphitheater. Thankfully Trinkle's counter motion is well thought out and worded beautifully. Basically Trinkle said, which felt like a touch of sanity, 'We will read Red Light's Reserve Ave. Commercial Amphitheater Study (brain not throbbing), and we will ask Red Light what it will cost, if anything, to do a study on a Commercial Amphitheater in Elmwood Park (slight tick in the side of the face, think it's a stroke, study #13, bring it on), and that the new Study include using Library space as according to The Roanoke City Library 5 Year Master Plan. (ahh, library, books, knowledge, reading, Vice Mayor Lea can't read?, laughing, better)

The next 'time dilation' is a nauseating blur of 'please wait your turn, X has the floor' and small town diatribe about voters. Someone needs to remind a few Members of Council that our image around The Commonwealth is important. Mr. Trinkle brought sanity into Council Chamber during the hypnotic buffoonery by conducting business not politics. Council Woman Mason was calm, collected, and justifiably frustrated that a 'motion' to quit was presented to Council.

Trinkle's 'motion' was examined and if it passed it would negate Lea's irresponsible 'stop now motion'. The 'Ayes' have it and we, the community of Roanoke, can read a $120,000 document. Yay! What? Mayor David Bowers relinquishes the floor to Lea so Bowers can make a 'motion' to amend Trinkle's 'motion' that in fact didn't just pass, it only replaced Mr. Lea's original 'motion' so the new 'motion', Mr. Trinkle's, is the 'motion' Bowers wants to amend. (aneurism. complete failure. smell burning synapse. prostrate carpet)

Bowers doesn't want the word 'Commercial' to describe Red Light's possible study (yay #13) of Elmwood Park, and he doesn't like any reference to the Library. (resuscitate. please)

Mason, with a look of 'enough is enough' defibrillated me back. Sanity finally interjected. Bowers was shot down and Trinkle's 'motion' passed like a gallstone. I would like to personally thank all the Members of Roanoke City Council for their time and energy and for their commitment to serve Roanoke. I hope to never witness something as irresponsible as Vice Mayor Lea's initial 'motion' to "cease and desist" but I am grateful there are people who are capable and willing to quietly sit and wait their turn while others attempt to make a fool out of Roanoke.