Will Building Be Named After Embattled Mayor?
When the Council Agenda was emailed from City Hall yesterday, we were initially shocked that Dave Cordle was sponsoring a bill to name the building at 145 Gorman Street in honor of his nemesis.
Cordle is a Republican–Ellen is not. Cordle took swipe after swipe at the current Mayor as he unsuccessfully sought to replace her. Cordle often voted against the Mayor while on City Council. Sheila Finlayson is also a co-sponsor of the bill and that is more credulous–she has been a lock and step supporter of the Mayor from day one.
Does Ellen Moyer deserve a building? Aren’t they usually reserved for dead people–or at least one that have left a shining legacy behind? Undoubtedly Moyer was a good Mayor in certain areas. She increased our national and global visibility in terms of the environment. She did much to beautify the city with the street end parks and the resurfacing of many critical roads. But she also had some pretty severe failures which have cost the taxpayers dearly in terms of lawsuits and settlements. Most of those surround–wait for it–buildings! The Market House is a $5 million dollar mistake. The police station is another one. Does it make sense to name a building after her?
And speaking of buildings, one of the underlying causes of the Market House debacle was that the Council did not read the agreement and understand the agreement with Site Realty. This is an issue. And here we are once again, making resolutions to put a name on a building that the City does not own! Yes, the building is leased and also houses a CVS pharmacy. Without having seen the lease, it is assumed that the owner of the building has the right to name a building–not a lessee.
There are many ways to honor the good Moyer has done for the City that more accurately reflect the footprint she will leave. Erect a plaque honoring her accomplishments. at City Hall. Put signs up at the street end parks. But perhaps the best idea is to build an entrance sign at the Renewable Energy Park on Generals Highway when it is built. This is property actually owned by the City and is reflective of her eight years in office.
It took 27 years for Roger “Pip” Moyer to be recognized for his efforts while in office. The new recreation center, while officially called The Truxtun Park Recreation Center, will bear a plaque commemorating his efforts to bring this 27 year effort to fruition. Do we really need to name a building for a two term Mayor within a few days of her leaving office? We may not even know where the bodies are buried that early.
