We were the subject of discontent

We became one of the subjects at last week's City Commission meeting. It was on live tv and streamed on the internet, too, if you weren't at the meeting, you may have seen it there.

Early in the meeting, Nathan Kurland, Village of Center Grove co-president, started quoting me to the Commission, quite loudly. He was using words that I had used, and recognized. I started squirming in my seat realizing he was quoting me. It's weird hearing your words, all taken out of context from months' worth of writing and then all lumped together in one sentence, when originally they came from thousands of separate sentences.

After reading the quotes, he yelled out my name and the words "Coconut Grove Grapevine," and all heads turned to look at me. It reminded me of that Village Council meeting in November, when Ron Nelson did the same thing, only in a little nicer way.


Nathan went on to berate me, but I didn't hear it all because a reporter from a local tv station started talking to me and asking questions. But that's ok, the only difference is that I usually don't name names when I speak of people that are not politicians or in the public spotlight, if others see themselves in the description, that's their issue. To be honest, I don't think I have ever had Nathan in mind when I wrote a story, except for the day I mentioned him as being one of the emcees of the King Mango Strut, but other than that, I have never had him in mind when writing politics or anything for that matter.

Later on, the Grapevine was brought up again and again by various people. It was described as being rhetoric and "not their thing," yet they all seemed to know every word typed here, especially the comments. Oh yes, they didn't like "This guy" and "That Guy" and all the anonymous comments, yet they seem to come back day after day and read them. Since Thanksgiving, I thought I was being kinder and gentler, I told someone I would be. Guess some don't think so.

In the end, Nathan and I laughed it off in the lobby (Antoinette Baldwin took the photo of us here) and Ron Nelson even joined us, so it's good to know we can disagree and still be friends. That's the best thing about the Grove. These people like me even in spite of things said here. And I like them.

In fact, a few days before the meeting, I ran into Nathan at the store. I was telling him how sick and congested I was and he suggested a remedy. So it was so ironic that a few days later it came to that awkward moment at the Commission meeting without any forewarning. I still have the cold, the remedy didn't work and neither did Nathan's verbal attack.