Mayor Jim Clarke went into this morning’s all-day, open-to-the-public Strategic Planning Retreat at the Kirk Douglas Theatre convinced that his City Council colleagues are capable of ferreting out background information for developing ordinances.
“No need to automatically direct research to (city) staff,” the mayor said. “We can work with staff, but we can do a lot of the outreach.”
At issue was whether staff of the Council’s Sustainability Subcommittee would do the legwork in preparing a ban on Styrofoam food containers.
The goal is to clean up water channels where environmentally offensive Styrofoam debris causes blight and perhaps fatal damage to inhabitants of the waterways.
“Just having only the early discussion about Styrofoam,” said Mr. Clarke, “we already have identified the Stanford study about mealworms eating Styrofoam and what the carcinogenic properties of styrene are.
“Staff doesn’t have to do this.
“Why can’t the subcommittee (of Goran Eriksson and Meghan Sahli-Wells) say ‘we are going to take this on. We will work with staff, but we will do a lot of the outreach on it.
“All of this is why I wanted the Sustainable Subcommittee to be the responsible party as opposed to saying ‘Here, staff, you go do all of the work. You go survey 93 cities and find out what they are doing about Styrofoam. Or here, you go to all of the restaurants and let us know what you find.”
True to his long ago-earned reputation as a hard-working, ubiquitous elected official, Mr. Clarke wants company.
Meanwhile, Mr. Clarke and his four Council colleagues are spending the Strategic Planning Retreat establishing a list and a strategy for pursuing six separate projects during the coming two years. Then Mr. Clarke will be term-limited.
While researching the issue of styrofoam, why doesn’t the mayor direct they research how to stop people from littering. It is lovely to proclaim styrofoam is bad and get votes, but address the real reason; littering. While the are at it, they might consider employing people to pick up the trash. Rules don’t work unless it’s motivated on the personal end by a $400 ticket for littering. Personal responsiblity not ardent politicking and taking bows as environmentalists. While they are at it, make all littering a sure thing ticket.
The answer to your question Molly is because people like to be fashionable versus practical. An ordinance banning single use styrofoam containers is fashionable. A long term permanent solution to recycling styrofoam INCLUDING ANY OTHER SINGLE USE CONTAINER is logical.