“city councils often are rubber stamps for what property developers want”

- @DataAngler, nailing it

In Texas and across the country, #far-#right candidates have won control of school boards,
swiftly banning books,
halting diversity efforts and
altering curricula that do not align with their beliefs.

O’Hare’s election in Tarrant County, however, takes the battle from the schoolhouse to county government,

offering a rare look at what happens when hard-liners win the majority and exert their influence over #municipal #affairs in a closely divided county.

Since he was elected county judge
— a position similar to that of mayor in a city
— O’Hare has pushed his agenda with an uncompromising approach.

He has led efforts to
cut funding to nonprofits that work with at-risk children,
citing their views on racial inequality and LGBTQ+ rights.

And he has pushed
election law changes that local Republican leaders said would favor them.

O’Hare’s rise in Tarrant County has come as he and his allies continue to align with once-fringe figures

while targeting private citizens with whom they disagree politically.

In July, O’Hare had a local pastor removed from a public meeting for speaking eight seconds over his allotted time.

Days later, O’Hare appeared onstage at a conference that urged attendees to resist a Democratic campaign to “rid the earth of the white race”
and embrace #Christian #nationalism.

The agenda prompted some right-wing Republicans to condemn or pull out of the event.

https://www.propublica.org/article/tarrant-county-judge-tim-ohare-far-right

A little #introduction for a new server:

I am an #attorney working in #municipal #law, specifically including #prosecution, #parking, #traffic #tax, #civilrights, #constitutional law, etc. Municipal law is like practicing every legal field, all the time, all at once. Potpourri law.

I’ve studied international relations and national security/foreign policy extensively. I follow #politics and #election #news extremely closely.

Mayhem is my #dog (see below) and you’ll see her a lot here.

Nice City of #Seattle Neighborhood Profiles #dashboard built w/ #ArcGISDashboards https://shorturl.at/tIk1e

#USCensus #data #municipal #govtech #GIS #esri #arcgis #mapping #dataviz #GISchat #geospatial #mapstodon #ArcGISApps @esri @arcgisonline

In a #smalltown, a once-banned #PrideFlag flies despite a #police #warning.

#Norwich, with 11,000 residents near #Woodstock, gained attention when #officials #banned #Nongovernmentalflags on #municipal #property. Critics viewed it as targeting #Pride #flags due to the influence of a prominent #Christian #church.

#Women #Transgender #LGBTQ #LGBTQIA #Canada #Conservatives #Extremism #Fascism #Religion #Hate #Bigotry #Discrimination #Transphobia #EmptyThePews

https://lfpress.com/news/local-news/in-a-small-town-once-banned-pride-flag-flies-and-police-issue-stern-warning

#Democrats gain #foothold on several #Southern #Indiana #municipal #boards

This year’s #municipal #elections in Southern #Indiana #increased or #maintained the #DemocraticParty’s #representation on some #boards — including #flipping one #citycouncil.

#Women #Transgender #LGBTQ #LGBTQIA #Indiana #Politics #Progress

https://www.lpm.org/news/2023-12-27/democrats-gain-foothold-on-several-southern-indiana-municipal-boards

Reminder: “#Holiday Slide” for #municipal #trash pickup this week.

Pickups normally on a Secondday will be Thirdday, and so forth.

Libraries, post offices, and other civic buildings will resume normal hours of operation today.

Shana tova! Merry Christmas to those observing.

As I've fucked off and changed #jobs maybe it's time for a new #introduction again.

Basically I'm #Swedish Chaos Goblin well into my 30's. I'm a #transgender, #asexual #aromantic #non-binary individual. I perfer ze/zir as pronouns (even if they/them is ok). You can expect kinda a lot of chaos, tech, shitposts and memes from this account.

I work as a #systech at a #municipal trying to manage over 30k users and something like 500 servers.

"In a new report, we show how #municipal ##planning agencies, parks departments, local #health agencies, community-based organizations like #churches and nonprofits, multiple state agencies, #hospitals, public health professionals and #emergency response personnel, as well as individuals and families, can play a vital role in reducing risk."

#heatwave #ThermalResilience
https://theconversation.com/saving-lives-from-extreme-heat-lessons-from-the-deadly-2021-pacific-northwest-heat-wave-206737

Troubles with buying a #house in #Spain. After having viewed many houses, we found a suitable one in #AlhaurínElGrande.

The #realtor assured us that everything is fine, it has all the papers and a #municipal #sewer connection.

Of course I needed #inspections to make sure so we made an initial offer agreement which states that the sellers will fix any minor problems that arise from inspections and otherwise and if not, the offer is void.

Then the realtor said that it actually has a #SepticTank, a proper one of the total oxidation type which is mandatory by law. Ok, they accepted my offer which was a bit lower than what they asked for so a septic tank is fine by me.

An inspection found leaking roofs, moisture rising from the floors, damp damage, #asbestos, bad design of using a sewage pump from downstairs toilet uphill, and failing A/C units, among other things.

Their lawyer spend weeks trying to track down the #LicenciaDePrimeraOcupación from archives, and when it became clear they don't have it, they tried to hide the fact from me. Instead they contacted the #mortgage #bank manager directly and negotiated the missing #LPO with him, I'm assuming with an implication that I would be later responsible for getting it.

Then I ask the realtor one more time about what sort of a septic tank it has as they had a plumber visit to fix some things and make sure. She says, it's actually a #PozoCiego (i.e. a #PozoNegro, an illegal hole in the ground). It's explicitly illegal on all levels from #EU #directives to municipal #regulations in Alhaurín el Grande, and the area is in the flow basin of #Guadalhorce natural #conservation area.

Ok, that's illegal and prevents an LPO being granted.

I tell them to replace the illegal pozo negro with a legal septic tank, get the LPO, fix the roofs and the moisture damage, and get rid of the asbestos.

They unsurprisingly refused. They say an illegal pozo negro is "not illegal, and is more environmental than a plastic septic tank which breaks down, and never needs maintenance". And a zillion excuses. "Most houses are moving to pozo negro now because it's better than a septic tank". "An LPO isn't needed, the house was legal when it was built and it wasn't needed when the previous owners bought it".

I gave them a chance to fix the deficiencies and now I'm waiting for the offer to expire so that I can get my deposit back, and because of dishonest behavior by the sellers I will send them the bill for my expenses for the external inspection.

The story continues in real time.

Okayyy reposting a new #introduction since I moved back to #vancouver helloooo! I’m a local #news reporter interested in stories about #accountability #gender #housing #municipal #politics and a bunch of other things. Always open to #story #ideas or if you just want to #rant to a reporter! If you’re in Vancouver right now reading this please stay safe on this crazy #snow day. Here’s a photo of my #dog Biggie:

Municipal cover of the day: from 1985, a Greater London Council valedictory brochure in respect of its stewardship of London Transport from 1970 to '84. A strong '80s computer game graphic vibe on the front cover! In advance of GLC abolition, the government transferred operations to London Regional Transport, moving London's Bus and Underground services from local democratic control to indirect central government control. #Municipal #GLC #Greaterlondoncouncil #Londontransport

Municipal cover of the day: from December 1964, here is the 1st edition of the Metropolitan Borough of Woolwich's "The Woolwicher". Given the Borough had been in existence for 64 years and would be abolished in the following year, they left it a bit late to launch a residents' magazine…

Just so that I am not accused of rehashing stuff from the bird site, here is something new…

From around 1992, some extracts from an official guide to the London Borough of Croydon. With planned new office and retail developments and imminent tramway, some of that 1960s optimism briefly returned to the town in the 1990s.

The guide was published by the British Publishing Company Limited on behalf of the London Borough of Croydon.

Cover of the day: a 1930s example from Kingston-upon-Thames #Municipal #Kingston #London #Surrey