NORMAN ORTEGA SPEAKS

Norman Ortega asked me to publish his take on the public and the Council meetings. I do so since it is one concerned individual's impressions


Are we enablers?

No, we are not. We are backup dancers.

Tuesdays night's Council’s meeting was as interesting as any other, I presume. The Administration and the
Council performed a political posturing dance throughout the night. At some point the sparks and flares, in an
entertaining sort of way, delighted some of us.

This political posturing dance between the Administration and the Council reminded me of a Tango
Milonguero, with its melodramatic theatrics embroiled in its closed embraces, small steps and almost
syncopated foot work all choreographed to woo the audience.

I thought the performance was majestic and worth of an Oscar.

But no one was more mesmerized than the audience. After a long and unnecessary recess called executive
session, and soon after the grand finale with its sparks and flares, the audience was given its constitutional
right to join the dance in a section called public comments.

The audience's performance was fantastic, but expected. The audience has been backup dancing to this same
old tune for decades. They knew how to react when the lead dancers, the Council or the Administration,
improvised. Both sets of backup dancers moved like the initial phase of a Milonguero when dancers
theatrically struggle until their steps are harmonized to perfection. The bloggers are masters at this, and its
clearly obvious to behind whom they dance.

And while the bloggers and the audience are captivated by the political posturing dance and its eventual
participation as backup dancers for either side, nothing gets accomplished. In the end, like any theater-goer,
they leave the theater, with exception of the bloggers, with a sense of accomplishment, because they were
allowed to participate and dance. Yet they return to the theater soon after because in the end, even though
they had a good time and thought they received something through the political posturing dance, deep inside
its is well known that nothing was in fact accomplished.

And so, this epic and boring political posturing dance between the Council and its bloggers, the
Administration, and the voters as backup dancers for either side continues, while the brick and mortar
holding the theater falls apart.

I for once would like to see the backup dancers take the lead instead of dancing behind the Administration
and the Council. I would like to see the backup dancers and specially the bloggers from both sides demand
consensus, not undefined actions and confrontations. I would like to see, the backup dancers and the bloggers
demand a solution to specific situations by forcing the lead performers to dance their way to middle ground
(even if they in fact they hate each other) until the work to keep Plainfield Theater from falling is complete.

Voters and bloggers, instead of pandering to the Administration or the Council, join me and demand
consensus. Ask the Administration or the Council, whichever you support, to negotiate to middle ground.
Otherwise, nothing will be accomplished as it is happening now and it’s us, the voters, whom are going to
suffer the consequences dancing our way to rock bottom. "

I appreciate Mr.Ortega's thoughts. However I take exception to the insinuation that all of us bloggers pander to one side or the other. I trust I do not and Plainfield Plaintalker is a professional unbiased product. Maria's blog is the community's watchdog. None of these three have a political axis.