Council bitterly divided on ice rink

We'll have more of the blow by blow of the council's deliberation on the ice rink project in tomorrow's paper, but to put a short summary on it: this was about as bitterly divided as I have seen the Council in the time I've been reporting on them.

Both Steve Haderlein and Steve Madison had some pretty serious things to say about the judgment and motives of the council members opposed to the project. Madison accused the opposition of looking for "political cover" when they subsequently voted to look into renovating the existing ice rink, saying they wanted to make it appear as if they are supporters of youth recreation in Pasadena (also suggesting that they are, in fact, not supporters).

Making matters worse was the fact that more members voted to keep the city engaged on the project than voted to kill it, and the absence of Victor Gordo meant that supporters of the project are now left to wonder where he would have come down in the vote. His support would have meant the project moved forward, at least until December.

The split isn't as surprising as it might seem- though the Council often votes together, more and more often Margaret McAustin and Terry Tornek are pushing for slow development, pro-open-space policies, while Haderlein and Madison are more often backing the business community (like in the dispute over trees). Gordo has tended to side with Haderlein and Madison, and Holden with Tornek and McAustin. Jacque Robinson has been a little bit of a wildcard, but often sides with the business side (effectively meaning each side of the dais tends to be on the same page.) Bill Bogaard, more than anyone else, is in the middle.

Again, in terms of actual votes, the Council still tends to find consensus, but the disagreements are more frequent than they used to be. Not that that is a bad thing- it just means that sometimes a couple of council members are left feeling like they fought the good fight and lost, which is how Haderlein and Madison no doubt feel right now.