Alderman Comments May Signal Shift in City-Citizen Relations / 101 Citizens Witnessed the Moment

By Pauline Masson – 

Alderman Rafael Madrigal may be displaying a new trend in city government – friendly response to speakers who address the board of aldermen (BOA).

The Ward One alderman has traditionally made a point of offering holiday greetings to all, and recognizing successful local events, inviting citizens to attend and thanking civic groups for their work. But this week he opened a full-blown back and forth on a request from a citizen that offered a thorough discussion of what the speaker was requesting.

The discussion involved a request from Martin Christensen, who asked the board to consider restricting parking in front of the Allenton Foundation Pacific Facility at 202 N. Columbus, an organization that provides space for individuals seeking recovery from drug or alcohol addiction to meet with one another and with experts who can help them. Mr. Christensen is the building manager of the facility and works to provide space for recovering addicts and the organizations that provide recovery services.

“We’re open 24/7 and offer space for people trying to recover from addiction and to meet with helpers,” Mr. Christensen said. “These people are trying to get on with their lives. Some are scared when they get here. We need to get them into the building.”

The building is the former Masonic Lodge at the corner of  Columbus and Union streets, which Allenton Foundation bought the four years ago. The organization has been assisting recovery clients in Pacific for 45 years, Mr. Christensen said.

Aldermen thanked Mr. Christensen for bringing the issue to the board.

“And thank you for what you do,” he said. “God bless you.” He then asked to open the issue for discussion, asking city attorney Bob Jones if the city could restrict parking this circumstance. Attorney Jones said the city could enact parking restriction with an ordinance. Alderman Madrigal then asked Mr. Christensen how much time the visitors needed in the building and how much of a time limit would be best

Mr. Christensen made an impassioned plea for help with access to the building. The problem, he said, is the building is located at a busy downtown intersection, where several businesses and local residents also use the parking spaces in front of and on the Union Street side of the building. Currently there is no limit on how long they can park there. Some cars are not moved for days so the spaces never available to individuals seeking recovery.

He asked the city to limit parking in front of and beside the building to two hours.

There are 14 parking spaces on Columbus Street between Osage and Union streets, and five spaces on Union Street between Columbus and the alley. Local businesses and residents also use the space, but some people monopolize the spaces, parking vehicles in front of the building for days without moving them.

“We’re not asking for any special treatment in use of the parking spaces,” Mr. Christensen said. “We just want a fair availability of the parking spaces. Persons coming to the building for help are often in crisis and some are “scared to death. Two cars have not moved since last Tuesday.”

“Do you need two hours or four hours,” Alderman Madrigal asked.

“Four hours would be wonderful,” Mr. Christensen said.

Alderman Madrigal made a motion to enact an ordinance limiting parking to four hours. It turned out the request had already been made when Alderman Madrigal was not present and an ordinance had been prepared. The proposed law was set to be presented for a first reading at that meeting but Alderman Carla Steward had requested that it be removed from the agenda.

“I talked with one business owner, and another alderman had talked to a business owner and I thought it should be discussed,” Alderman Stewart said.

Attorney Jones said he had prepared an ordinance for a two-hour limit on the Union Street side of the building, from Columbus to the alley.

Attorney Jones said he would amend the bill from two to four hours and bring it to the next BOA meeting.

The lengthy discussion not only represented a change in BOA reaction to citizens who come before them with concerns, it hopefully signals a change in City of Pacific and citizen relations.

Alderman Madrigal is diplomatic maybe as they say, to a fault. He feigns that anything his fellow aldermen do or say is within good bounds, saying, “I will not disrespect my fellow elected officials.”

And he has more or less carried that out. When his fellow aldermen voted to deny pay raises to city employees, he did not criticize the vote or its possible reasons even though he had lobbied for the raises for months. He asked whether the BOA could redo the vote on the pay raise ordinance. When the city attorney said they could redo the vote, the pay raises were approved.

There is no denying that in the recent past citizens have complained that aldermen sat stone-faced as they requested consideration on a perceived wrong.

A case in point is the Manors at Brush Creek subdivision where petitions by protesters on the density (the number of homes) in the subdivision propelled three of the current aldermen to office. Once elected the seemingly promised citizen friendly board failed to emerge. Stone faced response to petitioners continued.

In an interview with Hometown Matters, Alderman Madrigal refused to comment on the frequent silence on the BOA, opting instead to say he believed the majority of Pacific citizens have confidence in government, and without mentioning President Nixon’s silent majority, said he believer that the number of dissatisfied residents is “few.” 

He suggested that if citizens want a more citizen friendly government they need to come back to the BOA meetings.

“They can make a difference if they just show up,” he said.

Ever the promoter, Alderman Madrigal said he sees great potential in Pacific, due to its location on the Interstate and availability of land. But he worries that businesses are not taking advantage of what Pacific has to offer.

Business developers seem to have the idea that Pacific is “closed for business,” he said. We need to change that perception. We need to put the word out that we are eager to welcome new businesses. The city of Sullivan, he said, is seen as business friendly and the city is growing.

Alderman Madrigal did not see his response to Mr. Christiansen as anything out of the ordinary.

“The first rule of government is to protect the citizenry,”he said.

But it was out of the ordinary. 

And, according to the YouTube program counter, only 101 people watched the meeting and witnessed the lengthy and thorough discussion on exactly what it was the speaker was requesting and why.

It goes without saying that one public exchange between one alderman and one citizen may not signal a sea change in government and citizens relations.

But it’s a start.