Bad Day

    Today is going to be a rough day for me. Mayor Swearengin will have a large ground breaking ceremony and party on the Fulton Mall. For the past few years, I have worked with the Downtown Fresno Coalition to protect and save the Fulton Mall. (We never advocated for the status quo, but a fully restored and renovated mall.)

        This post is not a rehashing of the Fulton Mall argument. I have inflicted enough of my viewpoint on many of my friends. My purpose is more of a venting and confessional about my feelings, rather than an op-ed arguing a particular point of view.

        In addition to the depressing effect of seeing so many take such joy at destroying the Mall, I am overwhelmed with the self-doubt of what else could have been done. Was there one more email I could have sent, one more letter I could have written, one more person I could have talked to? It’s really hard not to think so, when put in those terms.

        To assuage such guilt, I do remind myself that my opponents had the support of numerous paid staff members both in and out of city hall. The area PBID that was formed and its primary purpose was to advocate for a street on Fulton. It’s hard for a volunteer group to fight opponents who have a full time staff. That the city made NO effort to find funding for our option is just the cherry on top.

        I have raced off at every opportunity to give my sound bit to any interested media. Again, it is hard to compete with an opponent that has a professional communications department and has told the false narrative enough times for people to assume its truth. I know I’ve reached a few people. When one of my friends compliments a recent appearance, I always have to make a quick decision whether they want to hear more of my viewpoint or are just paying me a compliment. In either case, I appreciate it.

        I honestly believe this wasn’t a lost cause from the start. The road proponents ran a brilliant campaign, but the result, initially, wasn’t a forgone conclusion. There is only a percentage of Fresnans that actually care about downtown and we were fighting over that same percentage. Many in that demographic would normally be adverse to a decrease in pedestrian and bicycle space, but the split hurt our side and our opponents did a better job of organizing.

        Where do I go from here? Well, first, I will attend their Nuremburg event and try to provide a sound bite to someone. We will continue our legal challenges, even more than an NFL game, you can never be sure of the outcome (OJ case, anyone?) I will hold the city accountable for the promised amenities and artwork restoration. I will continue to go downtown and do fun stuff, like I always have.

        Today will be bad, but tomorrow won’t be the same.