A Downtown Street is Open

Collaboration Won Over Control

This morning at 6:00 a.m. a crew of city workers were getting the 100 block of West Main Street open for something that hasn’t been there for nearly nine months — traffic. Late last night, the Miami County Board of Commissioners, made an announcement that the Building Department’s Adjudication order had been lifted and that the street was ready to be reopened.

Downtown businesses have had their economic vitality held hostage by the city for nearly the last ten months. Thanks to a settlement agreement facilitated by Judge Wall, the dogged determination of the Troy Historic Preservation Alliance, collaborative solutions put forward by the Miami County Board of Commissioners and their departments, and the abundant generosity of this community, West Main Street is open. If it were not for all these civic minded problem solvers working together, our community would have another day of a closed road and lost economic opportunity.

In a press release issued earlier today, the City’s Mayor stated, “It’s been a long 9 1/2 months and we are happy that the barricades are gone. Our residents, businesses and visitors have awaited this day for far too long but now we can restore some normalcy in our community.”

It’s true, this community has awaited for this day for over nine and a half months. But, it’s time to face some troubling facts, this street opening is happening not because of the city’s local government, but in spite of it.

The local government’s behavior throughout this IOOF/Old Miami County Courthouse debacle has been disappointing. Their behavior over the last nine and a half months has been nothing short of shameful. By any objective measure, the full closing of a main transportation artery for over nine months is a textbook case of local government malfeasance. Failing to act in a productive and collaborative fashion to get the road open is a textbook case of local government nonfeasance.

Let’s be perfectly clear on one point, closing this street was never about public safety. If it was, why was the popular farmers market moved closer to the building that was in an “imminent state of collapse”? The West Main Street closing was just another act of deception from individuals in the city building to frustrate an already tenuous situation. Instead of providing clarity, there were those in the city building that wanted to add to the confusion.

From making a public pronouncement that the city was “powerless to bring this case to a close” last November, to making a request to Judge Wall to order the building demolished in March, this city government time and time again, has taken the attitude that it was not going to collaborate towards a mutually beneficial solution; it was going to control an outcome.

And closing this street was a naked attempt by certain local government officials to control an outcome. An outcome that was never agreed upon by the community. An outcome that advanced a hidden vision of our community. An outcome that never once was articulated and discussed. And while that is a hard statement to think about, let alone write, the behavior of our city government leads one to that obvious conclusion.

Troy has always prided itself on being a community “Where Civic Pride is City Wide”. Civic pride is demonstrated when people work together to make Troy a wonderful hometown for generations to come. Civic pride is knowing that even in the face of strong opposition by the city government, people can come together and achieve goals and dreams that may seem impossible.

Today, this community celebrates because collaboration won over control. Well done, Troy!

And if I may be so bold, a great way to celebrate, would be to shop and dine downtown today. These downtown businesses could certainly use the support.

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