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What a waste!
If you'll remember, two years ago the Seattle City Council passed the All Ages Dance Ordinance (AADO), which would've banished the harmful Teen Dance Ordinance (TDO) from the books forever. (The TDO, if you don't know by now, is the out-of-date, unnecessary ordinance that's constantly putting restrictions and limits on the all-ages music scene.) But before everyone could begin their celebratory dances, then-mayor Paul Schell waved his pen of power and vetoed the repeal, leaving the TDO in place and rightfully pissing off all the people who put so much time and effort into creating and supporting the AADO.
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So for the past two years, the Youth and Music Task Force and the many supporters of the all-ages music scene (including musicians, promoters, club owners, and teens and their supportive parents) have been doing their damnedest to get the council to, once again, pass the AADO. Since the council passed it before, it should be no sweat, right? Wrong. City Council President Peter Steinbrueck, who two years ago voted to pass the AADO, forgot to bring his balls to work with him on Tuesday, June 25, and backed out of being the fifth and very necessary vote. Instead, he announced he would only vote yes if the AADO underwent a few revisions.
Those revisions were made at the meeting, and the AADO has been morphed into the TDO's just-as-annoying little brother. The new AADO boasts an age restriction of 14 years old (so much for "all-ages"), a mandatory re-admittance fee, and added security after 2:00 a.m. They're also working on adding more required insurance. Isn't that pretty much everything we hate about the TDO? I think so!
The council is going to vote again on July 8. But now, it'd be best if they voted against this revised AADO. While that would leave the TDO standing, it would also ditch the new, watered-down ordinance. We're damned if we do and damned if we don't, kids. Thanks to one man, Peter Steinbrueck, these past two years of effort have been a waste, and this whole TDO/AADO mess has been boosted to another level.
The only thing that keeps me from bursting into a fit of hysterics is knowing that both Steinbrueck and Margaret Pageler are up for re-election next year. And a lot of those "underage" kids who showed up at the meetings and protests, including all the 17-year-olds, will be able to vote. So will their supportive parents. Let the opposition begin. MEGAN SELING
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