Tollefson it is, square it ain't

Our experience at tonight's city council meeting was great and I want to thank the Mayor, council and everyone present for their kind ear and their willingness to engage us on this topic. Pacific Plaza will now be called Tollefson Plaza and that's okay by me. Thanks to everyone concerned (both pro and con renaming) for getting involved. This issue has helped breach the topic of urging our city government toward new ways of gathering feedback (cough--blogs!) and staying better in touch with the citizens of Tacoma.

I'd also like to think through this process of raising awareness of the renaming of the plaza I also helped educate people like me about an accomplished former mayor about whom I previously knew nothing about.

There's plenty I'd like to write about but should probably take a rest, get some sleep and get back to you in the coming days. Let's do this again sometime.

Thanks to Ronnie and Michael for speaking up tonight and for your support -- and also to Erik for bringing this all up to me in a comment here. Keep 'em coming, folks. Just look at what a comment on a local blog can kick off! Inspiring, if you ask me.

Miss the meeting? Watch it here and take a look at the public comments section (I was first up and Sarah second)

Update (2006-08-23 @ 7:39am)
Today's story about the plaza naming decision in the News Tribune

Comments (8) | To Top

8/23/2006 @ 12:48am

Kevin,

I just watched the public comments via video stream and the council deliberation.

Congrats on your efforts and for Sarah's as well. In the end, it appears you succeeded.

Councilmember Evans submitted an amendment which was accepted by the council to keep the plaza remain a plaza. He attributed this to seeking a compromise to build community.

Without your efforts, the area would have been named a square regardless of how geometrically inaccurate such a description would be.

Thus, you had a substantive effect on the name in the end and in a beneficial way for Tacoma. That's something you can always remember.

Before tonight, the council did not really make the case that the name change was appropriate other than to simply name something after a historical figure.

However, the council did seem to spend a great deal of time making the case tonight of how important Tollefson was to Tacoma's history on a number of issues.

Tonight, the council took the time and did a good job I felt.

I don't think that they would have spent the amount of time and effort describing Tollefson's contribution to Tacoma had you not conducted your re-naming poll and made your other efforts.

So in the end, you succeeded to some extent there as well.

Tollefson Plaza?

I can certainly live with that.

by Erik

8/23/2006 @ 1:39am

Here's what the TNT said on Wednesday:

Score a half point for the blogosphere.

Under pressure to postpone a decision to change the name of Pacific Plaza to Harold M. Tollefson Square, Tacoma City Council members came up with a compromise Tuesday and decided to call the city’s new gathering space Harold M. Tollefson Plaza.

Dropping the word “square” and retaining the word “plaza” was partially a concession to Tacoma blogger Kevin Freitas, who fueled a backlash against the proposal to rename the space “Tollefson Square.”

8/23/2006 @ 9:04am

Way to go Kevin. Your commitment to following through on what you started with your blog by appearing at the meeting is inspiring.

by Mark Briggs

8/23/2006 @ 1:25pm

Kevin:

Great work in mobilizing public interest! As downtown grows as a principle neighborhood, public input needs to grow, as well.

Hope you'll take the time to review our other reflections on what we've learned from this vote--thanks!

by Paul Ellis

8/23/2006 @ 3:59pm

Way to go, Kev and Sarah! Good for you for getting involved in your community and for carrying through to the end.

by Kathy Freitas

8/23/2006 @ 9:09pm

Thanks everyone! I really enjoyed seeing what this process could become and am looking forward to what us booster bloggers can do to help make a difference in such a great city.

by KevinFreitas

8/23/2006 @ 10:03pm

Kudos.

August 22, 2006 marks the first attempt (and a successful one at that) for the Tacoma blogosphere to affect the future of Tacoma as noted by the TNT today "[s]core a half point for the blogosphere."

Yet, it wasn't about the relatively new technology we call blogs, it was a method for more people to communicate and participate in the reconstruction of Tacoma.

(As a side note, it is my understanding that Kevin actually physically appeared at city council on Tuesday)

8/28/2006 @ 8:20am

To funny! Good work

by Michael

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