Tag: riff raff

by Michael Tilley -

Riff Raff: Extension suspension

Infrastructure is, mostly, good. Roads, utilities, runways, bridges, drainage, water systems. All that and more. Most officials of any city want smart, robust infrastructure at all levels. As do most…

by Michael Tilley -

Riff Raff: Recipe support

Dr. Seidensticker, a college professor, made me a cassette tape of recordings of music by composers Haydn, Stravinsky, Wagner, and others, although he said Wagner could be tough to follow…

by Michael Tilley -

Riff Raff: A note about David

A specific item is why most attend a voting or study meeting of the Fort Smith Board of Directors. A zoning change. Proposed policy opposition. Or support. A not-in-my-back-yard issue….

by Michael Tilley -

Riff Raff: The dumb cycle

The television ad for an Arkansas GOP candidate for a federal office blasts, “Babies, Borders, Bullets.” The complex is oversimplified because, you know, don’t think; be enraged. Be alarmed. And…

by Michael Tilley -

Riff Raff: A welcome pivot

Self-recognizing a hubris-induced mistake and turning to humility-driven corrective collaboration often results in a better outcome. So it is with the Fort Smith Board of Directors and their collective pivot…

by Michael Tilley -

Riff Raff: No public, no problem

The who-drew-the-map? game a few folks have played with Sebastian County Quorum Court redistricting is disturbing, disappointing and would be comically clumsy if transparency weren’t such an important part of…

by Michael Tilley -

Riff Raff: Local problems

The Fort Smith Public School Board on June 22 rejected a bid recommendation by a Texas-based company managing the district’s $120 million millage construction and instead gave the work to…

by Michael Tilley -

Riff Raff: Starting from tourism scratch

Moments presenting an opportunity for change are maximized when considering all options to change opportunities. Which is why we should assess new directions for the Fort Smith Convention and Visitors…

by Michael Tilley -

Riff Raff: Dear John

It wasn’t supposed to get to John. With little guilt, a subdued conscience and the shallow anger of the bitter, I’d submit the names of others this goddamned coronavirus should…

by Michael Tilley -

Riff Raff: Hallelujah

“Maybe there’s a God above but all I’ve ever learned from love was how to shoot at someone who outdrew ya. “But it’s not a cry that you hear tonight….

by Michael Tilley -

Riff Raff: Color me impressed

Not sure if he created The Unexpected to change how we look at downtown Fort Smith or how we look at ourselves; that maybe it was less about murals on…

by Michael Tilley -

Riff Raff: Thanking the academy …

(Portions of this essay were first posted on Facebook. Apologies to Facebook friends for the partial plagiarism of myself.) It doesn’t take long. When the awards shows – Oscars, Grammy’s,…

by Michael Tilley -

Riff Raff: Life, Luck and –30–

Editor’s note: What follows is an updated version of a commentary about Jack Moseley first published Oct. 16, 2005. Moseley passed away Nov. 15. It was August 1992 when, against…

by Michael Tilley -

Riff Raff: The company you keep …

One might credit the crushing defeat of a sales tax funding the U.S. Marshals Museum to an impressive grassroots opposition. Also easy would be claiming a broad anti-tax sentiment for…

by Michael Tilley -

Riff Raff: Still on the watch …

Editor’s note: This essay first appeared Dec. 28, 2008, on The City Wire, now Talk Business & Politics. It continues to be an appropriate note to begin a new year.
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