The City of Davenport's Vision Statement reads, in part, that the city aims to provide "the best possible services through open communication and mutual support." The assumption is that this applies to the city council, staff, and the public.
Once again, residents of Davenport demonstrated their disgraceful lack of patriotism with a pathetic 18-percent voter turnout for the November 8 city-council election. For those who did not bother to vote this time, keep your complaints to yourself from here on out.
I'll say it again: By casting your vote in next Tuesday's election (November 8), you contribute to enlarging the political playing field for future elections. What this does is force the candidates to deal with a broader range of issues that more accurately reflects the public's concerns.
Navigating the City of Davenport's Web site (http://www.cityofdavenportiowa.com) for basic information is not without its challenges. It appears to be selectively filtered and purposely obscure.
As we compiled the calendar listings and stories relating to what lies ahead this fall for the arts in our communities, we couldn't help but pause to comment on how stellar the summer has been for the arts in the Quad Cities.
River Vision, the joint study conducted and adopted by leaders of Rock Island and Davenport, calls for a multi-year, multi-million-dollar, bi-state effort to continue revitalizing and enhancing our respective riverfronts.
I recently invested in a comprehensive Oxford English Dictionary and have been reacquainting myself with words whose traditional meanings and usage might have been lost, or at least grossly distorted within modern-day politics.
Here we go again! Davenport's infinitely obtuse city council is considering another colossal giveaway relative to our riverfront, only this time it involves Davenport's entire levee, not just the critical 15 acres of downtown riverfront we have compromised for the Isle of Capri to build an 11-story hotel and five-story parking garage, while other viable alternative sites have yet to be fully explored and/or negated.
For many in the Quad Cities, the Villa de Chantel in Rock Island was a mysterious old castle-like building tucked away and protected from the public eye. But for some of us, the Villa represented a powerful influence educationally, socially, and, in no small measure, spiritually.
Two weeks ago, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 decision that local governments may seize people's homes and businesses against their will for private economic development. The court's ruling in the case, Kelo v.

Pages