Well I haven’t written anything on the blog in a couple of
months, simply because there wasn’t much subject matter to write about. But I believe the passing of 2017 is
noteworthy. There have been several
events that I can certainly be thankful for in my personal life. Professionally it was incredible, but now it’s
time to put those things in the rearview mirror and move forward.
1.
The Eagle
Mountain Tavern is a new endeavor for me.
It has been wildly successful in north Ft. Worth. Brian Olenjack is back in the kitchen and
creating remarkable food that I have missed, for the last 3 years. Our reviews from the Ft. Worth Star Telegram
have been very positive, and the reviews of our customers have all been very
favorable. We hope to do something in
North Arlington in the coming years.
Brian enjoys a strong following in Arlington and I believe that
Arlington deserves his talent as an outstanding Chef.
2.
The voters have allotted $45 million for a
senior center on Green Oaks Blvd. near the West Police Station. This center will be designed next year and
constructed in 2020. It will be a 67,000
sq./ft. facility that will accommodate citizens over the age of 50. I believe that the city of Arlington will
benefit greatly from this addition, and that this particular facility will be
well received by our seniors. A senior
community will be built around the facility and be a showpiece in senior
living.
3.
Ditto golf course has been getting a
facelift. This facility has been totally
redone. From the course outline to the
practice range and the maintenance building, it is something the city can be
proud of. There will be decorative iron
fencing around the entire course and a new 18,000 sq./ft. clubhouse that will
be used as a gathering place for golf tournaments, social events and dining. Even the name will be changed to make Ditto a
destination golf course and move them from 49th in Avid Golfer into
the top 3 in the Metroplex.
4.
Arlington Commons phase 1 has started to move in
tenants. This was a $200 million project
that is coming to fruition. The
completion of phase 1 has told us that given the quality of tenants, our young
professionals do want to stay in Arlington.
The goal was to increase the financial level of tenants and at $1.85 a
sq./ft. Bob Kembel is accomplishing just that.
I am looking forward to the linear park that will start construction
shortly.
5.
I-30 Arlington Gateway sign is operational and
is beautiful. This sign is programmable
and is like Arlington’s own Eiffel Tower.
City Staff programed the colors of Ohio St. and USC to welcome the two
teams that participated in this year’s Cotton Bowl matchup. This is a quality product and something that
I had promised back in 2012 when I was elected. Arlington citizens can be proud of this
entryway sign and more are on the way.
6.
Texas Live is being constructed rapidly and also
the Loews Live hotel is on its way. This
is another milestone that was promised back in the day, and is becoming a
reality in 2018. Construction as a whole
is starting to pop up in and around the stadiums. Plains Capital is putting in a headquarters
across the street on Collins. AISD is
putting in a Performing Arts Center and Natatorium in the old Eastern Star
property. There are talks about another new larger hotel near the stadiums. Billions of dollars will be poured into the
entertainment district in the years to come because of the groundwork laid in
2017. Also we are going to get a new
stadium for the Rangers. The work is
going strong and the design is still in question but our grandkids will be able
to watch baseball in Arlington.
7.
Another new hotel was approved in 2017, the
Drury Plaza Hotel. I was based as an
airline pilot in St. Louis. This was the
home of the Drury family and I certainly was not impressed to find out that
Drury wanted to come to Arlington. But I
traveled to inspect the Drury Plaza Hotel in Chesterfield. I was surprised! This is a quality product and will sit on the
Northwest corner of Center and Road to Six Flags. At 9 stories and 268 rooms this will be a
great addition to North Arlington.
Believe me when I tell you that we don’t need another garden inn
product. Done that, and we are saturated
with that level of hotel. The Drury
Plaza is a giant step up, and will start the development of that corner.
8.
Lastly, let me say that this year the citizens
gave the fire department civil service.
Because of Union Leadership and its animosity toward AFD management, it
has made our fire department something less than it has been in the past. The local union and its state affiliate
wanted civil service in Arlington for personal reasons. The fire union is now threatening to sue the
city over promotion exams taken after the civil service vote. These exams were not civil service exams that
were part and parcel to Part 143 of the Local Governance code. The union fought against this type of
promotional testing and now they are suing because we had to resend the results
and retest. Remember the phrase, “We
want advancement and hiring because of what you know not who you know.” Now
they are suing because we used the old test not the new ones. I might add that this was the decision of the
Civil Service Commission. The city can’t
change the decision of the Commission.
We didn’t even have a Commission before Civil Service was voted on.
Well I guess that
kinda wraps up 2017. There were many
different decisions that had to be made also, like the smoking ordinance,
transportation etc. but those are everyday battles. I look forward to 2018, my last year in
office. Just a reminder that I have
another Town Hall Meeting at Lamar High on Monday the 8th of
January, 6:30-8:00. The subjects will be
Transportation and Short Term Rentals. I
hope to see you there.
Of all the things that I posted that are positive the only comment so far was from a firefighter that just retired. I won’t post his comment because he is unable to utilize words that are printable but I will answer his questions. 1) How is our fire department less? Civil Service breeds mediocrity because the bad people that got past the initial hiring process cannot be fired, no matter what they do. Case in point, there is a fire fighter in a neighboring city that has been caught red handed for stealing on the job, several times. She cannot be fired because she is a civil service employee. Does this make their fire department better? I think not. There are examples like this throughout the civil service ranks, not just with firefighters. The Sherriff has had issues also. If you think that civil service personnel are easy to fire you are naïve, and don’t know what you are talking about. Also, the firefighters of Arlington that are union members are following an F1 with no leadership experience. Does this make our fire department better? I think not. If I have to saddle up with someone, I want it to be an individual that has the ability and experience to lead. Would you rather take direction from the Captain at the fire house or another F1? Lastly, the fire department is at odds with the Council over YOUR actions. The fire union has only one person to turn to on Council, she is new and she will figure it out shortly. The union and its leadership have no political stock at all. You aren’t even welcome in our offices, so stay out. They don’t even want your endorsement. So has biting the hand that feeds you made your fire department better? I think not.
ReplyDelete2) You stated that you were one of the people that confronted me and the Mayor on election night and the things I stated didn’t happen. If you were in fact one of the 3 firefighters that came to the Mayor’s victory party, you were drunk and should be ashamed of yourself. Being a gentleman, the Mayor offered his hand in congratulations. The 3 firefighters stated, “there is no way that I will shake that hand.” As the Mayor and I both witnessed, they wanted to fight over the election results. I got out my phone and dialed 911. No report was made because you left. A complaint was not lodged. You are very lucky. If a cruiser did show up you would have spent the night in jail, if not worse. Not very smart on your end. At this point the only thing that has made our fire department better is his retirement from AFD. When the fire union determines they need better leadership, then and only then, will the tide turn. The bridges are burnt and the rank and file firefighters didn’t bother to put them out. That is why the Arlington Fire Department is less than it was.
Hey all you Anonymous commenters, just keep the slanderous/vulgar name calling comments coming in. I have all the IP addresses and can find out who you are. I really believe that these comments are hilarious. It would seem to me that you don't have the ability nor the intellect to express yourselves intelligently, therefore I have no reason to either post your comments nor reply. You wouldn't understand anyway
ReplyDeleteCharlie,
ReplyDeleteI thank you for your service on the council. While I have not agreed with you on everything, I admire the fact that you have been one of a very few members of the council that takes the time to explain your decisions and address questions directly from your constituents in public forums such as this web page and social media. I wish more council members would do that, but I have paid attention to all the personal attacks directed at you from anonymous internet keyboard commandos and that explains why most elected folks do not bother.
So you have the court authority to get someone's IP address? Odd, the FBI can hardly get that and that's with a subpoena. Do you even understand how IP addresses work Charlie.
ReplyDeleteGetting an IP address doesn't require court authority. Each time a comment is sent it goes on a server. You have sent it to me therefore it is in my domain. All I have to do is have someone match it to your cell and I know who you are. That puts you on the same footing as me. Isn't that scary? That means I can match up all your stupid little vile comments that are time stamped, to who sent them.
ReplyDelete