Springfield's Main Street Cruise

[AuditoreEnterprise]

Your statements just reinforced mine. Thank you.

Not even in the slightest, but if you feel better about it then so be it hahaha end of discussion.

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

Auditore, I think the main point here is not whether or not the community enjoys the event - they do.  I do and don't live there, but it's fun and gives the family and I another option every once and a while.  But when the guy that organizes the event, created it out of his love for old cars and nostalgia, doesn't get joy out of organizing it anymore, it's time to move on.

How can you fault that? 

I can appreciate what I've read from you and your willingness to help out, but a telephone works both ways.  If you're that willing to help, I'm sure the call could be made from your end.  Probably more easily, because you're not dealing with stress and pride issues at the moment regarding the event.

Just my $.02

[AuditoreEnterprise]

Auditore, I think the main point here is not whether or not the community enjoys the event - they do.  I do and don't live there, but it's fun and gives the family and I another option every once and a while.  But when the guy that organizes the event, created it out of his love for old cars and nostalgia, doesn't get joy out of organizing it anymore, it's time to move on.

How can you fault that? 

I can appreciate what I've read from you and your willingness to help out, but a telephone works both ways.  If you're that willing to help, I'm sure the call could be made from your end.  Probably more easily, because you're not dealing with stress and pride issues at the moment regarding the event.

Just my $.02

That was very well stated and I have an unfathomable amount of respect for you at the moment for that input. I do see where you are coming from and I should have taken that factor into consideration as everyone does operate differently. That being said if someone has some contact information could I get a message in my inbox please.

[Debbie Thompson]

Just going to throw this out there, and no, I have no insight or inside info to back the claim, but since when have we let a lack of factual information stop us from posting....

Could the federal audit on Kim Scott and her department, started because of a group of Springfielders trying to better their neighborhood, have anything to do with the 'all-of-a-sudden' permitting requirements for The Cruise, which also happens to better Springfield?

I wonder if they're bright enough to NOT use their city council email addresses to relay the info?

No, I don't think so.  I like conspiracy theories as much as the next person, by fieldafm is right, and so is John Wells.  If you read John's explanation, he reserved that stage well in advance, because the LAST time he reserved it, he got the run around.  He has been unable to get a straight answer about it the entire time, and we are only two weeks out.  Either the City had a list of people who wanted it, and they were just waiting until the last minute to pick who they wanted and mess with the others, or they are incompetent.  How hard is it to say, here are the forms, yes they are correct or no they aren't, yes the stage is reserved for you or no it's taken for that day.  John could have received an answer at the time he requested the reservation. 

Fieldafm is also well-respected and knows what he's talking about. If he says the city is messing this up, I believe him.

[AuditoreEnterprise]

Times Union reporting that the Cruise is back on!

http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2014-06-12/story/historic-main-street-cruise-rumbles-back-life-after-issues-over-event

Jacksonville's own "American Graffiti" is back on again for Saturday June 28, with news that the city will not mandate a special event permit for a monthly classic car cruise down Main Street between 1st and 12 streets, despite earlier city mandates for one.

The Historic Main Street Cruise's organizer had cancelled the event after saying city officials told him on Wednesday that he would need general liability and workman's comp insurance, security and portable toilets for what he says is a free-flow gathering of classic cars, hot rods and their fans organized via Facebook.

Organizer John Wells said their grassroots group couldn't afford that. But the cruise is back on with the city's help. That also means that the cruise's second anniversary concert at the Krystal at 2023 N. Main St. is still on, as is the inclusion of The Great Race, a cross-country classic car rally ending its second-to-last race day at The Jacksonville Landing, joining the Main Street cruisers, Wells said.

"The mayors office's chief of staff has apparently got it all worked out," Wells said. "... I am very happy that everything worked out. Give Chris Hand all the credit for having it worked out. And thank the media. Sometimes you don't get listened to unless that happens."

City Councilman Johnny Gaffney, whose district includes Springfield, said he was initially very disappointed to hear that Wells had cancelled the cruise because of the city's mandate and was working to "try to rectify and keep it going on." But he said there was a miscommunication between city departments and the cruise will continue.

......

To celebrate the second anniversary, Wells and cruise sponsors had planned a live concert with Second Shot at the Krystal, joined by members of the band Molly Hatchett including co-founder Dave Hlubek. The cruise was also going be part of the route The Great Race, a 25-year-long cross-country classic car rally planning to cruise down Main Street en route to The Jacksonville Landing for its second-to-last day finish line.

Great Race Director Jeff Stumb said whatever happens to the cruise, the classic car rally will head down Main Street as planned to a 5:30 p.m. arrival celebration at The Jacksonville Landing.

The Main Street Cruise's Facebook page carried an earlier angry statement from Wells Wednesday afternoon.

"Folks, I am sorry to say that I'm done!!! We have some very generous sponsors who have put money up to pay for the band and other things that we need. I don't feel that I can spend those people's money and then have the CITY come and shut it down. SO, I am pulling the plug on EVERYTHING!! THERE WILL BE NO BAND AT THE KRYSTAL!! If you want to come and watch the GREAT RACE please do but the HISTORIC SPRINGFIELD MAIN STREET CRUISE is no more!!!"

click on the link above to read the entire article!

Sweet! Great news!

[02roadking]

Never had a doubt...

[edjax]

So can everyone on the thread kiss and make up,now?  Actually it was disappointing seeing everyone once again jumping all over each other and wanting to be the one voice heard and be right!  This is sort of what we say is holding back our city with our leadership. So perhaps at times MJ behavior is not much different than our city leadership that we disdain so much. Hmm.

[edjax]

Agree. Yours is usually different! and of course celebrated.

[AuditoreEnterprise]

Agree. Yours is usually different! and of course celebrated.

Pssssh Stephen and his variety of opinions is what makes him so awesome no hard feelings on my part I like challenging debates

[AuditoreEnterprise]

Agree. Yours is usually different! and of course celebrated.

Pssssh Stephen and his variety of opinions is what makes him so awesome no hard feelings on my part I like challenging debates

I rather suspect we all do!

Agreed there no disputes on my end lol

[sheclown]

Kudos to Chris Hand and the Mayor for this.

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

Kudos to Chris Hand and the Mayor for this.

And this ^^^ is where I start to have issues with everything politik, and I'll try to explain.

Why are we offering kudos?  There would have been ZERO mention of any of this had the people in the mayor's office had just simply done their jobs in the first place.  It took a near nuclear meltdown to get someone to do something as simple as, well, what they're being paid to do in the first place. 

And sheclown knows from first hand experience.  The reasoning that I used above is the same, exact reason that PSOS has had to get as involved as they are.  To just get people to 'do their job'.  Obviously, from another thread going right now, the city taxpayers are on the hook for hundreds of thousands of dollars because someone sitting at a desk was incompetent and couldn't handle the duties that they get paid to do.  Where's the accountability?  Sure, we vote them out.  Great.  But for the everyday person who has no background info on this, even as much as part of the FB post from John:

This year I was not going to let this happen again. I started out well in advance and reserved one of the stages and filed the application and was told that it was reserved for us. The Krystal Company sent them an insurance certificate for a 25 million dollar liability policy. In the weeks since then I have repeatedly called Ron Bruton (255-8765) to find out if there was anything else they needed and if we were approved for the stage. The answer I got EVERY time was, don't know, don't know, don't know!!!! On this past Monday I got the same answer. I was very frustrated and told him that I would not wait until the LAST DAY to find out if I had the stage or not. He interpreted that as me cancelling the reservation on the stage and gave it to someone else. My intent was to start calling "up the line" to see if I could find anyone who knew anything since Ron Bruton obviously did not. I talked to the assistant to the new head of Parks and Recreation and was told that I because I had cancelled my reservation our stage had already been given to someone else and it was irreversible. Mind you this was only one day. When I couldn't get anywhere with her I went to the Mayor's office and got nothing but a bunch of "deer in the headlights" BS.
Later that afternoon I got a call and began getting emails from Laurie Mills in the SPECIAL EVENTS office telling me that we needed a SPECIAL EVENTS permit for not just the band but for the entire Cruise from now on. If you have more than 500 people they want this permit. I tried to explain to her that this is a spread out thing and there are never 500 people in one location. She didn't want to hear this. She said that the city will shut it down and we could be fined.
The SPECIAL EVENT permit they are asking for is impossible for us to get. We don't charge anybody anything for the Cruise. The City wants us to provide General Liability Insurance, Workman's comp insurance, payment for police, and other things like portolets. We have no money for all of this!!! I don't know where they think all this money would come from. Several of the businesses have pitched in for this big cruise so that we could rent the stage and hire the band and so on, but this is one big show for the summer. I can't spend these peoples money and have the city shut it down.

Then all that is read is how the city came to save a neighborhood function. 

It's complete bullshit, and of all people (I have no reason to call you out sheclown, but I am and don't take it personally) to give the city kudos, I figured you'd be one of the least.  Especially when all they're doing is basking in the glory of fixing their own fuck-up in the first place.

[Debbie Thompson]

Well, at least they fixed it. 

[strider]

Non-RedNeck Westsider:  It's (the city getting credit for saving the cruise) complete bullshit, and of all people (I have no reason to call you out sheclown, but I am and don't take it personally) to give the city kudos, I figured you'd be one of the least.  Especially when all they're doing is basking in the glory of fixing their own fuck-up in the first place.

The smart thing to do when ones who typically act badly somehow step up and do the right thing is to give them credit where due.  In this case, Chris Hand of the Mayor's office stepped up and manged to fix what incompetence was destroying.  He, and therefore the Mayor's office, deserves credit for that.

Meanwhile, intelligent people will understand that saving the Main Street Cruise does not and will not make up for the  mess at least two Mayoral administrations have caused and the current Mayor's office seems to be perpetuating by defending and promoting those most responsible for the mess.   

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

Non-RedNeck Westsider:  It's (the city getting credit for saving the cruise) complete bullshit, and of all people (I have no reason to call you out sheclown, but I am and don't take it personally) to give the city kudos, I figured you'd be one of the least.  Especially when all they're doing is basking in the glory of fixing their own fuck-up in the first place.

The smart thing to do when ones who typically act badly somehow step up and do the right thing is to give them credit where due.  In this case, Chris Hand of the Mayor's office stepped up and manged to fix what incompetence was destroying.  He, and therefore the Mayor's office, deserves credit for that.

Meanwhile, intelligent people will understand that saving the Main Street Cruise does not and will not make up for the  mess at least two Mayoral administrations have caused and the current Mayor's office seems to be perpetuating by defending and promoting those most responsible for the mess.

I understand your and sheclown's point, and maybe it is the right civil thing to do;  I guess I just don't happen to share the same feelings about it.