Ward 3 Coun. Angela Caputo faced 25 minutes of often-hostile questioning tonight after admitting to a Downtown Association board meeting that the city has no plan for what to do with the downtown it took over this week.
"Since it's only been a couple of days, I'm sure you can understand that there is no clear plan," said Caputo, who is herself a member of the Downtown Association (DTA) board, but voted this week to dissolve the 49-year-old business group, bringing its operations under the city's umbrella.
At the end of this year, the member-funded DTA will be dissolved.
Under city control starting in 2025, one full-time and a part-time employee are expected to be assigned to yet-to-be-determined downtown duties, supported by a business advisory committee.
"I can't give you a step-by-step plan yet, but moving forward as month-to-month, I'm happy to update the board at each meeting on that," Caputo said.
"It is a bit more of a staff question, so I'll turn to what Tom [Vair, the city's chief administrative officer] presented you with. He says he's looking forward to establishing clear communication channels to keep informed about the transition process, and looks forward to developing a detailed plan with you to ensure that all ongoing projects and services are maintained without disruption."
"I recognize this to be one of the most challenging decisions, at least in my time on council," Caputo added. "I also see it as one of the best opportunities for the downtown core and our community at large."
She then explained why she voted to bump off an organization she's helped to lead.
"I was in support of this decision for a number of reasons, but mainly because I believe it is time for the city to take responsibility for the state of the downtown today.
"Having invested over $20 million with the addition of the downtown plaza in Phase 1 of the streetscape project, the city needs oversight on those tax dollars.
"The city plans to evaluate the work it will take to realize our collective vision of a safe and prosperous downtown, and put in place proper compensation to keep momentum going on this very important area of the city.
"Council is looking forward to continued investment in the downtown once there is a team within the [city] that can be responsible for its development," she said.
But board members weren't buying it.
"I've been approached by a great number of members indicating what is the city plan?" responded Paul Scornaienchi, the Downtown Association's vice chair.
"I'm thinking that the only thing that you've given is that there's there's no plan," Scornaienchi said, expressing further concerns that Downtown Association members had no opportunity to vote on the planned dissolution.
In view of this week's unexpected decision, the DTA decided to abandon most of the items on the agenda for tonight's meeting.
After tonight's querulous faceoff with Caputo, the DTA board agreed to retreat behind closed doors to discuss employee retention and remuneration in light of the group's now-limited capabilities.
On a Facebook Story posted after the meeting, Caputo said she was invited to speak at the meeting just two hours before it began, and her suggestion that city staff also be invited wasn't accepted.
"Questions asked of me this evening were not fair and the board knew I would not have the answers since being on council means I am part of the governance structure and not operations, but I did my best to answer and allowed them to take their frustrations out on me being part of the city," she wrote.
"I absolutely should have just said: 'No, you're not changing the agenda two hours before the meeting to put me on the spot, to have the board members have their day, you know, lambasting me with questions.' But I recognize their frustration, and I am a big girl and I can be the kicking-post for a little bit, especially if it's going to make this transition a little smoother," the councillor told her Facebook followers.
"This was probably the most uncomfortable meeting I've ever been to," Caputo posted.
"Showing up after voting to dissolve a board is difficult, but I did it because it is my job as a councillor and it is what I was elected to do.
"It shows who I am as a person and I recognize that decisions that I have to make as a councillor are not always easy, and they're not always about who's your friend or how is this going to make someone feel?
"It's about what's best for the city, what I believe is best for the city at large, and I wanted to stand behind that decision, and I'm glad I did. I'm glad I showed up. I'm glad that I got to answer some questions."