Donor Wall Op-Ed and Follow Up

The donor wall is back in the news again.  Yesterday, the News Tribune ran a story that the History Museum is suggesting the use of glass to improve the view through the wall.  Today we see an op-ed by the Museum’s ED, David Nicandri.  You can read the articles and make your own opinions.  I found this interesting:

The city was apparently provoked into revoking its own approval for this project in response to comments originating in the blogosphere, where misinformation ran rampant early on.

I just read through Exit133’s related postings and comments.  While there are strong feelings expressed regarding the use of public spaces and about just who should be determining the pedestrian flow, Exit133’s statements don’t amount to rumor.

Yes, there is a definite lack of civility and tact in some of the comments – two things I feel are crucial in any successful community.  However, all of the comments that referred to the motivations or actions of the museum were pulled directly from quotes in the News Tribune or from Mr. Nicandri on Exit133.  The notion that we were spreading misinformation is unsupported within today’s article and I find the accusation disappointing. 

I said this in an earlier comment, but will repeat it here:

Some topics create more intrigue than others, but only a few have progressed all the way to meetings at City Hall or the News Tribune…Frankly, it surprised me, and it indicates that there’s more to the story than solely what we mentioned in the original posting. Exit133 didn’t make this a big story in Tacoma. Something about the project itself made it a big story.

In fact, my understanding is that questions about the wall were quickly moving through city hall in parallel with our original discussion.  It was not ‘the blogosphere’ that prompted City Council to act.

I’ve received several emails from all over the region asking why I’ve chosen to pick a fight and lob personal attacks against Mr. Nicandri.  If one were to actually look back through my comments both publicly and privately, I have never made this personal.  I cannot take responsibility for my commenters or for other blogs, but even these, while sometimes tactless, were rarely personal.  Generally speaking, I’m pretty centrist on most issues around here and I know when to pick my fights.

I’m leaving comments off for this posting.  In my view, nothing new has been added to the discussion that won’t get both sides to further dig in their heels with the exact same points.  Furthermore, as the op-ed came from the Executive Director himself, I’m not looking to have this dissolve into personal attacks on Mr. Nicandri, Exit133, me, or any other bloggers in this town.  Unlike the anonymous WSHM person that called us a bunch of screeching baboons, I want this to remain civil.

As always, if you have an opinion, let your city council know. 

Link to Glass Might Solve Wall Dispute – News Tribune

Link to Rumors Undermine Century Park Plan

Previously on Exit133