Republicans about to lob a green grenade at Beutler Inc.?
Local Republicans are preparing to launch an assault on the Beutler administration for being part of an international group that promotes sustainable development and conservation.
Looks to me like the Republicans running for office in the city election are about to launch a green grenade at Mayor Chris Beutler’s administration.
I received a copy of an email that’s circulating around town inviting people to a March 25 meeting to talk about what is portrayed as Beutler’s sinister moves to cram sustainable development down the throats of Lincolnites. The flier starts off saying, “Have you heard about the REAL cleaner, greener Lincoln?” “Where is Mayor Beutler taking US?”
It goes on to inform people that Beutler signed on to the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives, or ICLEI, an international association formed in 1990 to promote sustainable development. More than 1,200 cities, towns and counties and their associations are members of ICLEI, whose website says they are committed to sustainable development.
The flier says Beutler joined the group without a vote of the people or the City Council’s knowledge. It says Beutler has plans in place for “denser pack ’em, stack ’em housing” in Lincoln — which it says limits “freedom of choice of where we live.”
They also warn that the Beutler administration plans to increase government regulations to stifle entrepreneurs and business expansion and that “smart meters” will be in place by 2014, monitoring energy in Lincoln homes and businesses with “the ability to turn our power up and down without our knowledge?”
This sort of green grenade was also launched at a Denver mayor during the gubernatorial campaign in that state last October. According to the Denver Post, a Republican gubernatorial candidate said the mayor’s seemingly innocuous bike riding program and other environmental programs were actually intended to “convert Denver into a United Nations community” and were a threat to people’s personal freedom. He said ICLEI puts the environment above citizens’ rights.
Certainly, Lincoln’s green efforts have stepped up since the city received a $2.4 million federal stimulus grant in 2009 for efficiency programs. A new mayoral aide, Milo Mumgaard, was hired to launch the city’s “Cleaner, Greener Lincoln” program to make city government more energy-efficient — although as it has evolved, the program has expanded beyond city government to encourage all of Lincolnites to conserve energy. You’ve probably seen signs, billboards and advertisements around town.
However, alleging they’re part of some sinister plot to discourage development and submit to U.N. control — well, I’ll be interested to hear them connect those dots.
According to the flier, all of the Republican candidates in the spring city election will be at the meeting: Mayoral candidate Tammy Buffington and City Council candidates Chad Wright, Melissa Hilty and Travis Nelson. I asked Camp about it, and he said he was invited to a meeting about it — but couldn’t make it — and was surprised to see his name on this list.
The meeting is at 7 p.m. at Calvary Community Church, First and Superior streets. Don Raskey will be giving a presentation based on his research.
Winterized 
Most, if not all, of these things are in place not only around the country in all the hot Commie enclaves, but also in parts around the Midwest, and the world hasn’t stopped spinning. The argument about “taking away the freedom of where to live” was especially hilarious, since most of these building code changes are coming from the national level whether Lincolnites like them or not. Im all for condensing housing. If you want to spread yourself all over the place and take up good land for no reason then move out to the country. Ive been to many uber-urban cities and it was great to have apartments, entertainment, shopping, groceries, transportation, etc all in the same place. There is a reason that a lot of born and bred urbanites, and many people in Europe can’t drive a car or don’t have a license. They don’t need one.
Deena:
I wasn’t sure who to support for Mayor until I read your column. If this pack of nut cases is against the Mayor, he must be on the right track. Beutler just got my vote.
These GOP are certainly pathetic. The party of NO continues. If Beutler announced the sun rises in the East the GOP would surely say NO. Go for it Mayor.
One needs to look at the total cost of getting this money. How many people were hired to administer this 2.4 million and what is it all going for flyers, bill boards, staff, trinkets etc.
So with gasoline at $3.64 per gallon, these people think Lincoln is getting too bike friendly.
Who is actually circulating this email? Although Deena makes it sound like it’s the Lincoln or Lancaster Co. GOP, I’m most certain that it is not. This sounds like something from the fringe, that both parties have.
The fringe that will apparently have all of the major candidates from the GOP there.
I think it’s funny that Tammy Buffington is coming out “against” sustainability. Some Republicans may not have as much zeal for environmentalism on a global scale, but when you start talking about their own drinking water, their own parks, their own ecology, it becomes a very different issue.
It”s all about funneling money to a select few. It’s about keeping us peasants down, working for low wage’s so the king’s of the world can still rule.
Do you know what it is that’s “keeping you down”, sir or ma’am (in the real)? It’s not the “king’s of the world”, it’s your punctuation.
Correction: Do you know what it is that’s “keeping you down,” sir or ma’am (in the real)? It’s not the “king’s of the world”, it’s your punctuation.
…those in glass houses!