Article in Lincoln Journal Star
Local View: 'Can't do' attitude to blame for July Jamm's demise
BY TISH THOMAS
Friday, Jul 21, 2006 - 12:12:31 am CDT
The first weekend of July, I had a wonderful time with my boys and several friends at the umpteenth annual Saturday in the Park in Sioux City, Iowa. This event featured great live music — Chuck Berry included — a great location at one of Sioux City’s numerous city parks, excellent food vendors (or bring your own) and free admission.
I wondered, “Why can’t Lincoln do this?”
Believe me, the relaxed, comfortable park setting was truly a wonderful alternative to the summer heat of downtown Lincoln pavements at the very soon-to-be defunct July Jamm. And this recurring event most certainly hasn’t run its course, as July Jamm was recently described by the Updowntowners.
“So why can’t Lincoln do this?” I asked several Lincolnites who annually attend the Sioux City event. The answers ranged from “I have no idea — too bad they don’t” and “Because it’s not downtown” to “Because Lincoln is always too worried about liquor control.”
I remember Lincoln taking years, if not decades, to finally follow suit with almost every other city in the country, and approve sidewalk dining. Why? Because the city and the Lincoln Police Department could focus only on a reason why it couldn’t happen — the possibility of liquor control being a potential problem. I’m not aware of any problems with alcohol served by Lincoln’s sidewalk cafes today, now that they’re finally allowed. And there were certainly no apparent problems with alcohol control at the well-monitored “beer gardens” at Sioux City’s Saturday in the Park.
Why can’t Lincoln do this? We have Pioneers Park, Holmes Lake, Oak Lake and Antelope Park. So it certainly isn’t because Lincoln doesn’t have a great location.
I suggest there is a much more entrenched reason why Lincoln can’t mimic the success of a city less than half its size. It’s the continuing “can’t do” attitude that has permeated Lincoln city government for too many decades.
Whenever any new ideas are suggested or attempted in Lincoln, it seems that the bureaucratic attitude and response from City Hall always begins with reasons to restrict rather than promote. “We can’t do that because it doesn’t benefit downtown Lincoln.” Or, “There might be a liquor control problem,” or any number of less than valid reasons, rather than any legitimate attempt to promote good ideas for the betterment of the greater Lincoln community. Ask any developer who has attempted a project in Lincoln, or any entrepreneur who’s had to face Lincoln’s City Hall.
Lincoln’s continued poor efforts from City Hall and its “can’t do” attitude was quite well reflected by the recent Angelos Angelou report card which was highlighted by many C’s and D’s. Even the overrated A’s were qualified by still needing many improvements that remain lacking.
Lincoln leadership needs major changes in attitudes if it wants positive change for the community. So only when Lincoln elects a visionary mayor and a City Council that truly focus upon promoting and instilling an attitude of “Lincoln can do” rather than “can’t do” — an attitude that starts at the top and filters all the way down — can Lincoln stop victimizing itself and really expect any significant improvement from our excessively restrictive “can’t do” city government.
So goodbye, July Jamm. We’ll probably be in Sioux City again next summer. And Omaha. Or anywhere that caters to the entire community at large, rather than special interest events in Lincoln with its limiting and “decades late” efforts at preserving and promoting downtown, and its “you can’t do that” attitudes from City Hall.
Tish Thomas is a Lincoln businesswoman.
BY TISH THOMAS
Friday, Jul 21, 2006 - 12:12:31 am CDT
The first weekend of July, I had a wonderful time with my boys and several friends at the umpteenth annual Saturday in the Park in Sioux City, Iowa. This event featured great live music — Chuck Berry included — a great location at one of Sioux City’s numerous city parks, excellent food vendors (or bring your own) and free admission.
I wondered, “Why can’t Lincoln do this?”
Believe me, the relaxed, comfortable park setting was truly a wonderful alternative to the summer heat of downtown Lincoln pavements at the very soon-to-be defunct July Jamm. And this recurring event most certainly hasn’t run its course, as July Jamm was recently described by the Updowntowners.
“So why can’t Lincoln do this?” I asked several Lincolnites who annually attend the Sioux City event. The answers ranged from “I have no idea — too bad they don’t” and “Because it’s not downtown” to “Because Lincoln is always too worried about liquor control.”
I remember Lincoln taking years, if not decades, to finally follow suit with almost every other city in the country, and approve sidewalk dining. Why? Because the city and the Lincoln Police Department could focus only on a reason why it couldn’t happen — the possibility of liquor control being a potential problem. I’m not aware of any problems with alcohol served by Lincoln’s sidewalk cafes today, now that they’re finally allowed. And there were certainly no apparent problems with alcohol control at the well-monitored “beer gardens” at Sioux City’s Saturday in the Park.
Why can’t Lincoln do this? We have Pioneers Park, Holmes Lake, Oak Lake and Antelope Park. So it certainly isn’t because Lincoln doesn’t have a great location.
I suggest there is a much more entrenched reason why Lincoln can’t mimic the success of a city less than half its size. It’s the continuing “can’t do” attitude that has permeated Lincoln city government for too many decades.
Whenever any new ideas are suggested or attempted in Lincoln, it seems that the bureaucratic attitude and response from City Hall always begins with reasons to restrict rather than promote. “We can’t do that because it doesn’t benefit downtown Lincoln.” Or, “There might be a liquor control problem,” or any number of less than valid reasons, rather than any legitimate attempt to promote good ideas for the betterment of the greater Lincoln community. Ask any developer who has attempted a project in Lincoln, or any entrepreneur who’s had to face Lincoln’s City Hall.
Lincoln’s continued poor efforts from City Hall and its “can’t do” attitude was quite well reflected by the recent Angelos Angelou report card which was highlighted by many C’s and D’s. Even the overrated A’s were qualified by still needing many improvements that remain lacking.
Lincoln leadership needs major changes in attitudes if it wants positive change for the community. So only when Lincoln elects a visionary mayor and a City Council that truly focus upon promoting and instilling an attitude of “Lincoln can do” rather than “can’t do” — an attitude that starts at the top and filters all the way down — can Lincoln stop victimizing itself and really expect any significant improvement from our excessively restrictive “can’t do” city government.
So goodbye, July Jamm. We’ll probably be in Sioux City again next summer. And Omaha. Or anywhere that caters to the entire community at large, rather than special interest events in Lincoln with its limiting and “decades late” efforts at preserving and promoting downtown, and its “you can’t do that” attitudes from City Hall.
Tish Thomas is a Lincoln businesswoman.
posted by Dave at 1:36 PM
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