Watchdog Awakes

On January 1, 2008, precisely at noon, a group of individuals, predominantly men, will be sworn in to serve as the legislative body for the residents of New Albany, Indiana. As are most things in this banded burg, exactly none of them will present themselves to be so sworn, as in New Albany it is assumed that the Indiana Code is purely advisory, not compulsory.

Nonetheless, at some point in January, nine individuals will take office as council members on the Common Council for the Civil City of New Albany. A majority of them will be be assuming seats they did not occupy in the prior four-year term. Several will be beginning their first tenures as public servants. A few will be susceptible to the suggestive advice of re-elected representatives. And another few will be returning for yet another term of office.

It is likely that only one will be returning for a third consecutive term. That one, representing a populace of over 6,000 people, will have been returned to office by corraling the votes of a mere 250 members of his political party. More than 5,750 others will have failed to cast a vote to affirm him.

In addition to holding the new 5th District council member accountable, this writer will make it a priority to expose the lies and corruption of that third-termer.

Welcome to the new reality. Be wired or be out of the loop.

NA Shadow Council is the voice of the people. For the next four years, NA Shadow Council will report the facts of each and every piece of legislation that comes before the City Council of New Albany, Indiana. Each vote will be recorded. The expressed opinions of each serving council member will be reported.

In addition, the NA Shadow Council will record for posterity its position on every issue that is presented to the council between 2008 and 2011. The NA Shadow Council, unlike past councils, will endeavor to illuminate rather than obfuscate. Its contributors, while at times remaining anonymous, pledge to "abstain" only when the constituted council chooses to obscure the facts so efficiently that no rational evaluation can be made.

Although the NA Shadow Council is a construct, it will rely on the efficacy of the City Clerk in making agendas and minutes available on a timely basis. Contributors to this Web log will insist that the city clerk, whoever that may be, maintain a readily accessible Web site wherein such records will be maintained. The NA Shadow Council will have representative attendance at every lawful meeting of the City Council. And following every council meeting, you can expect NA Shadow Council to record its "vote."

Is NA Shadow Council political? You betcha! Where your incumbent representatives fail to represent the best interests of this city, you can expect NASC to call them to account. The contributors and commenters on this blog can be expected to contend for office in 2011 if the incumbents fail to serve their constituencies.

Does NASC have an agenda? Count on it! Our agenda is the transformation of New Albany politics and public service from one in which elected office is little more than a jobs program for political hacks. The City Council should be, and will be if we have our way, a body truly representative of the best interests of the residents of this city. Those who are sworn in on Jan. 1 (yeah, right) are on notice that their actions, statements, and votes will be subject to intense scrutiny during the ensuing four years. Those who are found wanting will NOT be allowed to slide by. NASC will be creating a PAC (political action committee) to conduct explicitly political activities to support and oppose individuals contending for election in 2011. Stay tuned for ways in which you can contribute financially.

In the meantime, we invite all contributions of opinion. Our policy will be to allow comments from registered bloggers. Security measures will be instituted to eliminate "spam," but anyone willing to consistently identify themselves as a "Blogger" registered member can contribute comments. We will rely on the community to rebut and refute obviously self-interested and biased comments, but we will not prevent free comment unless and until it becomes non-productive to a rational discourse.