Wednesday, I reported on the Richardson City Council's review of the 2023-2024 Second Quarter Financial Report ("Council Recap: The Case of the Missing Sales Tax"). I included the comments from most of the City Council. Thursday, I reported on what the Mayor said (or didn't say) ("Council Recap: Where was the Mayor?"). Today, there's one more person to hear from whose comments deserve scrutiny — City Manager Don Magner.
Yesterday, I reported on the Richardson City Council's review of the 2023-2024 Second Quarter Financial Report ("Council Recap: The Case of the Missing Sales Tax"). I included what most of the City Council said. Privately, someone asked, "Where was the Mayor during this discussion?" The literal answer is that he was right there with the rest of the City Council. The more interesting question, "What was he thinking?" is one I can't answer.
On May 13, 2024, the Richardson City Council held a worksession in which they reviewed the 2023-2024 Second Quarter Financial Report. "It's going to hurt." That's how Richardson Budget Officer Bob Clymire described the impact of a significant sales tax decline. What was the City Council's reaction to this bad news? Therein lies a tale of institutional memory loss. Or self-gaslighting. Say something often enough and you start to believe it inherently. We'll get to that. Bear with me.
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Dream Scenario (2023): Nicolas Cage plays a small-college professor having a midlife crisis who is suddenly famous as the guy who appears in everyone's dreams. A cautionary tale of cancel-culture without much to say about it. Good work by Cage. C+
Max
On May 20, 2024, the Richardson City Council reviewed and discussed renewing Richardson's status as a Bicycle Friendly Community and attaining a silver-level bike-friendly designation. A year ago, the City Council set a goal to gain the silver designation. Everyone remains on board with that goal. City staff also briefed the City Council on the City's progress on adopting a Complete Streets Policy. "Complete Streets" mean a "comprehensive multimodal transportation system that facilitates safe, accessible, comfortable, and convenient mobility for all people and travel modes." There's a consensus on that as a goal for Richardson as well.
That said, I'm worried about some of the things that individual Councilmembers said.
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| From 2023 09 15 Toledo |
Today's photo-of-the-day is of Toledo, Spain. It's my homage to a famous painting that I first became aware of when I took a Spanish language course in grade school. The painting is El Greco's haunting "View of Toledo" owned by the Metropolitan Museum of New York.
El Greco's painting is after the jump.
"Time's relentless march,
Leaves marks on every stone.
Almonacid's pride."
—h/t ChatGPT
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| From 2023 09 15 Toledo |
Today's photo-of-the-day is of Almonacid Castle in central Spain, south of Toledo. It dates back to the 9th century. As far as I can determine, it is unoccupied. Wikipedia says it is available for sale for "one euro cent to anyone who undertakes to completely restore it." It's a majestic opportunity.
On May 20, 2024, the Richardson City Council reviewed and discussed the Envision Richardson Comprehensive Plan update and upcoming Community Summit 3. That was the agenda item anyway. In fact any details of the Comp Plan were missing and the plans for the community summit took up all the time.
Stefani Carter is in the news again and not in a good way. Again, it's about Blackwells Capital LLC making a hostile attempt to install independent directors to the board of Monty Bennett's Braemar Hotels & Resorts Inc. The Wheel has followed Monty Bennett for his own behavior but mostly because of one of his company's directors, Stefani Carter ("What Has Stefani Carter Been Up To"). Carter is a former member of the Texas House of Representatives. She represented Richardson from 2011-2015. Or rather, she represented herself. She turned her service into a gig with Monty Bennett. Or, as D Magazine puts it, she "suckles at Bennett’s REIT" (Real Estate Investment Trust). Blackwells has now released a presentation titled "The Buffoonery of Monty Bennett" in which Bennett is featured and Carter, his lead director, is mentioned and not in a flattering way.
Where Am I Wednesday!
Fifty points to the first person to identify where this photo was taken.
Answer will be given on Thursday.
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Max
#VeryTardyReview
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Max
#VeryTardyReview
"Miguel's words still live,
In the streets of this small town,
Don Quixote's realm."
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| From 2023 09 15 Toledo |
Today's photo-of-the-day is from Puerto Lapice in the province of La Mancha, Spain. Don Quixote is a fictional character, created by Miguel de Cervantes, who mentions the real town of Puerto Lapice by name in his classic novel. The modern town has capitalized on that fact. It's not big, but it's all about the Man of La Mancha.
A bonus photo is after the jump.
"Olive groves extend
All across central Spain's land,
Liquid gold abounds."
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| From 2023 09 15 Toledo |
Today's photo-of-the-day is from central Spain, where olive groves are everywhere. We've already covered this agricultural fact in our photo-of-the-day near Seville in southern Spain, but the country is the world's largest exporter of olive oil. In 2022, 43% of the world's exports came from Spain. And that's no bull.
A bonus photo is after the jump.
Where Am I Wednesday!
Fifty points to the first person to identify where this photo was taken. (Ten bonus points for each of the three things that you can name that are worth a solitary dime.)
Answer is after the jump.
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Apple TV+
"Granada's treasure,
Alhambra's timeless allure,
Echoes of glory."
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| From 2023 09 14 Granada |
Today's photo-of-the-day is from the Alhambra in Granada, Spain. It's not just a monument or a building. It's a fortress and a palace and a whole world unto itself. Begun in 1238, "it is one of the most famous monuments of Islamic architecture and one of the best-preserved palaces of the historic Islamic world, in addition to containing notable examples of Spanish Renaissance architecture."
A bonus photo is after the jump.
"Cathedral backdrop,
Father and son deep in thought,
Chess pieces in hand."
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| From 2023 09 14 Granada |
This photo was taken on the steps of Granada Cathedral in Granada, Spain. It features an unidentified father and son playing chess. A chess beginner's maxim is "develop knights before bishops" but when you are playing literally on the steps of a cathedral, such maxims maybe can be ignored.
A bonus photo is after the jump.
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Netflix
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Netflix
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Netflix
Recently, I wrote about "Density versus Sprawl". I was referring to the choice the City of Richardson faces in updating its Comprehensive Plan. In another post, "The Road to Zero Degradation", I identified increased density as part of the solution to the eternal challenge of finding enough money to fix potholes. I said, "Mayor Pro Tem Arefin gets it, saying in a recent City Council meeting, 'We have to have revenue from new sources to get our infrastructure fixes.'"
"In time the Rockies may crumble,
Gibraltar may tumble,
they’re only made of clay.
But our love is here to stay."
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| From 2023 09 13 Gibraltar |
Today's photo-of-the-day was taken at the border between Spain and the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar.
A bonus photo is after the jump.
"Do photos deceive?
Would calling England from here
Require long distance?"
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| From 2023 09 13 Gibraltar |
Where was this photo taken? You might say, obviously somewhere in England. Even the title of this article, a famous phrase from Shakespeare's Richard II, seems to say so. But the photo was not taken in England, unless that is, you consider the British Overseas Territories to be as much a part of England as the Lake District or the Cotswalds. Which, of course, is what the English believe. The Spanish have other ideas. Anyway, this photo-of-the-day was taken in Gibraltar.
A bonus photo is after the jump.
On April 22, 2024, the Richardson City Council considered a request by a private school to move into an existing church building on Abrams Rd. near Walnut St. The school is Coram Deo Academy, a classical, Christian, K-12 school with three campuses. It wants to relocate its Dallas campus on Alpha Rd to Richardson. Because of zoning regulations, a special permit is needed.
2024-04-06: I don't recall any conspiracy theories about the eclipse circulating on social media. Am I missing them?
2024-04-09: Great view of the eclipse in McKinney. Diamond ring, 3 minutes of totality, then another diamond ring. Awesome.
2024-04-09: I always tell people that partial eclipses are interesting, but just can't compare to a total eclipse. A 99% partial eclipse sounds good, but totality is something else entirely. We would have been chasing the 2017 eclipse if we didn't know that the 2024 eclipse was coming right to us.