The November 17 council meeting brought a poetic clash over policy, protest, and one very unlucky ice rink.
’Twas the vote before Christmas, and all through the hall,
Most creatures were quiet, but three raised a squall.
And Chacon was absent, her usual way,
They'd long since stopped caring; what more could they say?
The holiday rink had its funding in hand,
With thousands from Suncor, a sponsor, as planned.
The lights had been hung and the ice had been squared,
And in just a few days, winter magic’d be shared.
But then Susan Noble stood up with a glare,
And announced that the Suncor gift just wasn't fair.
She spoke of polluters, of justice, of schemes,
And invoked Cultivando—an “agency,” she claims.
(A nonprofit, Susan, not a government arm,
But dressing it up sure does sound the alarm!)
Then Kristi spoke up with a film for us all:
“Watch this one!” she cried, as if movies were law.
And the mayor just nodded, as if deep in thought,
As if canceling Christmas were just what he’d sought.
A motion was crafted, though legally thin,
“To thank Suncor kindly… but decline all the tin.”
And further, to hint (in that subtle-ish way)
They should funnel the money to Cultivando’s bouquet.
But Rogers stayed calm, like a pine in the snow,
Said, “Council can’t do that—it isn't your show.
For sponsorships fall under staff's rightful pow’r;
You approved this in March—and the budget’s been ours.”
“Oh no,” said the Mayor, “we remember less,
Just ninety-nine thousand, no more, we confess.”
But staff held the minutes, the budget, the notes:
The full allocation had been in the votes.
Then Madera spoke up, with a sigh of dismay,
“Seven days ’til the rink, you would cancel today?
I won't harm the community just for my views;
It's holiday programming, what's there to lose?”
And Dukes stated plainly, “This motion is wrong,
Handpicking winners does not here belong:
If we pick and choose causes wherever we please,
We’re failing the public we’re sworn here to please.”
Then Councilman Teter, with humor quite brisk,
Gave advice that cut clean through the chill and the mist:
“If you want to protest them with all of your might,
Then drive ‘lectric to Salt Lake, and skip the booked flight!”
The Mayor said stiffly: “Please, Teter, refrain.”
(His humor, as always, stayed locked in its lane.)
But the chamber fell quiet, the moment was clear.
The motion was folly, and Christmas was near.
A vote then was taken: three yes and five no.
The ice rink would stay and its funding would flow.
And while this small drama did rattle the night,
Good governance kept the whole season upright.
And voters, it seems, had already foretold
That the drama in council would lose its long hold.
For Douglas and Chacon, the voters said no,
And Molina made noise, but had nothing to show.
The gavel came down and the snowflakes took flight,
Happy holidays to all, and to all a good night.
Sources: City council video at 2:17:48, interviews with Dr. James Newman, a political science professor at Southeast Missouri State University, and Chris Astrella, a Public Administration Professor at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh and Rochester Christian University.
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