It’s chump change in the sweep of official skulduggery, but the saga of expropriation of public right of way for private use in North Little Rock continues to interest me, in part because it illustrates the power of blogs.

To recap: Argenta News, a scrappy NLR blog, discovered weeks ago that street parking had been expropriated for the private use of the ritzy restaurant in the Arkansas Travelers ballpark. Scott Miller raised so much heck — and we echoed it here — that the DOG, or Democrat-Gazette leapt into the story. But they did so in a pitiably laughable way, with a front-page article that suggested efforts to block off street parking for paid spaces or private use of Valentine’s was the work of some rogue independent operator, perhaps a homeless man. The reporter had to ignore professional signs, traffic cones and the use of the spaces by Valentine’s valet parkers to reach the conclusion that this was some homeless man or creative teen at work, but never mind.

Advertisement

Miller pressed on, as did his spinoff Dogtown Wire. And Boss Hays, da mayor of Dogtown, has had enough of the blogs’ carping. He’s now proposed a city resolution for the next Council meeting turning control of public right of way over to the management of a private entity. A resolution requires one reading. There will be no public hearing.

The strong mayor is going to get his way and Valentine’s is going to get its private parking at public expense. No need to kid yourself any longer about the homeless man theory.

Advertisement

UPDATE: On Dogtown Wire, Eric Francis takes the mayor’s giveaway of public parking to its logical (that is to say, supremely illogical) conclusion.

Help to Keep Great Journalism Alive in Arkansas

Join the fight for truth and become a subscriber of the Arkansas Times. We've been battling powerful forces for 50 years through our tough, determined, and feisty journalism. With over 63,000 Facebook followers, 58,000 Twitter followers, 35,000 Arkansas blog followers, and 70,000 daily email blasts, our readers value great journalism. But we need your help to do even more. By subscribing and supporting our efforts, you'll not only have access to all of our articles, but you'll also be helping us hire more writers to expand our coverage. Together, we can continue to hold the powerful accountable and bring important stories to light. Subscribe now or donate for as little as $1 and be a part of the Arkansas Times community.

Previous article Well, I’ve got to have some standards in choosing candidates Next article Catching up on UCA