It was an illuminating evening for those of us who were able to make it to the FOP forum at Destinations on Thursday. It's regrettable that more New Albanians weren't able to attend.
I learned more in 3 1/2 hours (edited from the original 2 1/2 hours) with our city cops than at any other public event I've attended in this town. There was simply too much information to relate here, but if another forum is scheduled, I urge you to make the time for it.
There was nothing condescending or shallow about the presentation. There were no tips for foiling burglars, no reminders to support the neighborhood crime watch. This was a critical diagnosis of the state of law enforcement in New Albany and a studied exposition of some of the means and methods at our disposal to correct the problems.
That's right. Problems. The politic way to discuss such things is to first euphemize them. Problems become "concerns." Challenges become "opportunities."
Your local police officers have lifted the veil and decided that perhaps "we" don't know all the things "they" know. A few citizens have taken the time to find these things out, but as a general rule, the public (and their representatives) have remained ignorant of what can only be called an existential crisis for our city.
If you care about it, if you believe you should know about it, watch for other such opportunities. I'm sure there will be others.
Interestingly, not one member of the city council was able to attend the forum. But those who did will surely be asking their representatives two questions: Do you know about this? and What are you going to do about it?
Showing posts with label destinations booksellers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label destinations booksellers. Show all posts
Friday, January 11, 2008
Saturday, December 29, 2007
A Blue Night Downtown
Just received a heads-up from the events coordinator at Destinations Booksellers. It looks like they are reviving their once well-received public issues gatherings.
On Thursday, January 10, at 6 p.m., the store will be hosting a contingent from the F.O.P., calling the event "A Night With the F.O.P." Store owner Randy Smith will be the moderator (a first I think. Randy was never part of the program during the old symposiums).
The panel will consist of line officers selected by the lodge and its leaders, addressing a "proposition" put forward for the event. Questions from the audience may be permitted during the main event, but a formal Q&A will conclude it.
The proposition, still being drafted, will pose a hypothetical, still being drafted, but based on comments gathered during the past three and one-half years. We'll post the formal proposition later, but we understand that it will challenge the officers to declare what they would be able to do for public safety in New Albany if they got everything they were asking for. I'm sure it will be put more diplomatically than that, but we'll see.
If you've got an interest in government, safety, hygiene, enforcement, streets and traffic, and police/community relations, plan to attend this get-together.
On Thursday, January 10, at 6 p.m., the store will be hosting a contingent from the F.O.P., calling the event "A Night With the F.O.P." Store owner Randy Smith will be the moderator (a first I think. Randy was never part of the program during the old symposiums).
The panel will consist of line officers selected by the lodge and its leaders, addressing a "proposition" put forward for the event. Questions from the audience may be permitted during the main event, but a formal Q&A will conclude it.
The proposition, still being drafted, will pose a hypothetical, still being drafted, but based on comments gathered during the past three and one-half years. We'll post the formal proposition later, but we understand that it will challenge the officers to declare what they would be able to do for public safety in New Albany if they got everything they were asking for. I'm sure it will be put more diplomatically than that, but we'll see.
If you've got an interest in government, safety, hygiene, enforcement, streets and traffic, and police/community relations, plan to attend this get-together.
Friday, October 12, 2007
District 1: It's Simple
We should be discussing the the impending ascension of Theresa Timberlake. At this point, there is no question but that the margin of the incumbent's "victory" in the Democratic Party primary (or as even self-professed D's might phrase it, "Democrat" party) consisted of fraudulent voters and others coerced or defrauded into casting their votes under the compulsion of the corrupt D1/D2 "machine."
Instead, we gaze into a grotesquely gerrymandered Westendia district where no one steps up to challenge the "grease-my-palm" incumbent, Dan Coffey. Not a write-in, not a Republican...no one steps up to challenge.
Considering that Mr. Coffey has never topped 1,000 votes in his two previous elections, why wouldn't someone challenge him? There is a palpable vulnerability and evident fear that emanates from the man, and yet, his re-election is a foregone conclusion. Were Coffey in any way formidable, it might be explainable. But he is palpably weak.
So, again overstepping the stated charge, shadowna5 opines on the election in another district.
Our recommendation: Abstain! It's a treasured tactic of the cowardly "Gang of Four" mentality. Why shouldn't the electors in District 1 adopt it? For those Republicans and Democrats completely dissatisfied with the choice, vote for the mayoral and at-large candidates of your choice, but leave the ballot blank on District 1. It's a foregone conclusion that Coffey will be the next councilman. A pending felony investigation may prevent him from taking office, but the only way for the voters to send a message is to suppress the vote totals for Coffey.
We'll be watching closely to see how many D1 voters leave that slot blank. As a man with no shame, Coffey can be counted on to ignore the clear import of the sum of those who reject him (after all, even one vote puts him back into office). A write-in is ineffective in that no one has stepped forward to file for acceptance of a write-in election. Coffey WILL be back. But the city will know that his only legitimacy comes from a tainted primary and a gerrymandered district.
If Coffey can avoid a felony conviction by pleading out to a lesser charge, he will have "earned" a state pension when he completes his tenth year as a councilman. That gives Keith Henderson two years to deprive him of it, and nothing we can do can make Henderson do his job. But, in all honesty, if the city, at the cost of a nominal pension, can rid itself of the stench of Coffey, it will be worth it.
Remember, ladies and gentlemen, this is the guy who promised to file suit against citizens seeking to enforce YOUR constitutional rights to equal protection. D1 voters, express your disgust with such intimidation tactics, such efforts to suppress the constitutional rights of all New Albanians. Leave your ballot blank when it comes to the District 1 race.
BONUS QUESTION: Did Brenda Scharlow (R), the GOP candidate for the District 3 seat, really say she supports a Greenway that despoils Silver Creek, rapes the Loop Island wetlands, and requires 4-wheel vehicular passage along the Floyd County portions of the federally-funded Greenway? Did no one ask her about the GOP platform that insists that the city remain in the city-county building, paying rent, when it is clear that a "City Hall" would be more cost-effective? And are my lying ears deceiving me when I hear that no one at the recent forum challenged Scharlow on the Republican platform plank that "Democrats have 'saddled' us with public investment in Scribner Place?" Aren't those pretty important issues that Mrs. Scharlow has failed to address?
BONUS QUESTION 2: Can any readers verify that Mr. Coffey abused his position to disrupt the community event put on by Destinations Booksellers on Thursday? Rumor has it that Coffey caused the C-SPAN bus visit to be "rousted" by city officials, even though all proper permits had been issued. Was this a retaliation against one of the owners of the store because he is a plaintiff in the redistricting lawsuit?
Instead, we gaze into a grotesquely gerrymandered Westendia district where no one steps up to challenge the "grease-my-palm" incumbent, Dan Coffey. Not a write-in, not a Republican...no one steps up to challenge.
Considering that Mr. Coffey has never topped 1,000 votes in his two previous elections, why wouldn't someone challenge him? There is a palpable vulnerability and evident fear that emanates from the man, and yet, his re-election is a foregone conclusion. Were Coffey in any way formidable, it might be explainable. But he is palpably weak.
So, again overstepping the stated charge, shadowna5 opines on the election in another district.
Our recommendation: Abstain! It's a treasured tactic of the cowardly "Gang of Four" mentality. Why shouldn't the electors in District 1 adopt it? For those Republicans and Democrats completely dissatisfied with the choice, vote for the mayoral and at-large candidates of your choice, but leave the ballot blank on District 1. It's a foregone conclusion that Coffey will be the next councilman. A pending felony investigation may prevent him from taking office, but the only way for the voters to send a message is to suppress the vote totals for Coffey.
We'll be watching closely to see how many D1 voters leave that slot blank. As a man with no shame, Coffey can be counted on to ignore the clear import of the sum of those who reject him (after all, even one vote puts him back into office). A write-in is ineffective in that no one has stepped forward to file for acceptance of a write-in election. Coffey WILL be back. But the city will know that his only legitimacy comes from a tainted primary and a gerrymandered district.
If Coffey can avoid a felony conviction by pleading out to a lesser charge, he will have "earned" a state pension when he completes his tenth year as a councilman. That gives Keith Henderson two years to deprive him of it, and nothing we can do can make Henderson do his job. But, in all honesty, if the city, at the cost of a nominal pension, can rid itself of the stench of Coffey, it will be worth it.
Remember, ladies and gentlemen, this is the guy who promised to file suit against citizens seeking to enforce YOUR constitutional rights to equal protection. D1 voters, express your disgust with such intimidation tactics, such efforts to suppress the constitutional rights of all New Albanians. Leave your ballot blank when it comes to the District 1 race.
BONUS QUESTION: Did Brenda Scharlow (R), the GOP candidate for the District 3 seat, really say she supports a Greenway that despoils Silver Creek, rapes the Loop Island wetlands, and requires 4-wheel vehicular passage along the Floyd County portions of the federally-funded Greenway? Did no one ask her about the GOP platform that insists that the city remain in the city-county building, paying rent, when it is clear that a "City Hall" would be more cost-effective? And are my lying ears deceiving me when I hear that no one at the recent forum challenged Scharlow on the Republican platform plank that "Democrats have 'saddled' us with public investment in Scribner Place?" Aren't those pretty important issues that Mrs. Scharlow has failed to address?
BONUS QUESTION 2: Can any readers verify that Mr. Coffey abused his position to disrupt the community event put on by Destinations Booksellers on Thursday? Rumor has it that Coffey caused the C-SPAN bus visit to be "rousted" by city officials, even though all proper permits had been issued. Was this a retaliation against one of the owners of the store because he is a plaintiff in the redistricting lawsuit?
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