NOREEN: Uncle Wilber knows best
When Uncle Wilber is playing music and gushing for the kids in summer, he’s far too busy for interviews.
And most of the time he is rendered speechless by the parade of absurdities he witnesses from his vantage point at Acacia Park. But Wilber knows who his friends are so he agreed to a rare interview Tuesday.
Although everyone in town has seen Wilber’s fountain spout off, few ever get to know the inner man, the lonely soul within the tuba. Wilber likes to keep a low profile. It’s been nearly two years since he last talked with the Gazette.
Watch a video of Barry talking about his column.
“Ya gotta be kiddin’ me,” Uncle Wilber said. “It’s been like a Fellini movie. I’m dangling by a thread here. The bloodsuckers at Colorado Springs Utilities make me pay a commercial rate for my water. It’s my life’s blood and it’s an uncertain proposition from year to year whether I’ll survive.”
When it was pointed out that officials are pondering a change to the way city utilities are governed, Wilber sputtered, “Anything that’ll get me my water for free would be a big help. I’ve got a lotta kids counting on me.”
When it was suggested that officials want the city to run more as a business does, and that free water may be out of the question, Wilber piped up, “If they want to run a billion-dollar operation like a business, why would they have a board consisting of people whose knowledge of water is limited to understanding that it runs downhill?”
Acacia Park hosts many political events and protests, making Wilber one of the leading free speech experts in the Pikes Peak region. He stood a few yards from the Occupy Wall Street protesters for weeks.
Reminded that nameless downtown business owners and officials suggested that the Wall Street Occupiers would be too scary for the kids who regularly visit him, Wilber began to give off steam.
“Ya gotta be kiddin’ me,” Uncle Wilber said again. “Those Occupiers aren’t nearly as scary as the city attorney’s office, and they’re not as scary as Springs Utilities. Man, did you ever see “Chinatown?”
Told of City Council members’ frustration with being cut off from city staffers by Mayor Steve Bach, Wilber snorted, “Now I guess they know how Gazette cop beat reporters feel when the try to get basic information from the police department.”
Seriously, though, shouldn’t elected officials have access to city staffers? If not, how can they represent their constituents?
“Open government is a little bit like my water supply,” Uncle Wilber observed. “It’s not guaranteed. It’s something you have to fight for all the time.”
One last thing, Wilber — you’re really a Fellini fan?
"Yeah,” Wilber replied. “Did you see the fountain in “La Dolce Vita?” I woulda killed for that part.”
—
Listen to Barry Noreen on KRDO NewsRadio 105.5 FM and 1240 AM at 6:35 a.m. on Fridays. Look for blog updates at gazette.comblogs
barrysblog and his videos at gazette.com/barry
A View from Here, with Barry Noreen from Ryan Maye Handy on Vimeo.
Listen to The Gazette's Barry Noreen as he talks about his weekly Wednesday column. Look for Barry's column on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays in The Gazette and online at www.gazette.com/barry.
