[MissoulaGov] Committee Update 9-16-09

[Paradigm1 at aol.com]

That would be great to see the Rollins boulevard restored.  Interesting to 
learn the history of how it ended up that way. It looks like a  used car lot 
there most mornings, and I'm sure the neighbors would welcome the  
landscaping improvements.
 
 
Carl P.
 
 
 
 
In a message dated 9/17/2009 12:32:04 A.M. Mountain Daylight Time,  
geoffb at ism.net writes:

 
For the record, when  Al Sampson was City Council President, Bruce Bender 
or Joe Aldegarie was  Public Works Director. Steve King was City Engineer 
before he became Public  Works Director.  As a further  observation, if, in 
fact, Al Sampson ordered Steve King or any  other City employee to perform an 
act in violation of City ordinance, it was  obviously inappropriate.  It  
doesn’t rise to the level of a war crime, but someone performing the duties of  
City Engineer is not required to perform an  illegal action and doesn’t 
have the defense that an  elected City Council person  “ordered” him to do an  
illegal act.  Even as President of  the City Council, Al Sampson didn’t 
supervise City employees.  A Missoula City Engineer was  answerable to the 
Director of Public Works, and he to the Chief Administrative  Officer and that 
person to the Mayor.   Over time recollections may not be precise but I would 
be  concerned to have a memory of  such an inappropriate act laid out in 
public when the employee didn’t perform  his duty to uphold City ordinances 
and the  elected official in question  was not present to defend himself when 
the information was  stated publicly before a  City Council Committee.  I’d 
be  interested if anyone sees it  differently. 
Geoff  Badenoch 
-----Original  Message-----
From:  missoulagov-bounces at cmslists.com 
[mailto:missoulagov-bounces at cmslists.com]  On Behalf Of Bob  Jaffe
Sent: Wednesday,  September 16, 2009 11:29 PM
To: missoulagov at cmslists.com
Subject: [MissoulaGov] Committee Update  9-16-09 
After lunch we  started with Public Works…  We took care of a  few other 
items and then considered a request  to order in boulevard improvements at 401 
and 417 Rollins. Back in 1986 there  was a project that put in curbs on 
this block. The public works department put  in topsoil and seed in the 
boulevard. The property was  owned by then city council  president Al Sampson and 
he ordered the public works director  Steve King to take out the topsoil and 
put in road base to turn it back into a  parking lot in violation of city 
ordinance.  It’s been that way  since. Over the years the neighbors have  
complained on and off about the junk cars and  trash being stored in the 
boulevard where the  whole rest of the block and neighborhood have grass, trees, 
and  landscaping.  The motion to require bigger curbs, topsoil, grass, and  
trees at an estimated cost to the homeowner  of $4500 passed unanimously. 
Clearly, there  was a time when the city council had a lot more power than it 
does now. Steve  pointed out that the meetings weren’t  televised or  recorded 
then either. 



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