IS IT TRUE? September 27, 2011, “The Best of Times”

IS IT TRUE that in the year 1859 that Charles Dickens wrote a magnificent novel that would become one of the most read novels ever written?…that “A Tale of Two Cities” was set in London and Paris during the turmoil of the French Revolution has sold over 200 million copies worldwide since it was published?…that this epic novel depicts the plight of the French peasantry demoralized by the French aristocracy in the years leading up to the revolution, the corresponding brutality demonstrated by the revolutionaries toward the former aristocrats in the early years of the revolution, and many unflattering social parallels with life in London during the same time period?…that this novel was about London and Paris but that at last night’s meeting of the Evansville City Council that remnants of “A Tale of Two Cities” permeated the air and the spirit of the room from the elected officials right down to the least significant of the citizens of Evansville who attended the meeting?

IS IT TRUE that “A Tale of Two Cities” begins with the phrase “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times”?…that both the best and the worst of Evansville and its elected leadership came to the forefront last night in a meeting of the City Council that encapsulated who the City of Evansville really is as a people?…that Evansville was truly two cities last night?…that one is worthy of love and devotion but the other is business as usual?…that business as usual will be the subject of IS IT TRUE Part 2?

IS IT TRUE that the “best of times” was in flow and love was in the air when a seemingly insignificant sum of only $2,000 was being contemplated for removal from a City of Evansville grant allocation to a charity called Voices?…that Becky Kasha, the head of the unification committee spoke passionately in favor of continuing the funding for Voices?…that the members of the Evansville City Council was visibly struggling with an impending vote to defund the $2,000 that Voices was counting on?…that as many members of the Council pointed out that the small charitable organizations are impacted the most through removing grants from their funding sources?…that then something magical happened last night at the meeting of the Evansville City Council?

IS IT TRUE that the Reverend Adrian Brooks approached the lectern and committed to voluntarily accept $1,000 less that his daycare center had been allocated by the City Council and asked them to allocate that amount to Voices?…that seeing the actions of Reverend Brooks that commercial realtor Cory Mills acting as a private citizen stepped up to the lectern and committed to donate an additional $1,000 to Voices fully restoring the $2,000 in funding that they had been counting on?…that the pain that was obviously felt by our Evansville City Council, the willingness of Reverend Brooks to give up some of his funding, and the generosity of Woodward Commercial Realtor Cory Mills to step up and make a personal donation is the “Best of Times” in Evansville, Indiana?

IS IT TRUE that City Councilwoman Connie Robinson added to the “Best of Times” moment with her impassioned plea to be forgiving in deciding exactly who will be allowed to live in the forthcoming Front Door Pride rental houses?…that standing up for forgiveness is something that many people of Evansville pay lip service to but when it comes down to codifying such things City Councilwoman Connie Robinson is an example for all to follow?…that some of the Evansville City Council had some “Best of Times” moments last night as did Cory Mills?…that all are to be commended for their generosity, their empathy, and their thoughtfulness?