Editorial by Matt Marquardt –
MASON CITY – In what many in town are now saying is another case of “Robin Anderson gone wild”, the woman who seems to own a blank checkbook at City Hall had a perennial flower garden tore up last week so that a red gambling dice sculpture could be installed across the street from City Hall.
Mason City resoundingly objected to a casino within its borders several years ago – that project was chased to Northwood – but red gambling dice are apparently just fine, as sources tell NIT that Mayor Eric Bookmeyer, the City Council, and the Park Board had no knowledge beforehand that Anderson intended to bulldoze part of Central Park to install a gambling dice sculpture.
Wednesday afternoon, children from the North Iowa Youth Task Force were in Central Park trying to clean up the garden and fix damage done when Anderson commandeered city workers and brought her “volunteers” to the public park and wreaked havoc on the flower garden.
Kitty Clasing, the president of Gardeners of North Iowa, told NIT that several dozen flowers were destroyed when Anderson brought heavy equipment to the site to clear away the flowers and dirt so that a cement pad could be installed for the gambling dice installation. Clasing’s volunteers have worked for years on the garden to make it beautiful.
In another shameful display of reporting, the Globe Gazette referred to the sculpture as “yahtzee dice” despite the fact that yahtzee dice are white with black dots. The sculpture in Central Park is three red dice with white dots, just as typically found in casinos.
Clasing is hoping that the sculpture can be moved, and told NIT that a meeting will be held in about a month to resolve the matter.
That “big fish in a small pond” wannabe Robin Anderson has a terminal case of SARS (self-absorbed replex syndrome)
I’ve seen several of the sculptures around town, I admit to not seeing them all, but this one is absolutely atrocious. What is the point? The significance? Does it represent something? The dice are a huge red zit on the face of a beautiful park.
You people need to get over yourselves. Robin has done many great things for the city. You all need to get your head out of your butt and work for once. It makes me sad seeing all the lazy in this city anymore.
I agree on some of the lazy, but not on your comment on Robin Anderson. The woman is a bully, in my opinion. She takes and takes from the taxpayers with no shame. Now I hear last night this all started decades ago – the woman must be at least 70 years old – she bullies people at the band fest parade. She bulldozes city parks. She has a blank checkbook at the city hall. I say start telling Robin Anderson – and her little step-child Eric Bookmeyer – NO.
It’s not good art for two reasons. The look: The dice should have rounded corners and edges and indented dots. The placement: Art like this is meant to be stacked vertically to a degree, to better show the three dimensions.
Because it’s bad modern art I have to vote thumbs down. We should be utilizing our population of fine gardeners to maintain these areas. Volunteers.
Like my ol’ pappy use ta say “It’s not who ya know but who ya blow”
I’ve always heard it…
“It’s not who ya know or who ya blow, it’s how ya blow who ya know.”
I, too, would like to know who ok’d the placement of these statues. It seems as if there’s no rhyme or reason to their placement. Some of them are decent, but others…I’d say it’s a stretch to call it “art”. Must be one of those “eye of the beholder” things, but a few of them could have been better created by my four year old. I disagree with placing a statue in Central Park, after volunteers went through so much trouble to make it beautiful after the memorial went in. Those dice do nothing to enhance the patriotic theme of the park.
Dice have rounded corners.
So in other words, no one rally knows what those three ugly cubes are. Maybe they are just junk. Sure look like crap.
IT WOULD BE INTERRESTING TO SEE WHOM IS RECEIVING KICK BACKS FROM OUTSIDE SOURCES, FOR FAVORS!!
She is a stooge! Start a petition to get them removed!Glad I left M.C along time ago! With leadership like her she is living in a false falicy world… I think most people in mason city envision their tax dollers spent on better things!
This a monument for Mason City. It is to signify the fact that Mason City gambled and lost. Lost over 10% population the last census alone. More before that.
We rolled the dice and lost. All the cool and smart Mason City folks abandon ship many moons ago. Life is so much better once you get out.
Get out while you can before they raise your property taxes again and lower the value of your home.
This is some good stuff here!
Ummm… Not all Yahtzee die are white with black dots. I got 2 different games that special editions& one set was gold sparkles with white dots (quite flashy, reminds me of a casino) & the other was red with white dots. The color of the die is a ridiculous point. AS easy as it is to grab a cup & several dice& a piece of paper for keeping score, no one NEEDS to buy the stinking game anyway to play it. That something”looks” like something & that’s why you don’t like it…get a grip.
It is a stinking game, sounds like you play it a lot too. I don’t play it and I for sure don’t want that crap in my park. Let’s stick the dice in your front yard see how you like it.
@senior-you are right not only are the not cute, they are downright unattractive. What kind of image is this for our city?
Was parked by Central Park yesterday (5-15)and was totally alarmed by what I saw. There was a work crew sawing down healthy sapling trees. Why? These trees were young enough small enough to move to another location. Total waste.
They were not healthy trees. They were trees that were half dead. They were severely damaged by the hard freeze we had last spring and never recovered. They were removed and new healthy trees were planted.
Some were probably still healthy but they had to take them all out so the trees would match. Just guessing. Not that I agree with that. One other thing I heard is that the city could have prevented this. They didn’t water them during the drought last summer. All it would have taken was a good soaking once a week. And now look what it’s costing us. I have a very small tree in my backyard and it came through last year’s weather just fine because it was watered.
Yes you were guessing and you were wrong. The trees were watered last summer but never recovered from the damage of the freeze.
Actually you are missing the point of this secret Religious Symbol. Actually casting lots (shooting craps was used frequently in the Old Testament. I say this sculpture has to go, just like any Nativity art on public property.
Why not use the money spent on manufactured steel sculptures to invest in to a Community Garden, flower park, or conservation land? Then we don’t have to tear the crap up every 8 weeks and have to see what new items have been pulled out of the scrap yard?
I like the sculptures in town. I think it gives it a nice upgrade to the down town are. Quit complaining about every thing that goes on in this town……really getting old. Get out and do something productive !!
“Get out and do something productive !!”
The Garden Club was productive, and did something to improve the community. And the thanks for their efforts was the volunteer work to be torn up by some un-elected person who behaves like a dictator.
There are a lot of folks in our community, who do good things for it, not out of glory or fame, as second nature. They work hard on keeping up appearances, and cleanliness. They seem to accomplish more than those who demand respect and limelight.
A red port a potty would have served more purpose – get rid of this clown !
If these were in someone’s yard’ the city would probably make them “clean up their property”. I’ll bet no one would even steal these things!
I like the sculptures around town, great update. I don’t care for each piece, but that is art to me.
I think it’s funny because I’m assuming most of you bashing the art around town would defend Max’s “art park.”
Max’s art park is privately owned by him. He purchased the land and went through the proper steps to do what he wanted with it. City Park is city owned and not privately owned by Robin Anderson, so she had no right to do whatever she wanted with it. Huge difference!
@Really Anonymous – I drove by Max’s “park” today after your comment. And if he can go through the proper paperwork to legally have all that junk on his land, anyone who has junk on their land should also have the right to get the proper paperwork for their land. How is he legally allowed to have that eyesore? By allowing that “park”, the city is setting a precedent for anyone to have pretty much anything in their yard, as long as they have the proper paperwork. And judging by the type of junk in Max’s “park”, the city would have a tough time refusing anyone their right.
Apologies. Please read “proper steps” rather than “proper paperwork”.
Max’s park is totally cool. The items are strategically placed and neatly arranged.
How about moving this eyesore out to the entrance of country club drive?? If its so beautiful.. I’m sure her neighbors or HOA wouldn’t complain!!! Truth be known they wouldn’t allow it within a mile of there neighborhood!!
Robin Andersons fart in the park.
Bad art in the park. Mistakes were made. this can be corrected. overall art looks nice. Not a big fan of the dice or spider but like many others. it’s art . I have an art major so I can appreciate most art. Let,s move on. remember Wagon Train. IF THE Horse DIED THEY DIDN’t keep hauling the horse along. They moved on and that’s what we all need to do.
They need to move those ass-ugly red boxes along; then people can move along. If Matt simply moved along; these abominations would remain. And how disrespectful to the people of Mason City, the Veterans, and the volunteers who plant the flowers; so disappointing.
Cheap, low-class, ugly, eye-sore, distraction, of poor-taste, nasty, crude; it’s incredibly offensive that these were chosen to be put where they are – – – – and at tax payer expense to boot!
You nailed it on this one Matt.
I am not a Mason City citizen, but if I was, I’d be outraged over this.
The dice don’t have rounded corners and indented dots and so look fake. Fail on that point alone.
Put the flowers back!
Tear up the concrete, repair the flower garden and send the bill to Robin Anderson.
Period!
A very sensible and fair conclusion. I would advocate for this 100%.
Sometimes the simplest solutions are the best. She made the mistake, let her pay for the correction cost. Watchdog, I applaud you.
That would not work she’d just pay that with my taxpayers dollars and bookie and his clowns would okay it!
Agreed. As the son of a Veteran whose name is on the Memorial I do not approve of this latest sculpture. It is an eyesore. Matt. What can we do to have this removed. A petition, city council meetings? This needs to go.
Dear Robin: Are you freakin’ kidding me??? Dice?! Central Park?! Bulldozing flowerbeds?! I mean, I might not have as much of a problem if this weren’t a permanent fixture or maybe an art exhibit that moved from town to town, but this is permanent and at the taxpayers expense of $20,000! Can you imagine what her resume looks like… “went shopping”, “placed some messed up looking metal crap all around downtown Mason City to ensure it represents the value of the community (i.e. crap!)”, “helped implement Blue Zone, promised it wouldn’t go over budget. But, oops! it went way over budget, Oh well”
I mean, you gotta give her credit cause I don’t know how she does it unless there’s some sorta Monica Lewinsky scandal going on between her and someone at city hall.
Who orders and okays this garbage? The whole statue thing has gotten out of hand. Lots of comments on them. People are trying to figure out what they represent.
No one does. Robin Anderson just does anything she wants in this town and Bookmeyer and the council enable and allow it. That is the cold hard truth right now in Mason City. We need leaders in place who will say “no” to the fat cat cronies robbing and pillaging our town.
This is shocking behavior by a non-elected person commandeering space in a public park, and destroy the floral garden maintained by volunteers.
I personally enjoy going down there to see what Kitty and her associates plant every year.
Questions that need to be answered are:
Who is Robin Anderson to dictate to public employees what to do?
Who is Robin Anderson to dictate to the Park Board how to use it’s facilities?
According to the recent City budget, Council had to cut services to Citizens while Robin Anderson gets what she wants (in the form of invasive statuary). Why? Are said statuary more important than the needs of it’s Citizens?
Good government is about meeting the needs of it’s Citizens under the guise of providing for the common good, within it’s means, and to promote a sense of community.
This is NOT an example of good government!
Since Robin Anderson has gone off the deep end and into the absurd, I nominate for the next sculpture:
Well, it would be one of the nicest ones up there at a fraction of the cost.
Seriously though, these red dice are REALLY ugly!
It’s a major award!
What would the veterans and their families think? A Vietnam War Memorial within a few feet of … red casino dice! What a black mark on my hometown.
Glad to see an article about this! Ridiculous! These are a horrible display to put in our city park where we have a beautiful momument to our veterans. And yes destroying all the hard work of the garden club is completely out of line! Makes me think what’s going on behind closed doors with Ms. Robin and Bookmeyer???????
I guess Mz. Anderson didn’t know that you have to have council approval before putting anything on city property. Hopefully she does now, what a shame…. I also don’t think that central park is the right place for the dice. If this keeps up, central park will be like a three ring circus….
It is already being ran like a three ring circus, have you seen the clowns in office?