Organizations in UCD's class are prohibited from supporting specific
political candidates directly (indirectly, or in appearance, etc. is not
prohibited and is widespread). Therefore, it would be wrong for it to
support Nutter.
Organizations in UCD's class are not prohibited from taking sides in a
business improvement dispute. Indeed, their very mission requires them to
take sides in saying some business-district situations are more improved,
others are less improved. And since commerce is profoundly competitive, with
one merchant's meat being another merchant's poison, BIDs are always fated
to muddy their fingers with controversy. If you think they should all be
exterminated, like the smallpox virus, then proceed! But it's unreasonable
to pretend to allow them to live, yet insist they avoid all controversy.
Given that UCD is a BID, not a community government, I would expect it to
facilitate businesses in the community and to take their side in disputes.
When it has to choose between businesses, then it must choose. But that can
scarcely be a choice that non-funding non-businesses have any right to
dictate!
-- Tony West
Kyle wrote:
If two neighbors were arguing over what
color their semi-detatched should be painted, I expect that UCD would
not get involved or if there were a rich debate about the borders of the
Catchman zone, I'd likewise expect them not to pick a side, but in this
instance, I think they acted properly in accordance with the wishes of
their funders. (Who include, to some small extent, me, since I've sent
them money and I'm happy with their position on Dock Street).
Ray wrote:
consider this: if a majority of folks in the hood were pro-Nutter, and
these same folks also happened to be contributing money to ucd, that would
not make it right for ucd to publicly endorse Nutter, to encourage voters
to vote for Nutter. the choice for Nutter or not is a public choice, a
public process among equal stakeholders.
that's why in my example I took care to say 'public questions/disputes',
why I said ucd should have been neutral once the zoning question became a
public dispute among neighbors before the zoning board.
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