THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, May 14, 1995 TAG: 9505120182
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: Short : 39 lines
Delay doesn't always translate into deliberation. Monday night's City Council meeting again raised questions about the decision-making ability of this particular group of elected officials.
As council went through an agenda of zoning and planning items, it was unable to act on four of five items. Three items were deferred and a fourth send back to the Planning Commission.
Deliberation is good. But delay is not always the best answer - especially when it involves the use of property in the city. People need to know one way or another what is going on.
The item sent back to the Planning Commission, the council's appointed advisers, had been referred to the planners in the first place by council. It involved zoning in Olde Towne around London Boulevard. An Olde Towne Civic League committee had worked with the Planning Commission members to make the recommendations to council.
The reluctance of council to act sends the message that unless a recommendation agrees with the personal preference of some members, the planners are wasting their time.
In recent months, the council has seemed unsure of where it is going, almost paralyzed by some unspoken division. Obviously, there is some difference of opinion about what is best for Portsmouth.
Differences of opinion are healthy if members can arrive at a compromise that allows them to move on. However, the main road block here seems more political than philosophical and that does not serve the future of this city.
Most citizens want council to deliberate wisely and cautiously. But they do want a council that can make decisions. by CNB