McHugh: FIve Rivers Finished

During discussion of the Five Rivers Update at Tuesday's Oshkosh Common Council meeting, new councilor Dennis McHugh said that he doesn't understand why city staff is still negotiating with Five Rivers' management since they did not meet the conditions of the "term sheet" by the May 31st deadline. McHugh's no-nonsense approach on Five Rivers was exactly what citizens who voted for him expected. It was nice to hear him deliver.

Councilor Bryan Bain expressed frustration at the fact that the Council approved a term sheet that apparently, according to city staff, does not require the Council to vote on a developer agreement. In fairnes to the Council, EVERYONE who has followed this issue closely took it as a given that the Council would vote on the developer agreement. Indeed, during the spring election cycle candidates were repeatedly asked their views on Five Rivers issues with the full expectation being that the 2006-2007 Council would have the opportunity to pull the plug on the project.

In my citizen statement I argued that if the Council cannot vote on the developer agreement, then (a) someone who voted for the term sheet in March should make a motion to rescind it or (b) in the likely event the Council is asked to give the developer another extension, they should vote it down.