I will do my best to summarize what I believe to be the outcome of the mural saga. It was very disorganized, essentially incoherent, lacking in any sense of order or logic, and I do not guarantee I got it all.
Barbara Watts made the initial motion. She suggested we choose the mural her friends the art experts liked. The one the Village residents very much disliked. Her rationale was that experts liked it, so that was good enough for her. I asked her again, verbally this time, if that was the artist she knows. She now claims not to know any of them, and she seemed annoyed and taken aback that I would ask. I pointed out that I have asked in writing three times, that she has never replied, and that it appeared she must be hiding something. She did not respond, and she kept lobbying for her friends' choice.
It seems no one else on the Commission liked it, so it was rejected. Or would have been if Barbara had not continued to argue for it.
Noah Jacobs then hit upon the idea, after some urging, to take a vote on the mural proposal most supported by Village residents, or whoever paid for and electronically registered votes. This one might have gotten more support than a 2-3 rejection, except that it quickly came to light that Roxy Ross knows and is supportive of the artist, leading to a conclusion that this image not be accepted. So Noah tried to slog his way through some impromptu aimless attempt to consider other images, too, in fact all of them, in "order." The sense of order quickly evaporated.
It appears there was only one image that got 3-2 support, so there was some partial momentum to accept that one. Except for Watts' continued lobbying for her art expert friends' preference, which she then parlayed into a criticism of the chosen image. Her art expert friends said that that one was potentially acceptable, except a few design changes should be made. Watts lobbied for that. Anything, apparently, to rely on her friends. Even Noah Jacobs, who was a bit more off the handle than usual, could see why you don't tell an artist what to paint. Watts couldn't see it that way, though.
Next was how to pay for this. Watts and Cooper, who was mentally absent for most of the meeting, continued to insist on snatching Village coffers dough. Jacobs suggested "community funding." He didn't exactly explain what he intended this to mean, except he might have been shying away from using Village money. After the meeting, Bob Anderson thought the decision was to continue to use Village money, and Roxy Ross thought the decision was not to. Roxy says our Clerk/Interim Manager Maria Camara also thought it was not to. I myself wasn't completely sure. So it may remain to be clarified. And in any event, because we no longer know how we're going to pay for this mural, Maria is now given the unenviable task of going back to the artist to ask for a discount.
The bottom line was that the process was deeply flawed in absolutely every respect, and it's still not clear whether Village residents (oh, yeah, them) will even like the mural. Funny enough, the mural chosen got the second most votes, and it appears they all came from, and were paid for by, the artist.
So who knows. Do you know we actually pay these people? They could really not be more inept. The only two who made any sense were Roxy Ross, who thought we should agree to the one most supported (2-1 between that one and second place) by voters, and Bob Anderson, who voted against all of them, because the process was faulty, and he didn't want Village funds used.
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