Volunteer Hoosier

The Meta-blog

2008-08-27T18:10:00.001-04:00

I've transitioned all of my blogging - show-related, political, books, and other - over to a new site. If you want to, check it out and add it to your favorites and blogrolls.

It is http://newalbanist.wordpress.com/

I'll cross-post here, too, but you can get it all, including more than three years of archived material, at the meta-blog.

Volunteer Hoosier at NA Confidential

2006-04-03T17:16:00.000-04:00

This Web log ceased publication on Monday, April 3, 2006. Volunteer Hoosier has been acquired by NA Confidential, where this writer is now employed. Please enjoy the archives.

Constantinople to Istanbul

2006-04-03T07:35:00.000-04:00

Istanbul is widely recognized as the name of Turkey's most well known city, but it was not always this way, and even today some confusion over its proper name still exists. The confusion is rooted in the various names the city assumed under the Ottomans in the centuries after their conquest of the city in 1453. Although the Ottomans did not purposely change the city's name, they opted to make "Constantinople" into a more Turkish style name "Konstantiniye" (which loosely translates as "of Constantine"), however variations on Konstantiniye soon cropped up.

"Stanbulin," (Greek for "to the city") once commonly found on road signs directing travelers to the capital, was punned by devout Turks into Islambol, where "Islam abounds." The names Islambol and Konstantiniye were used interchangeably in Ottoman documents up until the empire's demise in 1923. Westerners continued to refer to the city as Constantinople well into the 20th century. In the 19th century, however, the city's large foreign expatriate community took to calling the old city Stamboul. Western accounts of the old city during this period make regular references to the name.
-- Foundation for the Advancement of Sephardic Studies and Culture

Effective this date, Volunteer Hoosier ceases publication. This blogger departs from "Constantinople" for a new home at "Istanbul."

The New Albanian and I have, in his words, consummated a merger of interests, and I will be joining him in the hope of making NA Confidential even stronger. It is already the premier Web log in the region.

The separation between us has never been as wide as the Bosporus, but we, The New Albanian and All4Word, have always marched to the beat of distinctly different drummers.

As for me, I early on decided that it would have been boorish of me to write at length as a commenter on NA Confidential. And yet, like The New Albanian, I’m not one to write in short bites. Thus, shortly after NA Confidential came online, Volunteer Hoosier was born. We hope you have found it stimulating.

In my judgment, The New Albanian offers strong insight and a wit that I appreciate. If anything can be said about our senses of humor, it is that he has the better delivery of it, and I have a greater appreciation of it.

I will say that I can think of no instance in which The New Albanian has taken his satire further than is appropriate. I would proudly sign on to his spot-on critiques.

Another distinction is that, between the two of us, I am clearly the “wonk” in the equation. In addition to my affinity for policy and financial detail, I’m more likely to consider the electoral strategies that underlie public policy decisions – at least, I’m more likely to speculate about them.

As mentioned above, Volunteer Hoosier ceases publication effective today. I have no regrets. I’m pleased to join the online platform at NA Confidential, and the acquisition price was sufficient incentive to surrender my single-author site.

We are of like minds about many matters, but don’t expect a monolithic front here. I will have the freedom to post on any topic at a moment’s notice, without prior restraint, and it is a given that agreement between us is not a requirement.

We do disagree from time to time, including recently, which makes this a fortuitous time for our “merger.” In short, we trust and value each other’s judgment.

One final note. It is our joint and fervent desire to encourage contributor Bluegill to “ramp up” his contributions and make this site even stronger.

The New Albanian is departing for a well-earned vacation road trip, sans Mrs. Confidential, and will be on enforced hiatus. NA Confidential has been a primary source for community news, like tomorrow’s Neighborhoods Summit. Be sure to copy me at ops@destinationsbooksellers.com
with such items, particularly during NAC’s hiatus. -- All4Word

Here is the announcement made today at NA Confidential:

The supreme end of education is expert discernment in all things - the power to tell the good from the bad, the genuine from the counterfeit,and to prefer the good and the genuine to the bad and the counterfeit.--- Samuel Johnson

“Good” and “genuine” are just two of the many words I’ve used to describe the quality of the writing and the advocacy at Volunteer Hoosier, a blog long included in NA Confidential’s sidebar links and often cited on these pages.

Today I’m pleased to formally announce the addition of All4Word, a/k/a Randy Smith, to the editorial board of this Web log. Randy is a fellow businessman arrived lately to these shores, and was the founder of Volunteer Hoosier in 2004. Readers will be familiar with his work, online and behind the scenes, in drawing attention to matters of public affairs.

After long consideration, Randy and I decided to consummate a merger of interests in the belief that together we can make NA Confidential a more comprehensive and useful site. With two primary reporters/commentators, each of us will be able to devote more time to making the site better without neglecting our other responsibilities.

NA Confidential, effective this date, has acquired the rights to Volunteer Hoosier, which will cease publication. However, the archival postings and comments will remain online.--- The New Albanian

All Politics is Local

2006-04-02T11:40:00.000-04:00

If you are a regular reader of The New York Times (and you should be) or an aficionado of the writings of Thomas Friedman (The World is Flat, Updated, $30), you will forgive me for taking a page from the Friedman playbook. That is, allow me to paraphrase today's column and apply it to the state of play here at home.

Friedman speaks of "venom unleashed" today, and the vast difficulty in putting the genie back in the bottle. I don't presume to equate his topic (Iraq's religio-civil war) to local politics. For one, the factions in Mesopotamia consist of enormous numbers of people who abdicate their own judgment to that of their leaders, a situation that does not, for the most part, apply here. Only minute numbers.

But it can be instructive to use Friedman's language to analyze the mindset of a vocal node infecting the body politic.

Don't get me wrong. I encourage the lunatics at Speak Out Loud New Albany to continue posting their screeds. With every day that passes, with every word that litters the pages of that blog, their credibility diminishes. More than a few have abandoned them out of sheer embarrassment at the muddled thinking on display, the total lack of concern for facts, and the hagiographical devotion to some of the worst offenders against the public weal. More than a few have come by my store to confess that they had once fallen for the game on display there, and to apologize for ever having equated that blog with any of the others in town - the ones that demonstrate credibility.

But back to the lesson. In the world of a few over-represented troglodytes (that is, the anti-progress faction, for at least the next 21 months, wields 4 of the 9 votes on New Albany's City Council), you enter a realm that is beyond politics, a realm where fear and revenge dominate everyone's thinking - and that is where the trogs are heading.

Once embedded, this cycle of fear and revenge (and cooked-up "outrage") is almost impossible to break. This is the place from which mass murderers erupt. A sense of aggrievement this severe cries out for release, and one can only hope that the outlet of a backwater blog can vent some of the steam. Theirs is a self-reinforcing atmosphere of self-congratulatory perception, generating sufficient RPM, but stuck in neutral and going nowhere. Were SOLNA a barge, it would be stuck firmly to the K&I Bridge, requiring the sludge to be drained from it before being refloated.

The half-dozen illiterates there succumb to the flattery of more calculating types who use their anger to push an agenda of destruction. Laura's people have concluded that the only thing that can save them from a world that refuses to stand still is to adopt a militancy guaranteed to divorce them from reality or any chance at effecting change. They will go on to develop and strengthen extortion rackets, feel the thrill of public attention and, as that happens, start to do all they can to prevent the government from moving with civilization toward a unified vision of the future.

Their office-holding and office-coveting handlers are now concluding that "they can gain more power and influence from building on sectarian loyalties than from appeals for unity." And make no mistake about it, the fight for New Albany's future lines up more along sectarian lines, of a sort, than it does along partisan lines, although partisans will try to harness the forces.

We'll be around to demonstrate (and prove) that those politicians are wrong. New Albany is progressive. The trogs are fighting a losing battle, and any politician who casts his or her lot with them will soon discover the mistake. For the forces for progress vastly outnumber the forces for the status quo. And the "troglobytes" seeking to roll back to a time that never existed pale in comparison to either of those.

A Baghdad blogger, the Mesopotamian, quoted by AndrewSullivan.com, gave a vivid description of his neighborhood: "The confusion and conflict between the Americans, the army and the Ministry of the Interior is producing a situation where the citizens don't know any more whether the security personnel in the street are friends, enemies, terrorists or simply criminals and thieves...Whole sections of the city have virtually fallen to gangs and terrorists." Hmmm.

Again, I don't want to diminish the chaos in Baghdad, nor to elevate the chaos in New Albany. But which "side" in this fight do you think is pushing toward chaos. Yeah, I thought so, too.

Give ol' Tom Friedman a few minutes of your time today. If nothing else, you'll educate yourself about the mess the Bush administration will leave for someone else to fix. But as you read, consider who is pushing for a unified vision of the future here, and who stands to benefit from creating chaos.

Here's the link: The Endgame in Iraq

Sobering

2006-03-30T18:31:00.000-05:00

Blogs are traditionally derivative. That is, historically Web logs have been created by motivated amateurs who share the great sites they've come across during the course of a day. The political blogs common to this area tend to do more "original programming," but they still rely on primary news sources as a factual reference point (at least the reliable ones do).

During VH's existence, we've tended to shy away from linking to news stories and "cool" sites, but sometimes another Web site says more with a simple interface than all the commentary in the world.

May I recommend that you consult this brilliant piece of work by Tim at Obleek.com. Be warned, it is a sobering encounter.

http://www.obleek.com/iraq/index.html

Step Up

2006-03-30T08:39:00.000-05:00

The big trouble with dumb bastards is that they are too dumb to believe there is such a thing as smart. -- Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. in The Sirens of Titan

A survey of the political landscape little more than one month before the national/state/county/township primary elections yields a startling conclusion about New Albany's 2007 city elections: Mayor James E. Garner is in position to secure re-election, becoming the first mayor in decades to do so in this city.

The possibility of a serious intra-party challenge grows increasingly remote. The usual suspects are tarnished, to put it lightly, and Garner seems all but assured of renomination. Were the mayor a mere seat-warmer, that wouldn't be. But that is not the case. Garner has earned respect across the state as a quick study and has strong support among Indiana party leaders.

The GOP will, of course, field an opponent, but the blood-feud bitterness expected to flow from that party's primary will reveal a series of flawed candidates drafted only for appearances sake. Some have speculated that Garner would stand an even chance of winning not only the Democratic Party primary, but of making a race of it among Republicans.

How did Garner reach this position? How did the mayor deflect the initial criticisms of this blogger (and for that matter, that other blogger, The New Albanian)? How did Garner outmaneuver the Gang of Four on the City Council so intent on kneecapping this administration, and by extension, this city?

First-Instinct Honesty

For his political advisors, Garner's lack of calculation can be a headache. His Honor invariably answers any question without guile, simply stating the facts as they are, and not as he would wish them to be. There is no trimming, no spin, no manipulation of language to make himself and his administration look better. He responds with the easiest answer - the truth.

That's not to say Garner isn't careful. At council meetings, he is the answer man, even when faced with an ambush scenario as has become increasingly common recently. The members of the council do so little preparation, so little homework in advance of their twice-monthly meetings that Garner, or his staff, must provide them with mini-tutorials on almost every issue facing the body.

Comprehensive Knowledge

When in that role, the mayor is exceedingly careful to give the facts as he knows them. That often results in the mayor losing eye contact with his audience (the council), lowering his chin and rolling his eyes upward to consult some virtual spreadsheet or memorandum to retrieve an answer. He'll do that even in other public forums, and it is a classic mistake for a politician to lose eye contact with his listeners.

Fortunately, once the fact-retrieval process is completed, Garner comes back to full engagement with the questioner and the audience. Compared to his obstructionist opponents, the mayor comes across as a literal fountain of knowledge.

The X-Factor

But what is the third element in Garner's political strength? That would have to be his effectiveness in pushing through his vision for the city.

Facing almost intractable problems, particularly with the city's 2005 finances, unfunded mandates, and deteriorating infrastructure, the mayor has managed to win passage of every single initiative he has put forward, including the Scribner Place redevelopment project and the reorganization of the city's sanitation operations.

Granted, these victories have often come by 5-4 votes, with four faux-Democrats voting reactively against any mayoral initiative, but victories they are, nonetheless, for Garner and for the city.

The Weakness

Communication continues to be the mayor's biggest weakness. Perhaps to keep from ruffling too many feathers among those whose perceive New Albany to be a sleepy little town (it never was, as Bluegill so ably points out), the mayor has failed to forcefully articulate his vision for the future.

The Garner program dribbles out piecemeal. It may be well defined in his own mind. It may be well known among his closest advisors. But there is no declaration, no white paper, no communications campaign to lay out that vision.

Only by laying out that vision in a series of position statements can the mayor cause the citizenry to coalesce around that vision. There's no upside in keeping it in your head, Mr. Mayor. And there's no advantage in trying to accommodate your enemies. For whatever reason, they are and will continue to oppose you.

But the survey shows that while there's no groundswell of "love" out there, there is a broad segment of the city, across party lines, that sees in this mayor the glimmer of hope for a resurgent New Albany.

Act now, Mr. Garner. It is not too early to campaign for your issues. By articulating your vision now, you can secure that re-election next year. As it stands today, the election is yours to claim. Don't let it slip away by being timid about telling us what you want for this city. Step Up and claim your prize.

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Volunteer Hoosier will soon cease to be a regularly updated Web log. We are being acquired by a burgeoning, branded online operation. This blog will, however, remain as an archive of our previous postings and the comments thereon.

As we wind down this current incarnation, we invite you to share with us your favorite Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. quotes.

One Foot in the Past

2006-03-29T07:04:00.000-05:00

I'll take no credit for today's posting, except perhaps for being able to listen and discern, but the last 24 hours have generated much reflection on the state of public affairs in our domain.

I was privileged to spend some time in the company of a public official yesterday, and we were able to exchange a few impressions. It drove home for me the degree to which personal loyalty drives the politics of this city and county, but it likewise opened my eyes to a few truths.

One must give respect to the politicians in this town for being realists. Despite disagreements among and between various officeholders, the incumbents recognize that even their misguided colleagues share the same legitimacy - they each were elected. An officeholder may believe wholeheartedly that voters were wrong in electing someone, but they do not question the legitimacy of that election.

Further, officeholders recognize that, at least for a time (and that time can be long, indeed), they must work with their colleagues in order to accomplish anything. That does not mean that disagreements will not arise. They do, and often. But during a term, the playing field is what it is, and the effective public official will try to find accommodation with those who oppose them.

Likewise, the cleverest among them will quickly discard party loyalty and reach across the aisle in order to gain an advantage to further their own agenda, whether that be to progress the public weal, or to hold it back.

Traditionally, each officeholder builds a base constituency and then relies on the fact that few members of the public will take the time to get to know them, their policies, and their actions. With a sufficiently influential cadre of supporters willing to endorse them on the basis of personal loyalty, an officeholder can be essentially immune from true public scrutiny. The dynamics of party add to this tendency toward unaccountability, as the imprimature of "D" or "R" carries its own weight.

I pride myself on being inquisitive and universal in my approach to understanding politics and politicians. Simply because politician "A," whom I admire, has a conflict with politician "B," does not mean that I cannot also admire, or work with both.

But one of the weakness of the polity here is that no evaluation of a politician or a political actor, or even an involved citizen, is ever divorced from factionalism. Let me choose an innocuous example to illustrate.

I count among my friends several leading Democrats (I have fewer Republican acquaintances, but then the bulk of my time is spent at my store, and so I have had fewer occasions to meet them). Former county party chairman Warren Nash has never been anything but helpful to me in helping me to understand local politics. His successor, Randy Stumler, has been an inspiration to me. Some have tried to portray that succession as a coup, an overthrow of the regime, which is true only in its end result. Yes, the Stumler era is and will continue to be of a different nature than the time when Nash was at the party helm. If that portrayal had become fixed, would Nash loyalists have become Stumler opponents?

Sadly, in my judgment, that would be true more often than not. Fortunately, no such rift exists. But it is a weakness that so many people make their evaluations based on such trivial matters as whether their "favorite" has been opposed (on an issue, or in an election) by another.

It is the duty of the citizen to measure candidates in their entirety. Is it evident that a candidate is prepared and knowledgeable? Does the candidate advocate in the public interest or for narrow, parochial interests? Has a candidate made a positive contribution to debate, policy, or administration?

Only by such analysis can a voter be said to be truly informed. As primary election day approaches on May 2, I urge readers to set aside preconceived notions of factionalism and educate themselves as to the stands and records of each candidate for public office. Don't vote based on religious affiliation, family connection, or any other irrational basis. Don't give your vote away cheaply.

--------------------------------

I spent some time recently with a wise person who cleared a few things up for me and stimulated a few thoughts about allegiance to the past in the face of the challenges of the future. These discussions yielded a prescription for good public service.

This person diagnosed a weakness in the Democratic Party that ought to be addressed. Like any illness, it must either be treated or it will become a part of daily existence.

Like any parties made up of human beings, both major parties suffer their share of fools and embarrassments. For the Democrats, the continuing presence of the "Gang of Four" is an embarrassment. For the most part, this group no longer (if it ever did) adheres to any of the core beliefs of the Democratic Party. They are an infection on the body of the party and this cannot go untreated any longer without corrupting the entire body. Like a suppurating sore, it has become prominently visible and eminently embarrassing.

The initial round of treatment should consist of aggressive action to alter their behavior. Party elders must take up this challenge. But if that proves ineffective, surgery to excise this debilitating boil on the public face of the party is the next step. The party must declare that the behavior of the Gang will not be tolerated, and that such officeholders are unwelcome to serve under the Democratic banner.

Corruption can no longer be winked at. Let the corrupt find themselves another platform from which to launch their attacks on the public good.

Nobody's Said it Better

2006-03-28T08:38:00.000-05:00

While it can't be called trivial, it's hardly earthshaking that Develop New Albany and the Garner administration have put into place some very attractive banners delineating the core of the downtown shopping district. According to the Courier-Journal, one side says "Downtown" and the other says "New Albany" on these maroon-and-cream vertical banners.

Pearl and Market streets are the direct beneficiaries, but the whole county will benefit from a renewed downtown.

Having seen it all firsthand all his life, downtown pillar Bob Caesar keeps his enthusiasm in check more than some other boosters, but in describing the emerging energy downtown, he puts it this way:

"We haven't thrown a 90-yard touchdown pass," Caesar said of the banner effort, likening it to steady success rather than a sudden breakthrough. "But we're making first downs all the time."

Nobody could say it better.

Read the coverage here.

2006-03-27T08:34:00.000-05:00

But what is government itself but the greatest of all reflections on human nature? If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary.

-----James Madison

Attention Must Be Paid

2006-03-26T12:42:00.000-05:00

Tribune and News publisher John Tucker takes pen in hand once again this Sunday, after a one-week hiatus, to discuss the state of electoral play and the role of our local newspapers in the mix.

As a former print journalist, I continue to immerse myself in the intricate state of journalism in the 21st Century. Had I never entered the field, I still think I would be fascinated by newspapers and how each chooses to serve its readership.

I married a journalist and I've fathered a journalist. Their accomplishments far outshadow mine, although I have wound up spending more years behind a newsroom keyboard than both of them combined. I take pride in having a part in making our daily news Web site the "best" in the state of Florida, against some of the most well-resourced newspaper giants in the world. Garnering that award made it possible for me to declare "game over" and begin this new journey north of the Mason-Dixon line.

The nugget of wisdom I take from Mr. Tucker's Sunday gem is this: Attention must be paid. I wholeheartedly agree, and so state, ad infinitum. With elections pending, Tucker promises to make it impossible for voters to ignore the issues and candidates. Well, better late than never, I say. Tucker says "We believe this is what a community paper can do better than any other form of media - make a positive impact on their community by informing and promoting about local topis of interest and importance."

John, I agree. You can do it better. And we're all heartened to see your pledge to do so. I continue to maintain that the more who pay attention - and the sooner and more often - the sooner we can rid this city of the impediments to progress.

------------------

Local columnist Linden Dodd makes some strong points in the lead opinion piece, "Be careful what you wish for."

The key pull-quote? "You cannot ever convince a stupid person they are wrong."

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It has been six months since publisher Tucker pledged improvements to The Tribune, which (now it can be revealed) he gauged to be the newspaper he had encountered that was most in need of resuscitation. In this soon-to-be-absorbed blogger's opinion, the Sunday edition has now become that "indispensable" organ we have long yearned for. If you fail to (at least) start reading the Sunday editions, you have only yourself to blame. The editors and reporters have done their job, at least on Sundays. Now, if you value a local press, you'll come back to The Tribune.

A Competing Offer?

2006-03-23T18:26:00.000-05:00

Negotiations continue with our original suitor, and I'm most likely to complete the deal, but this morning I received an e-mail from a more local media operation that wants to talk "turkey."

Now, despite the fact that a certain fact-challenged segment of our readership would agree that this blogger fits the description, I agreed.

We'll be meeting with this last-minute suitor over the next few days. I have informed the other party, as well. I choose to see this not as a glitch, but an opportunity, and who knows, we might be able to work out some type of synergistic accommodation.

(FYI, the new suitor scores on the influence index at more than 1800!)

On another topic, how many of you have clicked on the audiocast link? Is this something that would be useful to you? Is the sound quality sufficient? Would you be interested in a weekday "podcast," either via blog or by subscription feed to your inbox?

Measuring Web Influence

2006-03-23T13:35:00.000-05:00

My e-mailbox is filling with inquiries about the upcoming changes here. I'm still not at liberty to discuss the new business arrangement and I'm trying desperately to get a handle on some of the new technology that will be made available to me once we complete this deal.

But here's a hint as to the magnitude of influence our new partner has in the blogosphere.

Gorka Julio has developed a metric to measure the influence each blog has. Our new partner weighs in with a measure of 275.8. In comparison, the New Albany anonyblog Freedom of Speech scores a 1.2 for influence.

This blog manages to approach the 100 metric; NA Renewal goes well past that point. I'll count it as a success if over the next several months we can boost the metric for our new partner up over the 300 mark.

I Thought I Recognized Him

2006-03-22T14:46:00.000-05:00

Remember the whiny, insecure kid in nursery school, the one who always thought everyone was out to get him, and was always running to the teacher with complaints? Chances are he grew up to be a conservative.

At least, he did if he was one of 95 kids from the Berkeley area that social scientists have been tracking for the last 20 years. The confident, resilient, self-reliant kids mostly grew up to be liberals.

...from How to Spot a Baby Conservative in the Toronto Star.

And then there's the Washington Post story about this study, which revealed:

Studies presented at the conference, for example, produced evidence that emotions and implicit assumptions often influence why people choose their political affiliations, and that partisans stubbornly discount any information that challenges their preexisting beliefs.

Emory University psychologist Drew Westen put self-identified Democratic and Republican partisans in brain scanners and asked them to evaluate negative information about various candidates. Both groups were quick to spot inconsistency and hypocrisy -- but only in candidates they opposed.

Link of the Day

2006-03-22T09:20:00.000-05:00

Managing perceptions is the death of good journalism, especially manufactured perceptions, and even more those manufactured for the easily cowed.

Read more at Josh Marshall's Talking Points Memo

Merger Talks Hit Snag

2006-03-22T08:30:00.000-05:00

Although there is little doubt the deal will still go through, our discussions with our acquiring partner have run into a hurdle. One small snag is how to make the announcement and whether to call it a merger or an acquisition. Our counselors will settle this, but with six figures involved, I'm not going to get hung up over terminology. We're still pushing for a clean new start beginning April 1, but the other side isn't prepared to close until later in the month.

I learned yesterday that the site is exploring a number of technology and interface upgrades, and we hope to lend some of our expertise to that project's rollout.

I do believe the deal is still sound and will go through. But in the interests of full disclosure, I wanted to keep you, our loyal readers, fully informed.

And now, a long-forgotten promise to this blogger is revealed:

Listen to the following in audio

Despite protestations to the contrary, our golf-cart wheeling, fist-wielding, litigation-prone, self-appointed burr in the mayor's saddle is a prolific e-mailer, blogger, and chat-room denizen. Valla Ann Bolovschak (or Vila, as her pal Danny calls her) cuts quite a swath through cyberspace, and seems to enjoy herself tremendously.

Valla Ann, who amazingly can be quite charming, even to men, when she chooses, takes particular pride in her sense of humor. Little of that has been seen in public lately, but you must understand that pot-boiling, language-twisting, and other general impishness is what Valla Ann considers humorous. That's fine. We all have annoying tendencies.

In late 2004 and again in 2005, Valla Ann and I corresponded. This was, of course, at a time when she believed I would be an ally in her campaign to ambush the mayor at every turn.

I asked the local cover girl and makeup model if she would make her proprietary tapings of the City Council meetings available to the public by depositing copies at the NAFC Public Library. She promised that she would do that.

More than a year has passed since that promise was elicited. A check yesterday verified that no such copies exist at the library or in any other repository available to the general public.

Volunteer Hoosier has refrained from calling the lady out on this promise until now. As we wind down our commentary and reporting in its present incarnation, now is the best time I can think of to ask Valla Ann either or both of two questions: 1. What's holding you up? I know it's not a technological problem. Has the library rejected your offer to deposit these historic records? AND/OR 2. Why did you lie to me when you never had any intention of making the tapes public?

From the Wayback Machine

2006-03-20T20:33:00.000-05:00

If anyone ever had any doubt about who opposes progress (and citizen participation in government), this reprise of VH's report of the Feb. 8, 2005 New Albany City Council meeting is instructive:

Contrapunction

Good morning, class. Welcome to our online seminar in applied civics. We are waiving the normal fee, but all participants are required to stay until the end of today's lesson. Potential candidates for New Albany's City Council are invited to audit the class. Take notes. Pay attention. You will be tested.

Foreword

City Council met in executive session one hour before the scheduled public meeting, presumably to discuss the city's current litigation/settlement options in relation to the pending lawsuit in Federal District Court pitting the city against the First, Fourth, Thirteenth, and Fourteenth amendments, otherwise known as City of New Albany vs. New Albany DVD.

It can be surmised that public business was also discussed (in violation of Indiana's open government statutes) as the council president, after calling the night's public meeting to order, announced that the council had decided to defer approval of the minutes of each of the last two meetings. Unless they are telepathic, they must have agreed to do that before the public session.

Prelude

At 7:15, the council opened a public hearing on four matters, in accordance with legal requirements. Public comment was invited on three appropriations and a zoning matter. Greg Roberts, representing the East Spring Street Neighborhood Association, urged the council to approve an appropriation to purchase 2 garbage packers. One council member questioned Greg, asking if the choice came down to funding the packers (an agenda item) or funding the code enforcement/paralegal (not an agenda item), which would he prefer. Greg replied, without hesitation, "code enforcement."

Introduction

After a perfunctory and less-than-reverent recitation of the Lord's prayer and pledge to the flag, CM Jeff Gahan announced the curious agreement to defer approval of the minutes and proceeded directly to the public communications portion of the evening.

Mass Communications 101

Valla Ann Bolovschak, beleaguered watchdog and confidant/patronage nominee of at least one CM, took to the lectern first to scold CM Gahan for meeting with the management of WNAS, the broadcast outlet for Valla Ann's videotaped presentations of council meetings. This observer admits to being somewhat confused by a discussion of the technical issues that befell the most recent cablecasts. For a moment, I thought we were going to hear about a Watergate-style covert operation to fuzz the tape. Alas, it all appears to have been an innocent technical glitch.

At the conclusion of Ms. Bolovschak's comments, she invited questions and CM Larry Kochert obliged, questioning why CM Gahan would be meeting with WNAS, the New Albany High School television station. Valla Ann then took up the interrogation of the council president, apparently receiving the answers she desired.

Soon enough, we got to the heart of the matter. Ms. B (or Viola, as CM Dan Coffey calls her) is tired of carrying the financial burden of hiring a professional videographer to tape all the council meetings and wants the financially strapped city to underwrite those expenses.A small contretemps erupted when CM Beverly Crump objected to the implication that non-taped meetings lacked integrity, but peace was quickly restored.

Public Relations 100

This blogger, who has previously contended that the council is under no obligation to entertain oral presentations, submitted a petition to the council president that invited all members of the council to attend the March 2 Public Affairs Symposium, "New Visions for Downtown New Albany." City Clerk Marcey Wisman read the invitation into the meeting record.

Logic 201

Recognizing the time pressures faced by members of the council, fellow blogger The New Albanian shared with council a summary of the discussions on NA Confidential over the past few weeks.

Among the highlights was his report that the consensus on the site supported the city abandoning its costly efforts to stop the opening of New Albany DVD.

The New Albanian has repeatedly called for the mayor and council to institute some forum for communication between citizens and their elected representatives* and reiterated that call during the public communications portion of Tuesday's City Council meeting.*

(NOTE: Henceforth, the default description will be representatives, not leaders; the faculty committee on semantics will continue to debate the legitimacy of the new terminology and will release its interim report shortly on whether to retain the term representatives or to downgrade the title to officeholder or occupants of office.)

Apparently, CM Coffey confused The New Albanian's grayish ballcap for my own pale forehead and began to berate our favorite pubmeister for the format of the 7 p.m. public affairs symposium being held at Destinations Booksellers on March 2.

Announcing that he "doesn't read (Roger's) blog" and wielding a thick envelope for effect (who knows what was in it?), Coffey asserted that he previously had every intention of attending the symposium until he discovered that he would not be allowed to speak. Gosh, the only place we've announced it is in the store and on a BLOG!

For the record, Mr. Baylor's involvement with the March 2 forum is expected to be limited to muscling a few bookshelves and pointing attendees to the necessary room in the event of emergencies. This symposium was in the works before I ever met The New Albanian. That he and his online Web log are helping to publicize it and supporting its objective of creating a community conversation about saving downtown does not make him responsible for its format.

Then it really got interesting. Among other things, this was the civics lesson of the night, courtesy of CM Coffey:

Point 1: He contended the "we" are the ones who know what can be done, what's legal, and what money is available. Presumably, he meant the council, but I can't be sure.

Point 2: He said he doesn't read blogs and that he "figures anyone can hide behind a keyboard."

Point 3: By Coffey's lights, if you want to criticize, question, or otherwise participate in the public discussion of civic affairs, you must run for office (and presumably win). Otherwise, shut the hell up.

Point 4: In all fairness, Danny C. claimed to have held six town halls during his current term, but undermined his claim by then disinviting anyone who doesn't live in his district.

The New Albanian, after a procedural question directed to the council president, simply smiled genuinely and said of his blog, "I think you should read it." As Roger returned to his seat, Coffey couldn't resist calling out, while patting his thick envelope of mystery documents, "I don't read," at least in the hearing of one observer.

Government 333

We refer you to The Tribune and City Editor Amany Ali's coverage of a fairly calm business meeting where routine matters were approved and a skittish council, in light of the unsettled cash balance calculations roiling the city, tabled all matters requiring new appropriations. The formerly ailing CM Bill Schmidt provided half a loaf in documenting all the borrowings approved by the council over the past 20 months or so. No information on repayments was provided while the state auditors comb the city's financial activities during the tenures of four controllers. Suffice it to say that the cops get no cars, the sanitation department gets no trucks, and the joint 911 dispatch office must wait another week-and-a-half for the authority to pay its bills.

Class recess

Until tomorrow...same time, same site, when we will address the fallacies inherent in Mr. Coffey's ridiculous comments.

Here's a little teaser...who says a symposium on "New Visions for Downtown New Albany" would address government action, anyway? If an elected representative wishes to unequivocally announce his opposition to citizens gathering to discuss matters of concern and interest to them, let him speak now.

Feel free to discuss among yourselves.

A VH Retrospective

2006-03-20T09:58:00.000-05:00

We'll be posting snippets of commentary from the past year and more throughout this week and next as Volunteer Hoosier winds down.

If VH has a personality, a philosophy, these snippets should reveal it.

The conclusion we have drawn is this: the problems facing our community are not states of nature. They stem from an environment poisoned by actual individuals, individuals who devalue education, deride progressivism, and seek only to elevate their egos by jealously guarding the levers of power from any who might actually want to use them.

Our critics seem to shudder at what they call unfounded personal attacks. They miss the point. They are personal because Volunteer Hoosier believes it is the persons who are responsible for the mess we are in. So long as the citizenry averts their eyes from what is a fairly repugnant form of political knife-fighting, they will never know who those looters and destroyers are. Then, when election time comes and the voters see New Albany sitting by the side of the road with a flat tire, they'll assume the driver is at fault. We're here to show who is wielding the knives, who is spreading the tire-puncturing tacks, who is pouring sugar in the gas tanks.

In hoops-mad Indiana, I offer this little parable:

The basketball team wasn't putting up wins like it once did. Fans of the team, if you could call them that, seldom came out to watch the games, but a few tried to follow the team's progress in the newspapers. The team had frequently excelled, with stellar seasons, numerous awards, and even now it was often envied. But something had gone wrong. Bad wrong.

The coaches were disengaged, and paid little attention to what the players actually did during the games. In fact, all the coaches usually did was submit the lineup. The rest of the time they spent with their backs turned to the game, balancing their checkbooks, talking on their cell phones, flirting with the thought of coaching another team. In fact, the coaches spent more time watching film of other teams than in coaching their own, especially during the season.

Oh, the coaches would try to pay attention to their own team when it came time to fill out the lineup, but because they hadn't watched the team during the season, they were ill-equipped to make the necessary changes to the lineup. Weaker players continued to be inserted into the lineup each time, simply because the coaches didn't know any better.

Reporters seldom commented on the lack of attention by the coaches. Their jobs were to cover the games, and they did so with varying degrees of diligence. Sometimes, the reporters would figuratively phone in their reports, having developed personal ties with some of the players. Accordingly, readers of their reports would often find a game report elevating the importance of a few players' contributions at the expense of the real game stars.

You see, many of the players on the team had earned a nice living for many years without making any significant contributions. When the coaches were making out the lineups, they spoke glibly of their long tenures on the team and told the coaches how great they were. These players knew they had never had to SHOW the coaches how great they were, but they had become very good at TELLING how great they were. Having a reporter parrot those tidings didn't hurt, either.

One season (not so unlike some earlier seasons), some new reporters began to show up at the games. These new reporters had seen the game played, but never like it was played on this court. They began to report the games the way they were, and even asked the coaches to explain why this team played the game so differently from other teams.

For the most part, the coaches couldn't answer the reporters. Some of the coaches were mystified. "Isn't this the way all teams play the game?" they asked. "Not hardly," said the reporters.

With the coaches' attention diverted, the players ran the games, but each player had a different goal, and not enough of them had any interest in the team.

The coaches had named a team captain, but many of the players felt they were more deserving of the captaincy. As it turned out, the captain knew the game and played the game with more skill, more knowledge, and a greater sense of team than many of the players.

When the captain had an open shot, he sank it more often than not. But the captain knew a one-person team couldn't win as many games as the captain knew the team was capable of winning. So he tried to get the team to play together.

"No dice," said four of his teammates. When those recalcitrants were in the game, their resentment and envy of the captain's greater skill came out in spades. This "Gang of Four" made it their mission to stop the captain.

One game, the captain tried to give these other players a chance to show their stuff. Instead of taking the shots, he would hold back. Instead of driving the lane, he'd hand off the ball and try to set a pick. That game went miserably. When the captain would toss the ball to an open player, the player would jerk his hands away and watch the ball sail out of bounds. Instead of an assist, the captain would be charged with a turnover. Instead of an easy basket, the team would have to retreat to defend its own basket.

That wasn't always the case, since the team had enough players who understood the concept of team, and the captain led the team to many victories. But it wasn't easy.

When the players's shoes wore out, the captain said "let's buy new shoes." The gang said no, but the players voted to do so anyway. So the gang stole the laces, and the team's next game was a disaster. They slipped and fell and dropped balls. The captain pointed out that the laces had been stolen, but the reporter who was a pal of the gang somehow left that out of his story.

The coaches, naturally, turned to the captain when they read about the game (that was one where the coaches were flirting with the cheerleaders instead of paying attention to the team). "Coaches," said the captain, "we played a pretty good game, but without shoelaces it was pretty rugged."

The coaches said they weren't pleased with the ragged play. The gang piped up to point out that it was the captain's fault.

Game after game, it seemed, the gang found yet another way to sabotage play, and while the team continued to rack up wins, the quality of play suffered.

The season is still ongoing. It remains to be seen what the coaches will do. But the fans are watching, and they're yelling at the coaches to pay attention.

Tomorrow, we'll begin the retrospective as we wind up our affairs here at VH. We will maintain the archive, but beginning April 1, if all goes according to plan, VH takes its talents on to a larger stage. All that remains to close the deal is a slight wrinkle in the financial details. That should be settled sooner, rather than later. Thanks for reading and commenting all along the way.

Seeking a Second Source

2006-03-18T09:16:00.000-05:00

I, for one, am not prepared to accept the proposition put forward in today's Tribune that New Albany's downtown will "never again be the commercial center of Floyd County."

However, revitalization awaits and the renaissance sputters in fits and starts. It is time for local government to put down its marker. With elections looming in the county this year, and the city next, voters should know where each relevant official and candidate stands on the issue of restoring downtown.

One sign of sputter comes with the report that Main Street Grind's operations are grinding to a halt. The weekday beanery has long been a staple for downtown workers, but the years have taken their toll on the owners. I'd like to have confirmation of the report that MSG will close effective April 1. With the move of Pam's quilt shop on Pearl to a Charlestown Road location, and the failure of Bistro New Albany to open, the news is not good.

Is there any question that a full commitment to downtown is needed now?

The Woman I Want to Work for Me

2006-03-17T19:28:00.000-05:00

Please, Lord, if you can arrange it, put me into the path of Holly Ralston Oyler so she can perform her wonders for me.

Defining Ourselves

2006-03-17T12:51:00.000-05:00

PUPA - The nonfeeding stage between the larva and adult in the metamorphosis of holometabolous insects, during which the larva typically undergoes complete transformation within a protective cocoon or hardened case.

It seems that Volunteer Hoosier is in transition from pupa to lepidopterum.

VH was never intended to be a daily newspaper. But sometimes we served that purpose.

This Web log can't take the place of a community bulletin board, but we were often a preferred choice for getting announcements out.

Likewise, VH is not a personal diary, a business marketing tool, a literary magazine, a humor site, nor a free-for-all chat room. Yet, these pages have, at times, simulated each of those.

Whatever we have done on these pages, we must have done something right.

But as time passes, it becomes clearer that the demands of our still-young business argue against trying to be all things to all people.

The lack of posts over the last few weeks has an explanation. VH has been in talks with a leading, emerging branded media organization which I am still unable to publicly identify. Part of the process dictated that VH suspend its commentary until noon on Friday, March 17, 2006. That proscription has now expired and been replaced with a different arrangement.

I have before me a letter of intent that outlines the terms and conditions of Volunteer Hoosier's merger with an online site that offers up political commentary, humor & satire, travel & leisure, literature, poetry, art, and a plethora of subjects. We are flattered to have been asked to shut down VH and become an editor with this admirable organization.

Although the product will no longer be exclusively our own, we are convinced that we can bring an added element to our new online partner's site.

One appealing aspect of this merger of interests is the opportunity to indulge in my own desire to dabble in short fiction. Under this new arrangement, you could be surprised at any time to find me writing speculative fiction.

A closing date has been set for April 1. As I am able, I will share with you additional details. Thanks for reading over these past 18 months.

What the Heck is Going On?

2006-02-26T12:03:00.000-05:00

We're completely covered with business and planning for a major author event. There's your explanation for my absence from the blogs. We certainly hope to resume with a regular schedule later in the season.

--------------------------

Pretty good news to report: Zesto's is open on Charlestown Road.

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Great news to report: Ann and I are probably the last of our circle to dine in at La Rosita's. After work last evening, with much anticipation and not a little trepidation that they might have closed the kitchen, we made our visit. It is everything it was advertised to be.

I tried the enchiladas verdes con pollo, after fighting with the spouse over who would order that. It was unique and unexpected. 5 enchiladas smothered in tomatillo sauce accompanied by refried beans (passable) and Mexican rice (passable), for $7.99. Most surprising was the swiftness of the service. In under an hour, we had been fed and treated to a wide-ranging discussion of dishes on the menu and off, business talk, personal histories, and future plans.

We had the apparently rare opportunity to meet impresario Israel Lundin's impressive spouse, too.

Ann had a grand quesadilla loca with mushrooms and chicken. I'll let her report on that.

The salsas (four of them) were superb, but Israel reports that a plurality of diners are advocating for the menu to stay down at the low end of the Scovill Unit scale. That can be the kiss of death for a restaurant that caters to what its customers say they want. My opinion: a little more heat won't run anybody off.

Instructive is Israel's experience with introducing lengua to the menu. He continues to offer samples, often presented as, in Israel's patois, roastpork. Customers rave, all the while protesting they could never eat tongue. But once sampled, the tongue becomes a favorite for most.

Great stories, too. CFP is planning a fairly important event there on March 8 if everything falls into place, so I expect to range much deeper into the menu then.

FYI, the dinner menu is still in flux, so the chalkboard and lunch menus serve as the only carte du jour for now.

I'm eager to work my way through the menu. Like others before me, I'm curious as to just what a pambazo is, and will try that next, but not before trying the tamales de la casa.

And unlike others, I won't just be crossing my fingers for their success. I'll actually go there, pay the eminently fair prices, and revel in the booming neighborhood success stories.

La Rosita's is at 1515 E. Market St., just west of the tracks on eastbound Market Street. Traffic was lean after 9 p.m. last night, but from all reports that's usually not the case.

BULLETIN: "The Gary" on the Agenda

2006-02-16T11:33:00.000-05:00

Although lobbying the city council on a zoning matter is technically verboten, you can be sure that at least one council member has had his ear bent by sprawlmeister Gary McCartin, the ambitious and self-assured developer who has already thrown down the gauntlet before council, asserting publicly that "New Albany can't stop me" from doing whatever (he) want(s) to do.

Tonight, The Gary seeks to have the City Council override the decision/recommendation of the New Albany Plan Commission regarding the erection of a professional office complex at the northwest corner of Green Valley Road and Daisy Lane.

For more coverage, see these earlier VH posts:

The McCartin Strategy from Feb. 3, 2006

Thumb, Nose...You Know the Drill from Jan. 31, 2006

Pubfustication

2006-02-16T08:16:00.000-05:00

C-J Columnist Bob Hill provides today's gem, a followup to an earlier column. It's a bit academic in tone, but I believe it should be required reading for the discerning visitors to this blog.

Here's a key passage: One of these tendencies is termed "belief preservation," or the tendency to make evidence subservient to belief, rather than the other way around.

That's a major distinctive one needs to keep in mind when reading the newspaper, watching a news show, or reading a blog. Seek out those who form their opinions from the evidence. That's good advice for you, too, Pandora.

Sharp readers share their views on critical thinking

Ten-Dollar Words: My Friend Died

2006-02-12T13:43:00.000-05:00

It's a sad day. My friend Bill Kenney died yesterday. The Big C went after him with a vengeance. I saw him three weeks ago and despite the metastasis and harrowing therapies, he said he felt surprisingly well.

The written and spoken word was Bill's life, recreationally and professionally. That he spent one of his last good days in the bookstore is a blessing. The Egglestonian Creed was his blog, and I've lifted one of his gems to reprint here today.

So long, Bill. We will miss you.

Sunday, April 24, 2005

Fat stuff

Juvenal said that it was impossible for him to observe life in Rome and not write satire. While I don't want to turn the Creed into a fat-rights blog and lack Juvenal's powers in any case, it's fairly difficult for me to observe the ubiquity of baryophobia and not comment on it. I recently encountered it in a surprising (to me) venue and equally recently noted it in an area where it had been present for years but has never been addressed.

A little more than a year ago, at the request of a friend, I applied for membership in an organization which I will call Sempronius. Sempronius has some membership qualifications, similar in kind to those of Mensa, but it is a much smaller organization and is less commonly known. It has no meetings, all of its business being conducted online or through its journal.

I was accepted for membership and indeed contributed two articles to Sempronius' journal, one of which featured the picture of Paige and me playing rithmomachy (see December archives). Most of the action took place on its online mailing list, though, and I found myself receiving dozens of e-mails a day when I had previously not averaged more than two or three a week. Some of these were reprints of articles in the papers, and quite a few were tedious (and tendentious) defenses of materialistic monism, but several were of real interest and quality, and I took part in a few discussions.

Suddenly, in late February, my inbox was filled with denunciations of fat persons, along the lines of "Those blimps shouldn't be allowed to show their faces in public" and "I have to sit with them on Chicago trains, and I can't stand to look at their rear ends." Well, my rear end has graced, or possibly disgraced, the seat of a Chicago el train, and so has Meg's (definitely graced).

I promptly responded to the most virulent of the posters, whom I will call John, asking whether Meg, an emergency-room nurse with more than a decade of stellar service who is also "overweight" by fashionable standards, should also cower in shame so that his fastidious psyche might not be traumatized, and advising him to cut the photograph out of the journal, since all 340 pounds of me were on blatant display. I also posted to the list, noting that I could get all the shame and contempt I wanted merely by turning on the TV or radio, and that I hardly needed to pay annual dues to anyone for further doses of them; and, furthermore, that there was no point in my continuing the "discussion," since anyone who believed me unfit to appear in public was highly unlikely to be impressed by any evidence or arguments I might offer. Therefore, I was resigning my membership in Sempronius.

One of the officers, whom I will call Ted, responded by saying that I couldn't resign without writing a letter to the membership officer (who was in transit between residences and had no known mailing address) and asking me to remain in the organization, but discontinuing my access to the list. While this might seem reasonable, it was not balanced by discontinuing John's access, and he continued to post on the topic, as I discovered when John admitted as much in an e-mail to me expressing shock that I took the matter so personally (to which I replied simply by quoting his own posts and observing that the comments therein were not couched in the idiom of clinical discourse). When I questioned the asymmetry, especially since John had violated the list guidelines (made known to all members) by making personal attacks, Ted replied that John was not a Sempronian but a list member only -- he didn't get the journal and possibly didn't even qualify for membership. This was comforting insofar as it was now certain that his tender soul would not be seared by pictures of fat rithmomachy players, but disconcerting insofar as it now appeared that the interests of a qualified Sempronian who paid full dues had been sacrificed to those of a nonmember who did not.

I questioned this in a return e-mail to Ted, whereupon I was told that John's statements did not violate the guidelines since (a) Jews had also been attacked as a class and (b) I had not been mentioned by name.

Now, I don't consider myself PC at all. However, it's not PCness, but simple Aristotelian logic, that dictates that A and E propositions refer to all members of the subject class. If all humans are mortal, and Socrates is human, then Socrates is mortal. You can't argue that Socrates is immortal because the word "Socrates" doesn't appear in the major premise. Of course, any statement that "fat persons shouldn't show their faces" is a personal attack on Meg and me, regardless of whether we are named. (John may never have seen Meg. However, he had that photo and knew what I looked like.) I have no idea why I should meekly put up with such attacks, and I can't fathom what Jews have to do with the matter.

I had earlier pointed this out to John, and I mentioned it tonight to Ted, who is still trying to get me to rejoin (my membership had run out at the end of March, whether or not my resignation was valid). Since Ted is a law student, I put the argument in legal terms. Is it okay for me to commit murder because the statutes of Indiana make it illegal but do not specifically say that Bill Kenney may not commit it?

The real problem, though, as I told Ted in every e-mail, was that I had joined Sempronius in hopes of finding intelligent discussion, and had instead found the same vicious fat-hatred that I could find on five-sixths of the talk shows on TV. I had hoped that the filthy tide would not rise so high.This leads, more or less, to the other venue (I need to work on writing segues), since it also purports to be, and often is, highly intellectual discourse. I refer to historical writing about the Third Reich. While there is a folk (or filk?) rule that the first person who mentions Nazis loses the argument, I'm not making an argument but an observation, and it's not about Nazis but about writing about them -- or about one of them.

It seems that authors cannot mention Hermann Goering three times without at least once identifying him as "fat" or "corpulent," as if there were a skinny Hermann Goering from whom he had to be distinguished. Nothing like this occurs when other Nazis are mentioned. Hitler's physique was far distant from that of the blond Nordics he believed to be alone worthy of power, but this contradiction is seldom mentioned and never reiterated. Himmler believed in the Welteislehre, a crank notion that the cosmos existed in a state of eternal struggle between fire and ice and that the Milky Way was a pile of gigantic blocks of ice, but his scientific ignorance is discussed only in essays specifically addressing science in Nazi Germany, not harped on every third time he is named. Goering himself was far more interested in looting the Louvre than in consuming the products of French restaurants, but he is not repeatedly referred to as an art thief. Why do we have to read over and over that Goering was fat? Isn't being a Nazi bad enough?

Just wondering. . .

Open Forum: The Tribune

2006-02-10T18:29:00.000-05:00

It's going to be a long weekend for everybody, so let's open a thread. We've all been patient with The Tribune/Evening News over the past four months, and we have, for the most part, kept our opinions to ourselves.

And although Mr. Tucker seems a touch ambivalent about candid appraisals, he does seem to be inviting comments. So, here's your chance. What do you want to see from The Tribune and the Evening News? Where have you seen improvement? etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.

We'll take a look again on Monday morning.

Community Activist Earns Coveted Prize

2006-02-09T19:37:00.000-05:00

We're proud to pass on the announcement that Tabitha Sprigler, whom we love and admire for her tenacity and good spirit, has been awarded one of the three annual undergraduate Chancellor's Medallion scholarships at Indiana University Southeast.

This news comes to us by way of Cindy Hess, the new public relations specialist for IU Southeast. Cindy recently joined the professional staff on the New Albany campus and holds the designation of APR (Accredited in Public Relations). Thanks for sharing it with us, Cindy.

We'll talk more about Tabitha later in comments, but here, without further delay, is the official announcement, released earlier today:

Three IU Southeast students named as
Chancellor’s Medallion Scholars, Class of 2006

NEW ALBANY, Ind. (February 9, 2006) – IU Southeast today announced that three students have been named as Chancellor’s Medallion Scholars, Class of 2006. The students will each receive a $3,000 scholarship and be recognized at the annual Chancellor’s Medallion Dinner on February 25th at Huber’s Orchard and Winery, Plantation Hall. Recipients are Sara Lynn Endler, Alcinda Emilia Flowers, and Tabitha Leigh Sprigler.

The Chancellor’s Medallion Scholars Award is given to IU Southeast students who demonstrate outstanding academic achievement, are active in extracurricular activities, and volunteer their time to the community. Funds for the scholarships are raised from proceeds from the Chancellor’s Medallion Dinner and silent auction.

Tabitha Leigh Sprigler (New Albany)

Louisville native Tabitha Leigh Sprigler now lives in New Albany and is an enthusiastic community activist and volunteer. She and her husband, James, created and launched two web portals designed to improve and promote New Albany. One website is an interactive showcase for New Albany-based businesses, and the other site is a forum for keeping the city clean.

Sprigler is also active in New Albany’s East Spring Street Neighborhood Association and Develop New Albany. She volunteers at The Center for Women and Families where she provides crisis counseling and support.

Sprigler is a junior at IU Southeast majoring in Sociology. She has a 3.8 GPA and her expected graduation date is May, 2007.

A 2000 graduate of Seneca High School, Sprigler was active in drama, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Key Club (promotes volunteerism), Students Against Drunk Driving, and the marine Junior Reserve Officers Training Corp.

Sprigler’s mother is Marsha Satterley of Louisville.

Sara Lynn Endler (Floyd Knobs)

Sara Lynn Endler is a senior at IU Southeast pursuing a degree in Elementary Education with an expected graduation date of May, 2007.

While maintaining a 3.9 GPA, Endler participates in many extracurricular activities including Spanish tutoring and translation for area elementary students, student ambassador for IU Southeast, and membership in two honor societies--Phi Eta Sigma and Kappa Delta Pi. She was instrumental in planning and launching a fundraiser to assist a classmate who was diagnosed with brain cancer.

Endler is a 2003 graduate of Floyd Central High School (FCHS). While at FCHS, she won numerous awards as an outstanding member of the FCHS Orchestra. She also ran track, played basketball, donated dozens of hours of volunteer time to Jewish Hospital, and remained active in many clubs. She is a member of the National Honor Society and has earned many academic accolades in high school.

Endler is the daughter of Frank and Rhonda Endler.

Alcinda Emilia Flowers (Jeffersonville)

Biology major Alcinda Emilia Flowers is a junior at IU Southeast and expects to receive her degree in May, 2007. She intends to become a doctor or a pharmacist.

Flowers is active in extracurricular activities on campus. She is a senator for the IU Southeast Student Government Association, a student ambassador, vice president of Phi Eta Sigma Honor Society, and vice president of the Pre-Health Professionals Society. She maintains a GPA of 4.0.

A 2003 graduate of Jeffersonville High School, Flowers participated in Varsity Girls Golf, Cheerleading and was the class president of the Student Government. She has won numerous academic awards and donated more than 100 volunteer hours at area hospitals and non-profit agencies.

Flowers is the daughter of Norman and Emilia Flowers.

The 2006 Chancellor’s Medallion Dinner

Now in its 13th year, the IU Southeast Chancellor’s Medallion Dinner is a premier civic event and fundraiser. Last year’s event generated over $32,000 for IU Southeast scholarships. Over 500 of the community’s civic, business, and educational leaders are expected to attend the event, which will feature a silent auction and John Belski of WAVE 3-TV as master of ceremonies.

In addition to the three scholarship winners, three distinguished Southern Indiana residents and philanthropists will receive the IU Southeast Chancellor’s Medallion for 2006. They are Norman Melhiser and Carlton and Sue Sanders. The Chancellor’s Medallion is the highest honor given by IU Southeast’s chancellor, Sandra Patterson-Randles, and is based on service to the community and a commitment to higher education.

Tickets to the Chancellor’s Medallion Dinner are $100 per person and can be obtained by calling Donna Harvey at 812-941-2630.

Quote of the Day

2006-02-08T08:40:00.000-05:00

Civil society means that free expression trumps the emotions of anyone to whom free expression might be inconvenient. -- Christopher Hitchens in Slate.

Curiouser and Curioser

2006-02-07T16:19:00.000-05:00

It's too early to speculate, but let's do it anyway.

We've watched carefully as the Community Newspaper Holdings Inc. (CNHI) newspapers make over The Tribune and The Evening News. I have to say that, so far, I'm less than impressed.

And perhaps I'm not the only one. Sources confirm to us that staff writer and former City Editor Amany Ali is the latest of senior employees to part ways with the company.

Amany has carried the city beat for quite a while now, but now is moving on toward more edifying pursuits. In something of a shocker, Ms. Ali has accepted a position with (drumroll, please)...The McCartin Companies.

Every person is entitled to seek happiness where it can be found. Transitions from journalism to commerce are all too common, but this writer will miss the unique cadences of the Ali reporting and commentary. Best wishes, Amany, in your new career. As you help to expand The Gary's empire of cookie-cutter sprawl, don't forget those of us who live and work in Mr. McCartin's donut hole.

Tribune Tribulations

2006-02-05T09:37:00.000-05:00

Congratulations, John. You get it.

The Tribune's publisher, John Tucker, has taken on the role of ombudsman (or public editor) by speaking directly to readers about the ever-evolving local newspaper. In today's editions, Tucker issues a mea maxima culpa to readers and to one reader in particular.

Careful readers will recall a letter to the editor from a "Liz Murphy" a few months ago. This blogger was stunned to see his friend Liz stepping out with a slap at The Tribune and a dig at the Scribner Place project.

Although the Scribner Place debate was over, "Liz Murphy" took a gratuitous swipe at The Tribune for supposedly focusing attention on the downtown redevelopment project at the expense of matters of importance to Greater Floyd County.

Seeing Liz's signature at the end of the letter was a shocker. As I made further inquiries, it made even less sense, as Liz and husband Chuck had been strong supporters of the project. The real Liz, a teacher in the public school system and a friend to and patron of my own establishment, set the record straight in a subsequent edition by way of a published letter to the editor.

In no uncertain terms, Liz assured us she remained a supporter of Scribner. Furthermore, she denied any great dissatisfaction with The Tribune.

You know what? I know and like Liz. But I'll bet you I know the fake "Liz," too.

"Liz" is a cowardly assassin, hiding under a hood and firing shots at anyone seeking to make New Albany a better place for all. Climb back into your hole and get out of our way. Unless you're willing to claim your opinions, you're not entitled to express them. Now, go take your meds.

And you know what else? "Liz" just read these words and is even now plotting anonymous revenge. Either that, or "Liz's" little brain just exploded.

And John? Good job today. You just made a whole bunch of enemies. These "free speechers" who hide from sight are a virulent plague, but in the end, harmless. They do not mold opinion. No one seeks out their counsel. Some are tools of other cowards. Some are thrashing in confusion. But as you might guess, the only way they read the paper is to steal it off their neighbor's porch.

Can't wait to see a "signed" opposing view of today's column.

True Love Ways

2006-02-03T10:56:00.000-05:00

Clear Lake, Iowa. Feb. 3, 1959.

In memory of the day the music died. Buddy, Ritchie, Bopper - we miss you.

The McCartin Strategy

2006-02-03T08:46:00.000-05:00

For the distempered set, let's make our previous posting crystal damn clear. With no apparent help from their elected council member, the residents in the area of Green Valley Road where it intersects Daisy Lane are fighting to maintain the residential nature of the neighborhood.

Many of these folks retired to what they believed would remain a residential area. They need our help. Other neighborhood associations need to stand with them to protect this one.

The McCartin strategy for this plat is to negotiate, modify, compromise but keep coming back until city planners, the council, and most importantly, the area residents, are either persuaded or worn down by the continual assault on their way of life.

And make no mistake about it, they are being worn down. Some are throwing in the towel and making public pleas for McCartin or some other sprawlmeister to buy them out, too.

The vast majority of the area residents are trying to stay informed and trying to get a hearing from the city's decision-makers. A stalwart Plan Commission and the Board of Zoning Appeals continue to rebuff the whole idea of expanding the commercial zone.

The next phase in this round is submission of the McCartin office condos to the city council. There is absolutely NO reason to believe this city council has the integrity to accept the negative recommendation of the Plan Commission.

Once again, these residents, many of whom are elderly, must go into the breach, but this time they will not be alone. The whole city is watching to see if the city council can be manipulated to endorse continued sprawl.

It is Gary McCartin who says "they can't live forever." He's counting on it. And that's why it is imperative that you call your council member to call for rejection of this (fifth) round of The Gary's assault on the community.

And to the snarling dog whose lack of discernment and inability to fathom irony chooses to slander this blogger, I have but one question: What are you doing to help these people?

For those of you who know how to read, I urge you to call now and through the weekend. Let your council member know it's time to take a stand against sprawl.

At-Large - Donnie Blevins, 1548 Corydon Pike (812) 944-4856
At-Large - Jack Messer, 1906 Carriage Court (812) 949-9638
At-Large - Mark Seabrook, 1130 Eastridge Drive (812) 944-9644

1st District - Dan Coffey, 425 West Seventh Street (812) 949-1262
2nd District - Bill Schmidt, 202 Ellen Court (812) 945-7386 schmidts@aye.net
3rd District - Stephen Price, 112 Butler Street (812) 941-9032

4th District - Larry Kochert, 2236 Shelby Street (812) 945-7652
5th District - Beverly Crump, 1510 Star Haven Drive (812) 948-2603 bcrump@iglou.com
6th District - Jeff Gahan, 1122 Eastridge Drive (812) 949-9314 gan2020@aol.com

Thumb, Nose...You Know the Drill

2006-01-31T15:55:00.000-05:00

Ain't democracy grand? Representative government lets the people (any "people") petition their government to provide a service or fix a problem.

Developer Gary "The Gary" McCartin is people. And he's pretty good at getting government to go along with his wishes. But point that out and The Gary tends to bristle, as evidenced by his harsh response to CM Beverly Crump at a recent City Council meeting.

Now, the knee-capping of Mrs. Crump makes sense. As we suspected at the time, and were more convinced of at a subsequent Plan Commission meeting, the grand design of this petitioner was to handicap Mrs. Crump and to cut her out of the voting herd.

What voting herd? Why, the upcoming gathering of the nine-member City Council, before which The Gary will petition to have the northwest corner of Green Valley Road and Daisy Lane rezoned from residential (R-2) to a PUD commercial office building.

Having failed to obtain approval for a retail space in previous "petitions," The Gary just keeps on coming back. Despite losing his bid to have the Plan Commission recommend the rezoning, it appears that petitioner is taking this one to the Supremes.

City Council has final say - after all, they each must stand for election, will have to answer to the voters, and ostensibly are closest to the people they represent. The near-neighbors (which include Mr. and Mrs. CM Schmidt) offered vigorous opposition, but they can't live forever!

You can be sure that The Gary is doing more than a little ex parte petitioning in advance of the meeting. You might call it renewing acquaintances, making friends, spreading cheer. But call it what you will, The Gary seems bound to get his vote in council.

So this council gets to make its declaration here and now. Does New Albany continue to blow hot air into the balloon, pushing development further and farther out (and leaving a hollow center)? Does the council agree with The Gary that downtown and the State Street corridor are "dead zones" that should be seen only in the rearview mirror?

We know that money talks. But does that mean that voters walk...away from the burgeoning sprawl? Will this balloting be the litmus test by which council is judged in 2007? Which will count more - votes or campaign contributions?

With Mrs. Crump neutralized by the machinations of The Gary, I stand without representation at council on this matter. Where do I go to get my council member back? Gary, I think you owe me one.

A Housing Primer

2006-01-25T21:44:00.000-05:00

I'm going to be busy tomorrow morning helping Bluegill pick out the interior for his new ride, so in the meantime, I invite you to ponder the important message contained in this link.

(Apologies for the previously bad link)

Elsa Knows

2006-01-24T22:07:00.000-05:00

Two categories for today, kids.

1. Which local resident acquired a copy of the city's 2003 audit, lost it, and had to have the State Board of Accounts e-mail it to them again?

Bonus Essay Question: Who recently drew a city, county, or quasi-public agency paycheck, but now does not? How has that affected their ability to measure reality? Is paranoia contagious? Is quarantine called for?

News and Notes

2006-01-24T08:32:00.000-05:00

Word on the street is that a major TV talking head, one we all have the chance to see regularly commenting on high-profile legal cases, is coming to New Albany...more details as they become available.

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No one has yet articulated why the group is so desperately opposed to a new subdivision of vintage homes relocated from the Floyd County hospital grounds. No one has yet explained why they oppose bringing tens of millions of dollars to New Albany to be used to rehabilitate substandard housing.

But the plaintiffs' hail-mary effort to stymie Linden Meadows was rebuffed, as expected, when special judge Cecile Blau cut through the attempts to confuse the issue and ruled in favor of the City of New Albany. Lead plaintiff Becky Gardenour vowed to appeal the decision. No word yet from Main Street on whether funds will continue to flow to pay for the lawsuit appeal.

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One local blogger knows better than all of us the benefits that would flow from completion of Linden Meadows.

Wonder why we never hear about it from that quarter?

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Sen. Connie Sipes is trying to hold back the tide, or at least ameliorate some of the ill effects of a telecom deregulation bill making its way through the General Assembly. This has become an annual assault on the people. Government is best when it's closest to the people. So why

would the legislature pass a bill removing local authority over cable TV, and threaten to prevent (preempt) localities from providing municipal broadband services?

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Maury K. Goldberg, publisher of the Web log "New Albany Today," provides an important service by posting the candidate filings this month. But Maury, we'll find it wherever it is.

Come back to blogging new content!

Happy Birthday, Senator!

2006-01-22T14:08:00.000-05:00

Beloved by most Democrats and admired by millions, Birch Bayh gave his best to Indiana. Today he and his family mark the Senator's 78th birthday. Happy Birthday, Senator.

Tribune Stepping Out

2006-01-22T10:44:00.000-05:00

We had heard the members of the new regime at The Tribune and The Evening News were maintaining a low editorial profile until they felt comfortable with their grasp of local issues.

Five of the six members of the editorial board are new to the institution, and effectively, new to the area, although publisher John Tucker can hardly be called a newcomer. He has been here, more or less as a full-timer, for time sufficient to suss out the landscape.

Today, that board came out of their self-imposed hibernation. Maybe now the citizenry will do the same. I'm persuaded that New Albany Can, but only if the people pay attention. A provocative Trib is one means to focusing that attention and the lead editorial deserves a look.

Let me first say I disagree with the conclusion and opinion expressed in the piece titled "Closing Silvercrest is right decision" under the heading "Our Opinion." That said, the editorial board tries to explain its conclusion, lays out their methodology for making a choice, and provides supporting facts and professional analysis.

The Daniels administration sent a team to "sell" the idea to the editorial board. They bought it. This is the same Republican administration that, as reported by The Tribune, claimed the support of New Albany's Democratic mayor for its 2006 agenda for the cities and for transportation priorities. Wrongly, as it turns out, but with today's editorial, TMM can add The Tribune (and The Evening News) to its roster of supporters. No printed corrections necessary.

Perhaps this was not as compelling a presentation as the headline implies, or this reader infers from the headline. The board exhibits more than a little suspicion about the Daniels administration's intentions, and pledges to closely monitor subsequent diversions of funding if the facility closes.

I've asked the publisher if the board has met with Rep. Bill Cochran (D-72) and Sen. Connie Sipes (D-46) on this issue. They have made a compelling case that the facility is uniquely suited to serving its clients and should be maintained intact.

We invite your opinions today. Post away!

Well, Slap My Face!

2006-01-20T08:51:00.000-05:00

When will I learn?

Yesterday, I at least implied that the New Albany City Council meeting would be uneventful. I even went so far as to say the zoning ordinances would be handled as routine.

Boy, was I wrong.

Folks, you simply must attend these meetings occasionally, just to keep these guys alert. If you miss a meeting, you can't spot the lies when they begin to ooze across the floor.

A typical grandstanding tactic was again on display last evening when CM Coffey claimed to be "surprised" that stormwater fees would not be collected until the January Indiana American bills were sent out. Much discussion ensued, centered around what Mr. Coffey didn't know. "That's not what we were told" he repeated several times. Poor Chad McCormick was forced to bow and scrape until he was able to get the words out - "We (SWAC) have nothing to do with that."

Here's why you have to go to council meetings. I knew that. So why didn't Coffey et al? How did I know that? I heard it at Mr. Coffey's council meeting. I paid attention. And the whole room caught Coffey in yet another self-serving lie last night.

So when you hear another complaint about "communication," take up a collection for Q-tips so Dan can clean out his ears and hear what the rest of the room hears.

Council Sets Light Schedule

2006-01-19T13:50:00.000-05:00

Once again, we invite you to join us tonight in the Third Floor Assembly Room of the City/County Building for the second regular meeting of 2006, Year Three for this City Council. Kickoff time? 7:30 p.m.

The interesting but routine rezoning requests, and of course, the always brittle communications from the public, appear to be the only scheduled divertissement.

But then, Dan Coffey will surely have something diverting to say.

I honestly don't know the answer to this, but can I safely assume the council president makes these scheduled appointments?

Sewer Board
- Mark Seabrook
- Larry Kochert

Plan Commission
- Beverly Crump

Redevelopment Commission
- Jack Messer
- Steve Price

Caesar’s Foundation Board
- Beverly Crump
- Mark Seabrook

Solid Waste Board
- Dan Coffey

Building Authority
- Bill Schmidt

Zoning Appeals Board
- Dan Riggs

Sittag & Kipda
- Letty Walters

Candidates Put Names Forward on First Filing Day

2006-01-18T16:53:00.000-05:00

Intrepid reporter Maury K. Goldberg has scoped out the field of candidates who filed Wednesday for the May 2 primary elections. He'll be updating the list periodically, beginning with this evening's posting.

Volunteer Hoosier has provided a link to New Albany Today in the gutter to the right. We encourage you to review the list of candidates, make sure your registration is current, and vote in the party primary of your choice.

After all, choice is what it's all about. We'll be watching for "surprise" candidates to enter the field!

Vignettes From the Third Floor

2006-01-17T23:10:00.000-05:00

Some of us in the CFP took a stroll down to the courthouse this evening to see our government in action. Of particular interest this night was the request for rezoning by the entity known as Daisy Lane, LLC, otherwise known as The McCartin Companies.

This was the group's second bite at the apple (a correspondent points out it's the third bite), and after much negotiation with the city plan staff, a proposal to rezone (actually for approval of a planned unit development district) came before the New Albany Plan Commission.

Residents of the area of impact, roughly the square mile surrounding the intersection of Daisy Lane (East-West) and Green Valley Road (North-South), turned out in force to express their objection to creeping commercial development in that corridor.

The property owner, the prospective developer's representatives, and an interested potential buyer of condominium offices there spoke convincingly about the project's benefits. Their case, seemingly backed by the city staff, was that preserving the residential nature of the area was a lost cause because of previous allowances made to root out residences and replace them with commercial uses.

The family practicioner interested in purchasing several units of the development spoke of his own practice's need to be "near the hospital" and "near other doctors" because his patients expected it. Having grown up miles from the nearest hospital, I couldn't immediately see the logic in that argument, especially considering that space much nearer to the hospital is available now.

All in all, it was a compelling night of civic activism. The Plan Commission issued a negative recommendation. Now, the New Albany City Council becomes the battleground, presumably at February's first meeting.

The vote was 6-2, with one abstention (and two vacancies). Six votes is the required number to approve or disapprove such diversions from the city's comprehensive plan and zoning regime.

Chas Hunter (who carefully explained his reasoning) and Don Gibbons (who elected not to explain) voted against the negative recommendation. Observers could not be sure this was a vote for the proposal, or simply a preference that the commission make no recommendation.

Commission President Robert Norwood, Vice President Jason Emly and members Dick Bliss, Steven LaDuke, Thomas Wolf, and John Gonder expressed the will of the commission, recommending that the city council reject the request.

One interesting sidelight: Commission member and city council member Beverly Crump recused herself from considering the matter, actually leaving the room during deliberations. One recalls the contretemps that erupted when the "no-bull" Mrs. Crump asked of Mr. McCartin at the last council meeting: "I want to know. Did you say you could do anything you wanted and the City of New Albany couldn't stop you?"

Preceded by a highly personal rebuke of Mrs. Crump, Mr. McCartin launched into a rambling 17-minute dissertation on all the good he had done for the city, how the city's zoning rules were the craziest he had seen anywhere in the U.S. (no mention of Brazil), and how the sewage backup that ran his Lauren's Crossing tenants away was "not his fault." And that was about an entirely unrelated zoning request.

It seemed petty and pretty bad form to attack the council while asking them to waive their rules and rush through an "emergency" rezoning, but maybe it was more calculated than even we imagined. Could "The Gary" have anticipated tonight's session and knowing that Mrs. Crump is, if anything, an honorable woman, she would feel compelled to recuse herself? After all, dozens saw Mr. McCartin challenge her integrity. Although I have not spoken to Mrs. Crump (and I was tardy to the meeting tonight), I can only assume that Mrs. Crump would say after McCartin's attack on her, at least some people might assume she had a bias.

That makes it pretty remarkable, then, that the commission could still put together six votes to recommend disapproval.

The result was notable, and for the record, I'm certain I would have voted to maintain the residential nature of the parcel. But the public comment portions were revelatory for this novice to Plan Commission meetings.

With little of the irrelevancy and petulance often exhibited at City Council meetings, the residents of the affected area gave poignant testimony to their beliefs. And, it seems most, if not all, were resigned to seeing their cause get crushed under the inexorable assault of commercial development.

Kudos to Mrs. Kunzman for her advocacy for revitalizing downtown; to feisty and devoted Erin Schroeder, who demonstrated some of the skills inculcated by the Girl Scouts of the U.S.A., from which Erin earned the group's highest honor; and to Dana Fendley, who once again took up the cause of her constituents and dispassionately reminded the commission of its A-number-one consideration (our correspondent says that, actually, the Plan Commission may not consider) - the actual need for the rezoning. (But the hearing included much discussion by the public about whether there was a need. That's a pretty fine point, but a good one to remember)

And to all the rest of you, some of whom left the room thinking you had lost, but who soon learned you had won a big, if still unsecured, victory - congratulations.

I left admiring the participants, from Hunter and Gibbons and the doctor and the landowner, to the homeowners who would have had to live with another result.

Will the council vote to reject the recommendation of the Plan Commission? Will Mr. Coffey be obligated to vote to reward his patron? Will Mr. McCartin, given about three weeks to lobby the council, be able to pick up two key rezonings in two consecutive meetings?

Stay tuned.

And again, congratulations to all sides for a battle well fought.

Public Service Announcements

2006-01-16T18:04:00.000-05:00

For those of you who know her, you'll want to know "Ceece's" grandfather's struggle with illness is over, according to a correspondent.

Fredrick S. Hill passed away Sunday. Visitation is Tuesday at Seabrook Dieckmann & Naville, with services at Floyds Knobs Christian Church on Wednesday.

To all his family, we extend our condolences and prayers.

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The New Albany Plan Commission meets Tuesday, Jan. 17, at 7 p.m. for its regular meeting. The only new business on the agenda is a new request for a planned unit development district (spot rezoning) for Daisy Lane LLC's proposed professional/medical office complex on the northwest corner of Green Valley Road and Daisy Lane.

The previous PUDD request was rejected, and a subsequent zoning appeal was turned down to change this residential zoning to commercial. Interested parties should contact Plan Commission Director John W. Rosenbarger for more information. This is a public hearing in the 3rd floor Assembly Room for Mr. McCartin's request.

Did You Know?

2006-01-13T15:20:00.000-05:00

Effective Jan. 1, the city workers who manage New Albany's stormwater drainage system have been severed from the accounts of the sewer utility. City Council established a stormwater quality management account from which these workers are paid. Whether a user fee to fund the account has been collected or not has no bearing on whether these workers get paid. It is the account to which their payroll is charged that matters. That account has been established and budgeted.

So for those who continue to insist that these workers are STILL a drain on sewer finances - stop the lying!

Actual Malice

2006-01-13T14:45:00.000-05:00

One can often forgive ignorance and confusion, even the willful kind. But a reckless disregard for the truth and willful defamation becomes not only unforgivable, but actionable.

Volunteer Hoosier is a progressive Web log, advocating for our ideas. It is also an independent journal that tries to inform with factual news and to urge readers to join us in our efforts to spread the word that Floyd County and New Albany CAN and WILL be better each day, each week, each month, and each year.

There is always a tension between free debate and civil discourse. The boundaries can often become blurred. But an accusation of impropriety, ill will, or lack of vision fall far short of alleging criminality.

Recent recklessness on a slanderblog known to regular readers of this space has crossed that boundary. Although the site in question has developed a reputation for being consistently wrong in both its factual assertions and in its predictive role, allegations of criminality have now been made.

Most officeholder, and many activists, learn to live with the stones cast by their political enemies. But even politicians have a limited right to seek damages when they are defamed with "actual malice." Lawyers will tell you that the term "actual malice" has little or nothing to do with "honest hatred" or any other lay term. It is a legal term of art, with very specific meaning. Those who publish news or commentary, whether it is their own opinions or the opinions of others, are not protected from the consequences of disseminating slander and libel if they know it to be false or show a reckless disregard for the truth.

Holds true for blogs. In a different world, politicians might have to surrender their rights to be free from false accusations. In a different world, maybe "blogs" could be exempt from the standard, and thus free to publish accusations of any stripe.

But when a person uses legal terms to accuse, they had better get them right.

Let's say Politician C has an affair. Though that might be distasteful and a blot on the character of the politician, it doesn't regularly rise to the level of a crime. To then accuse C of rape, simply for political advantage, would be actionable. Truth might be a defense, but we already know it was an affair, not rape. The slanderer would be liable for damages as proved.

If the rape charge damages the reputation of C, there is no "get out of jail" card simply because C is a politician. Nor because the slanderer uses a Web log to make the accusation.

For most of us...

2006-01-12T09:35:00.000-05:00

The presidential visit on Wednesday was an occasion for us to bite out tongues, grin, and bear it.

But for one local young progressive, it was a moment he'll remember for a long time.

And now you can capture for all time the sight of Mr. Steve Laduke sharing a stage with George W. Bush. Steve's in the tan suit coat at the extreme right of the pic.

Apology: Abject

2006-01-08T02:38:00.000-05:00

I must admit that I fell for it.

I have done a disservice to my readers.

During the past several months, I have considered the blatherings of a certain scandal-blogger, one who has only infinitesimal allegiance to the truth, one who has truly sold out to a political agenda designed to relegate the municipality of New Albany to the wastebin of history, as legitimate.

Although I disagreed, almost incomparably, with every utterance from this schizophrenic mouthpiece for the forces of regress, I still credited it with intent.

I recant. I seek absolution.

The most recent posting from this bibulous Internet outlet makes it clear that, all along, we have been had. The fleeting Web log known as Speak Out Lout (pardon, Loud) New Albany has demonstrated, even for this gullible mind, that its congenital contempt for progress was, is, and always will be an exercise in satire, designed to narcotize the incumbents in NA Districts 1, 2, 3, and 4 into the belief that their unforgivable neglect of the public weal was accepted by no fewer than four residents of this notable city.

The endorsement of the feeble efforts of CM Steve Price makes it clear, even to this feeble mind, that it was all just a joke. That, even for one moment, I acknowledged it as an expression of "a" viewpoint amongst the citizenry of this storied city, is my shame.

It was all a joke. Good one, Laura. I bow to you. Your latest posting makes it clear that you've been pulling our leg all this time. That you have enabled the sub-literate to excrete their addled versions of reality must have been, all along, part of your master plan.

Although I don't pretend to understand your master plan, the subtle way in which you exposed the truly damaged minds who inhabit the body politic was, indeed, masterful. $$$$$$$$, concern taxpayer, Yvonne Kersey et spouse, Messrs. Brambleberry and Lucchese, EriKKK, and all were exposed for the inveterate prevaricators they are. That you corraled others into this web was, I'm sure, an exercise in acceptable collateral damge, and I'm sure they will forgive you.

As for me, I can say only "brava" for the performance piece you produced. I am humbled that it took me this long to realize that you weren't serious, even for a moment.

I eagerly await your next posting. It can only advance the cause of the ordinary resident of New Albany to root out the dementia, and expose the bacterial 'pinions of the "families" beholden to the Coffey-Price-Schmidt-Kochert "Gang of Four."

Your exposure of this cancerous element is to be applauded. I could not have orchestrated a better way to show the people of NA the true choices facing them in 2007. Gracias.

Communication Problem?

2006-01-06T09:15:00.000-05:00

New Albany's Gang of Four

That explains it!!

Get your own memento of City Council meetings at http://www.kangarooconnection.com/.

A Puzzler

2006-01-05T13:38:00.000-05:00

Local scandal-blogger, rumormonger, and fantasist Laura Oates is a real puzzler.

She is on record as insisting that Rumpke's $18 plus per household bid would turn out to be the winning bid on the sanitation contract. In the alternative, she bleated repeatedly that the only legitimate choice was the $16 plus alternative suggested by AFSCME.

It is clear that the costs for each of those far exceed the cost of the actual winning bidder. So, pray tell, if it takes $16 per household just to cover the costs, how much profit can there be in the $12.90 cost to the city?

With all the precision and control of explosive diarrhea, Oates more than implies that great riches are flowing to the recipient of the contract and that she is entitled, on behalf of her quartet of bitter aggrieved former office-seekers, to know the complete shares agreement of each of Bob Lee's companies.

Why is everybody out to get you, Laura?

No Thanks

2006-01-05T11:13:00.000-05:00

Volunteer Hoosier works hard to bring you news you can't get elsewhere. We recognize that not everyone has the time (nor the inclination) to be their own reporter. The nature of this medium allows for immediacy in a way not offered by other media sources, so we are rightfully proud to be able to bring you news when it comes to us.

During the past year, our reporting has been factual and timely, often "scooping" other outlets. Fellow blogger Roger Baylor and his NA Confidential is yet another reliable source for news about public affairs.

The one rule both Roger and I abide by is that we don't publish until we have the facts. When our readership wants answers, we provide them.

Recently, our readers expressed great curiosity about the details of New Albany's contract for sanitation. When we learned the contract had not yet been signed by the parties, we inquired of the city and others to learn what was happening. We requested to be informed when the contract was executed and to be included on the distribution list for any press releases or official announcements thereof.

Alas, being a reporter is a thankless job; no release was issued, so I repeated my request and was sent a copy of the signed contract. When rampant speculation ensued as to what might happen in the new year without a contract, this Web log made the announcement that the contract had been signed. Later, accusations of a coverup were circulated and speculation began about details of the contract that ranged from schadenfreude to pure character assassination.

To allay any legitimate and sincere concerns, VH published, in two installments, the agreement between the City of New Albany and Clark-Floyd Landfill LLC/Eco-Tech LLC d/b/a Southern Indiana Waste Systems.

The document was and is public information. It became more public and readily accessible upon publication on these pages. Any resident could read the contract and evaluate it. It remains available even now.

By making this agreement public, the parties were alerted to inadequacies in the drafting of the agreement, ambiguities that did not reflect the actual intent of the parties. Those flaws were corrected on the next working day. Those technical corrections are not reflected on these pages as of yet, but then, they were technical, not material. I am certain that any interested party can obtain a copy of the amended agreement at the City County Building.

VH doesn't typically attribute its reports to its sources. In so doing, we put our personal reputation for truth-telling on the line. No weasel words like "according to so-and-so." It's risky, and readers will have to make their own judgments about how accurate the reports on these pages have been over the past months. Our conscience is clear.

In this instance, we reported first the signing of the agreement, then demonstrated the existence of the agreement for those who doubted our first reports, and subsequently transcribed the entire agreement for public consideration.

No thanks are necessary. You're welcome. Glad to do it.

When we are mistaken, we correct those mistakes. But we don't publish until we know the truth, and you will continue to see it here.

VH decided to post the signed contract here so that the public could decide for themselves what the contract contained.

For those curiously obsessed about this reporter's "right" to seek out and publish information, public or otherwise, here's a passage that pretty much defines it:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Most state constitutions and long-standing jurisprudence have extended these rights as against the states, their agents and creations.

And here's more discussion of the topic:

http://frwebgate1.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/waisgate.cgi?WAISdocID=485585434890+0+0+0&WAISaction=retrieve

This is for You, J.F.

2006-01-04T23:25:00.000-05:00

For the intended recipient, the jury is still out on the perspicacity of this writer. Although our posts have been increasingly infrequent, we do realize that frequency and entertainment value are, well...valued by our readers.

I'm privileged to be able to preview a certain percentage of upcoming literary releases (heavily weighted toward fiction, I might add), and I hope to be able to use this forum to share piquant passages from that literature.

So, this one's for you, J.

Should democracy be applied like a tourniquet? Or a suppository?

Talk amongst yourselves.

And for you, J., if you want to go "slumming," try 038551722X. To my mind, it's a cross between C. Buckley and J.S. Foer. Accessible, yet bizarre. Satiric, yet filled with cultural iconoclasm.

For Wonks Only

2006-01-04T19:04:00.000-05:00

There is a lot of deliberate disinformation floating around town, with this past week seeing hitherto unseen lows from troggus bloggus and the hooded cowards who post there.

The brand of Web fantasy dealt there is most akin to arson during a drought. Some people just get their jollies from seeing things burn. More responsible bloggers with a sense of journalistic integrity find it their duty to fight these unceasing firestarters.

Herewith, a little primer on one small bit of sleight-of-hand being used to distract the truly sincere with alphabet soup and tired doggerel from past decades.

EDIT (or CEDIT) stands for economic development income tax. It was created as a source for counties, cities and towns to actually invest in their towns. All residents who earn income, here or elsewhere, pay the EDIT tax. EDIT can be as high as .5% of income. It is distributed twice a year.

CAGIT (county adjusted gross income tax) is intertwined with property taxes and property tax relief. CAGIT is collected by the state and distributed to municipalities twice a year. Most CAGIT revenue replaces property taxes - about 12.5% of CAGIT can be used for other governmental purposes, with the rest going to general fund property tax relief. It is designed to change the mix of tax burden, benefiting property owners at the expense of income earners. By implementing a CAGIT, then, a municipality must reduce property taxes by an amount equal to 87.5% of the CAGIT revenue. In most jurisdictions who use it, the rate is set at either .5%, .75%, or 1%.

A third option, which cannot be used in conjunction with CAGIT, is the COIT, or county option income tax. It is not tied to property tax relief, and thus can be a source of revenue that captures income rises while maintaining the property tax base. COIT is distributed monthly, and can rise to as high as 1% (of income) over time.

The combination of EDIT and CAGIT in Floyd County and New Albany is capped at 1.25% of adjusted gross incomes of the residents of the jurisdiction. If my memory serves, we're slightly under that taxation limit, and some are advocating for a cut, reasoning that we no longer need to invest in the future.

EDIT funds, at least until July of 2005, required a jurisdiction to have a specific state-approved plan for the use of EDIT funds. That is, it was to be used for investments designed to generate a new tax base to help pay operating expenses and keep the property tax burden down. The last session of the legislature removed that restriction, offering the temptation to localities to use EDIT money for operating expenses or any governmental purpose.

The more responsible office-holders are determined to keep the use of EDIT taxes for investment, not operating expenses. In the next few years we'll see who has the discipline to leave those funds intact for economic development, and who will want to raid those funds for short-term gain.

The City of New Albany receives (if my memory serves) about $2.4 million each year from the EDIT (tax). Almost all of that is committed to bond retirement, with two bonds set to expire in 2006 and 2007, respectively. The city is in no danger of over-committing these anticipated funds, particularly with respect to the Scribner Place project. There is more than enough in EDIT to meet those requirements, which could be as little as $140,000 per year.

To restate, EDIT funds committed previously have all been according to a written plan that justified their commitment as economic development. Residents can argue over what constitutes economic development, but as of right now all commitments met with state approval. Neither the city nor the county have "oversubscribed" those funds. In a year or two, there will be greater opportunity to invest in the future.

Where other funds have been used to meet what may have previously been "EDIT" obligations, the state has approved them all.

Nos, if any residents care to make the case that pumping up the investment in city sewer infrastructure (as opposed to capacity) is an economic development activity, and to advocate for an accelerated investment in propping up the main sewer arteries in the inner city...I think the case can be made. Right there with bike paths and sidewalks. I agree that we are spending too little on all three of those.

Hope this helps.

And one last thought: Why is it the people who demand more investment in sewers are the first to don their white hoods and hoist their pitchforks against any investment in economic development? And in any thought of increasing the tax base to support city operations? The anti-tax crowd is, in fact, the anti-community crowd, the anti-New Albany crowd.

But then, you knew that already, didn't you?

Sanitation Ops Begin With Cooperation

2006-01-03T15:45:00.000-05:00

NA's Board of Public Works and Safety met today and heard a comprehensive report from the president of Southern Indiana Waste Systems, the operating company assigned by Clark-Floyd LLC/Eco-Tech LLC to fulfill the five-year residential waste and recycling contract.

Still no word on just how many of the former city workers hired on with SIWS, though presumably most of them are on the job with the new company today.

The contract has been amended to reflect the intent of the parties and to clear up any ambiguities. Section 5 was cleaned up to reflect billing rates on 12,000 residential units x $12.90 per month, paid two times a month.

There was, of course, never any doubt that this was the case. And it's not beyond the realm of possibility that the parties might amend it again as events dictate.

The spirit of cooperation preceded the formal institution of the contract. The city's operations were hampered last week by a "perfect storm" with three trucks out of service, the loss of one day (Monday) to pick up the slack, and the "normal" excessive amount of refuse that always accompanies Christmas gift-giving.

SIWS jumped into the breach by lending the city two trucks and two crews. It really helped the city, and allowed the management of the company to get an advance feel for the work.

Still, a few routes did not get picked up during the past week. As I recall, this was the case last Christmas, too, abetted by lingering white stuff and trucks without the motive force to navigate slickened alleys and roadways.

Next year, Christmas falls on a Monday, which will set up a valid test of the new operation vs. the past operations. Cross your fingers.

Bob Lee of SIWS told the board today that Lawrence Jones will be the supervisor of the SIWS operation. Anybody know Mr. Jones?

Six new trucks provided service today, with recycling being conducted by two additional "red" trucks. Two other trucks were trying to catch up on the routes missed last week, according to reports from the meeting.

Looks like week one is off to a good start.

Rumorbusters III (Updated, Again)

2005-12-31T15:53:00.000-05:00

The contract transcribed below is a draft that has since been amended to more clearly state the intention of the parties. We urge readers who so desire to seek out the contract as amended.

But here's a question for you. Should all such agreements, which are public records, after all, be made available online?

Did any member of the City Council care enough to ask to see this contract? Certainly the news media did, although it would have been a rare occurrence, indeed, if they were to offer the text in their print editions. But what keeps them from archiving such things on their Web sites?

For the record, the reason I and several other residents of New Albany have copies of this contract is (drumroll, please)...we asked. Whether you like it or not, VH is a legitimate media source, offering both news and commentary, and we hope, some occasional entertainment. The fact that blogging is not my full-time job doesn't make my legitimacy questionable.

Where's that convenient "communication" problem when you need it to beat the administration about the ears? Mr. Seabrook was right when he said he's "never seen such hostility from a council toward a mayor." Explains a lot, Mark.

New Albany enters a new era in municipal services in just a few hours as the city contracts with Southern Indiana Waste Systems to pick up residential garbage and recycling. Lots of interesting items in this contract, but nary a sign to support the loony conspiracy theories bedeviling the blogosphere.

As a public service and recorded here for Internet posterity, Volunteer Hoosier presents you with the contract. That's right. A real document signed by real people working to serve this city.

AGREEMENT FOR COLLECTION

OF RESIDENTIAL SOLID WASTE AND

RECYCLABLES IN THE

CITY OF NEW ALBANY, INDIANA

This agreement is made and entered into this 30th day of December, 2005 by and between the City of New Albany, Indiana (the "City") and CLARK-FLOYD LANDFILL, L.L.C./ECO-TECH L.L.C., SOUTHERN INDIANA WASTE SYSTEMS, L.L.C. and/or its assign as defined in this agreement (hereafter "Contractor").

RECITALS

A. On November 1, 2005, the City issued a Request for Bids for the collection and disposal of residential solid waste. The City previously requested Bids on April 5, 2005 and awarding this contract the City specifically rejected all bids from the previous request for bids.

B. After reviewing all bids submitted in response to the Request for Bids, the City determined that the best bid was a collection of solid waste and recyclables bid submitted by the Contractor for the collection and disposal of residential solid waste and the collection and recycling recyclables for the City.

C. The City and Contractor now desire to enter into this Agreement, setting forth the terms and conditions under which the Contractor will collect and dispose of residential solid waste and collect and recycle recyclables.

NOW THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing and the mutual covenants, promises and undertakings of the Parties as herein set forth herein, it is hereby agreed by and between the Parties as follows:

1.0 DEFINITIONS

For the purpose of this Agreement, the following words and/or terms shall be defined and interpreted as follows:

1.0.1 "Applicable Laws" shall mean all applicable statutes, rules having the force of law, regulations, laws, by-laws and ordinances of the United States, the State of Indiana, and municipalities or governmental entities having jurisdiction over the services performed by Contractor pursuant to this agreement.

1.0.2 "Commencement Date" shall mean January 1, 2006.

1.0.3. "CPI" shall mean the Consumer Price Index for all Urban Consumers (CPI-U): U.S. city average, under the following expenditure and commodity and service group: Water and sewer and trash collection services.

1.0.4 "Effective Date" shall mean the last date this Agreement is signed by a party.

1.0.5 "Force Majeure" means any event relied upon by The Contractor or the City, as applicable, as justification for delay in or excuse from complying with any obligation required under this Agreement, including, without limitation: (i) an act of God, landslide, lightning, earthquake, fire, explosion, storm, extremely abnormal and excessively inclement weather, tornado, flood or similar occurrence; (ii) the denial, loss, suspension, expiration, termination, failure of renewal, or any permit, license or other governmental approval required to dispose of and/or accept Residential Solid Waste at a transfer station or disposal facility; (iii) the adoption or change (including a change in interpretation or enforcement) of any federal, state, county, or local law, rule, permit, regulation or ordinance after the date of this Agreement, applicable to either party's obligations under this Agreement, including, without limitation, such changes that have a substantial, material and adverse effect on the cost of performing the obligations set forth in this Agreement; (iv) a strike, work slowdown, labor disturbance or other labor unrest; or (v) acts of a public enemy, acts of war, terrorism, insurrections, riots, civil disturbances, blockades and similar events.

1.0.6 "Recycling Bin" shall mean an 18 gallon bin, provided and maintained by the City, for use by Residents to contain only their Residential Recyclables.

1.0.7 "Residential Cart" shall mean a 90-96 gallon "Toter" brand or its equivalent wheeled cart, with necessary hardware for use with tipper type trucks, provided and maintained by the City, for use by Residents to contain their Residential Solid Waste.

1.0.8 "Residential Recyclables" shall mean newspapers, aluminum cans, tin cans, and plastic #1 and #2 bottles and other items listed on Schedule A, as contained in the bid by the Contractor, and such other items or materials which are agreed upon by the parties. And attached hereto and made a part of.

1.0.9 "Residential Solid Waste" shall mean garbage, refuse and trash generated by Residents occupying Residential units, including one (1) bulk item and/or "white good" per pick up, excluding Unacceptable Waste.

1.10 "Residential Unit" shall mean any single family and multi-family household of eight (8) units or less located within the geographic boundaries of the City. The term Residential Unit does not include dwelling units in a mobile home park or commercial facility, however if the City bills said facility then the Contractor shall include the same in its service.

1.11 "Residential Units Number" shall mean the number of Residential Units in the City, which, as of the Commencement Date, is agreed upon by the parties to be Twelve Thousand (12,000). The Residential Units Amount shall be adjusted upon a change in the number of Residential Units, as verified through a count of such Residential Units. This count is to be updated by actual count certified to by the Contractor and the City at least on a once yearly basis.

1.12 "Unacceptable Waste" shall mean hazardous materials; liquids of any kind; inflammable and/or explosive materials; dirt, stones, asphalt, gravel, broken or whole bricks, concrete, steel, iron and other refuse from repairs, alterations or new construction of buildings and sidewalks, including remodeling debris; hot ashes; large automobile/truck parts and tires; any material prohibited for disposal in landfills; yard waste.

2.0 CONTRACTORS RESPONSIBILITIES

2.01 Contractor shall collect Residential Solid Waste, placed in Residential Carts or in cans weighing not more than forty (40) pounds or in tied plastic bags, and brought to the curb by Residents, once per week.

2.02 The Contractor shall collect Residential Recyclables, placed in Recycling Bins and brought to the curb and/or alley or designated area by Residents, two times per month however the Contractor shall have no obligation to collect or remove materials other than Residential Recyclables which are placed in Recycling Bins or suitable bins or tied bundles of paper or cardboard.

2.03 The Contractor shall dispose of all Residential Solid Waste collected pursuant to this contract at the Clark-Floyd Landfill.

2.04 Contractor shall deliver Residential Recyclables to a recycling facility.

2.05 In the performance of its obligations hereunder, Contractor shall materially comply with all Applicable Laws.

2.06 The employees of Contractor shall use the sidewalks, paths, driveways, roadways or other property improvements of either the City and/or the Residents in the collection of Residential Solid Waste and Residential Recyclables and shall not cut through shrubbery or hedges or cross lawns.

2.07 The Contractor shall provide and maintain all equipment necessary for the collection of Residential Solid Waste and Residential Recycling. Collection vehicles shall have fully enclosed bodies with self-contained mechanisms to contain the material collected. All vehicles shall be well maintained and in good condition.

2.08 The Contractor’s employees shall be competent, courteous, and orderly while performing services within the city at all times.

2.09 The Contractor shall within five (5) working days respond to all valid complaints or requests for service from Residents related to it’s service and its collection of Residential Solid Waste and Residential Recyclables; provided, however, the Contractor shall respond to missed pickups within twenty-four (24) hours of receiving notification excepting Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

2.10 Contractor shall be responsible for damage to private property arising from the collection operations. The Contractor shall indemnify and hold harmless the City for any liability and/or damages resulting from the negligence or willful misconduct of the Contractor, its agents, employees, or subcontractors in connection with the performance of its duties under this Agreement.

3.0 CITY RESPONSIBILITIES

3.01 The City shall provide each Resident with a Residential Cart and a Recycling Bin and shall repair or replace Residential Carts and Recycling Bins as necessary.

3.02 The City shall pay the Contractor the fees set forth in Section 5.

3.03 The City shall comply with its obligations under the Lease Agreement as set forth in Section 11.

3.04 The City shall indemnify and hold harmless the Contractor for any liability and/or damages resulting from the negligence or willful misconduct of the City, its agents, employees, or subcontractors in connection with the performance of its duties under this Agreement.

3.05 The City warrants that it has complied with all notices necessary under its contract with the sanitation workers and agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Contractor, in the event of any costs or damages arising out of any dispute over the notices necessary under said contract or any other disputes the union or its employees may have with the City.

4.0 COLLECTION METHODS

4.01 The Contractor shall provide (i) one pickup of Residential Solid Waste from each Residential Unit each week, and (ii) one pickup of Residential Recyclables from each Residential Unit, two (2) times per month, on a schedule to be mutually agreed upon. When a holiday falls on a workday, said pickup and subsequent pickups shall be made no later than twenty-four (24) hours following the regularly scheduled time, except when the holiday falls on a Friday. Holidays are defined as Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Day.

4.02 Collection shall take place on the basis of the Contractors rerouting schedule after notice to the City and the public. No regular collection shall take place on Saturday, Sunday or holidays referenced in Section 4.01 above, except in the case of an emergency and when mutually agreed upon by the parties.

4.03 The Contractor shall collect Residential Solid Waste on the same day each week and shall collect Residential Recyclables on the same day every two times per month. The Contractor will attempt to start routes at the same time and location each week.

4.04 The Contractor shall pick up Residential Solid Waste and Residential Recyclables from the curb and/or alley or designated area from the Residential Unit.

4.05 The parties here to agree that for a period of no more than ninety (90) days that operational procedures may be adjusted by the Contractor in coordination with the City so as to insure a smooth transitional period.

5.0 PAYMENT BY THE CITY

5.01 On January 15, 2006 and January 30, 2006 and on the 15th and 30th day of each month thereafter through out the Term of this Agreement, the City shall pay the Contractor the sum of Twelve Dollars and Ninety Cents ($12.90) multiplied by the Residential Units Number, in consideration for its collection of Residential Solid Waste and collection of Residential Recyclables during such month. Such payment each month shall be via wire transfer.

5.02 Payment made pursuant to Section 5.01 above shall be final as of the date received by the Contractor, and neither party shall claim underpayment or overpayment as a result of subsequent adjustments to the Residential Units Number pursuant to Section 1.11.

5.03 The amounts set forth in Section 5.01 above shall be adjusted on January 1, 2007, and thereafter on each January 1 throughout the Term of this Agreement, by determining the change in the CPI from the previous January 1.

5.04 The City and the Contractor may enter into further extensions of the Contractors services, such as, but not limited to the following: additional pickups other than residential, repair and deliver of the “Toter” or similar types of service, at a price or prices to be agreed upon by the parties hereto.

6.0 TERM

The term of this Agreement (the “Term”) shall begin on the Effective Date and shall terminate Five (5) years from the commencement date, however the same shall be automatically renewed for two additional years unless both parties agree in writing that it shall not be renewed. In any event the term shall not extend beyond December 31, 2012.

7.0 DEFAULT AND TERMINATION

7.01 In the event the Contractor fails to perform any material obligation under this Agreement, the City may declare the Contractor in default of this Agreement. In such event, the City shall serve the Contractor with written notice of such default, stating the reasons for default. If the default is not cured within sixty (60) days of receipt of such notice , the City shall have the right to terminate this Agreement as provided in Section 7.02 below.

7.02 The City may terminate this Agreement upon sixty (60) days written notice to the Contractor if it is in default of this Agreement and has failed to cure such default pursuant to Section 7.01 above.

7.03 In the event the City fails to perform any material obligation under this Agreement, the Contractor may declare the City in default of this Agreement. In such event, Contractor shall serve the City with written notice of such default, stating the reason for default. If the default is not cured within sixty (60) days of receipt of such notice, the Contractor shall have the right to terminate this Agreement as provided in Section 7.04 below; provided, however, that if the default is for failure to pay The Contractor pursuant to Section 5 above, the City shall have ten (10) days, rather than thirty (60) days, to cure such default.

7.04 The Contractor may terminate this Agreement upon sixty (60) days written notice to the City if the City is in default pursuant to Section 7.03 above; provided, however, that if the default is for failure to pay the Contractor pursuant to Section 5 above, the Contractor may terminate this Agreement upon ten (10) days written notice to the City.

7.05 Nothing in this Section 7 shall prohibit either party from seeking any other remedy, including but not limited to the remedy of specific performance.

8.0 FORCE MAJEURE

If the Contractor or the City is prevented or rendered unable, wholly or substantially, by Force Majeure to carry out any of its obligations under this Agreement, then such obligations of the Contractor or the City may be suspended during the continuation of any inability so caused by the Force Majeure, but for no longer period. If either party intents to rely upon Force Majeure to suspend obligations as provided in this Section, such party shall notify the other party in writing as soon as practicable, describing in reasonable detail the Force Majeure and a plan for resolving the Force Majeure. The party relying on Force Majeuer shall have the duty and obligation to use reasonable commercial efforts to promptly cure or eliminate such Force Majeure. Nothing herein shall in any way be construed as allowing deductions to or pro rating of the monthly payments due the Contractor each month under this contract.

9.0 INSURANCE

The Contractor agrees to maintain at all times during the Term the following insurance coverages:

a) Workers’ Compensation - Statutory
b) Employer’s Liability - $1,000,000/occurrence
c) Automobile Liability Bodily Injury, Property Damage, Contractual Liability & Sudden and Accidental Pollution - $1,000,000/occurrence
d) Commercial General Liability Personal Injury Property Damage & Contractual Liability Combined - $1,000,000/occurrence.

All such insurance policies shall provide that they shall not be canceled and no material changes in coverage shall be made without at least thirty (30) days prior written notice to the City. The insurance policies required hereunder, with the exception of Workers’ Compensation Policies, shall name the City as additional insured’s.

10. REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE CITY

The City represents and warrants to the Contractor as follows:

10.01 The City is duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the State of Indiana.

10.02 This Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by the City and constitutes a legal, valid and binding obligation of the City, enforceable against the City in accordance with its terms, except as same may be limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or similar laws affecting the enforcement of creditors’ rights generally and general equitable principles regardless of whether such enforceability is considered in a proceeding at law or equity.

10.03 The City has all requisite power and authority to execute and deliver this Agreement and perform its obligations hereunder. The City has taken all action necessary to authorize the execution and delivery of this agreement, the performance of its obligations hereunder and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby to be consummated by it.

10.04 The City recognizes that the Contractor is investing a considerable sum in equipment and other payments and that in the contract term (Years) herein set out, is to an inducement for the Contractor to enter into said contract under the terms herein set forth.

11.0 REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE CONTRACTOR

The Contractor represents and warrants to the City of New Albany as follows:

11.01 The Contractor is a Kentucky limited liability company duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the Commonwealth of Kentucky and qualified to do business in Indiana and its assign is an Indiana limited liability company.

11.02 This Agreement has been duly executed and delivered and constitutes a legal, valid and binding obligation of the Contractor in accordance with its terms, except as same may be limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or similar laws affecting the enforcement of creditors’ rights generally and general equitable principles regardless of whether such enforceability is considered in a proceeding at law Or in equity.

11.03 The Contractor has the corporate power and authority to execute and deliver this Agreement and to perform its obligations hereunder. The Contractor as taken all action necessary to authorize the execution and delivery of this Agreement, the performance of its obligations hereunder and the consummation of the transactions contemplated to be consummated by it.

12. NOTICES

All notices or other communications to be given hereunder shall be in writing and shall be sent by facsimilie, overnight delivery or registered or certified United States mail, return receipt requested, properly addressed as follows:

To The Contractor:
Clark Floyd Landfill, L.L.C./Eco-Tech, L.L.C.
Attn: Robert Lee, President
At its offices: P.O. Box 2128, Clarksville, IN 47131

To the City:
City of New Albany
311 Hauss Square
New Albany, IN 47150
Attn: Mayor

13. The parties hereto recognize and agree, that the Contractor will establish a separate legal entity for th buying of equipment and the hiring of employees and conducting the business of this contract, and the City agrees to allow the assignment of this contract to said entity subject to all the conditions herein contained.

14. MISCELLANEOUS

This Agreement sets forth the entire agreement and understanding of the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter of this Agreement and supersedes all arrangements, communications, representations or warranties, whether oral or written, by any officer, employee or representative of either party hereto. This Agreement may not be modified, amended, supplemented, canceled or discharged, except by written instrument executed by all of the parties hereto. There are no restrictions, representations, warranties, covenants or undertakings other than those expressly set forth or referred to herein. No waiver shall be effective unless it is in writing and is signed by the party asserted to have granted the waiver. The provisions of this Agreement are independent of and severable from each other, and no provision shall be affected or rendered invalid or unenforceable by virtue of the fact that any provision may be invalid or unenforceable in whole or in part. This Agreement is not intended to confer upon any third parties, other than the parties hereto, any rights or remedies. This Agreement shall be construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of Indiana. This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be an original, but all of which together shall constitute one and the same instrument. In the event of any dispute over any part of this agreement as between the parties the parties agree to arbitration prior to any law suit being filed on matters of interpretation of this contract. In all other events the any legal action or proceeding arising out of or related to this Agreement, the prevailing party shall be entitled to recover from such losing party all of its costs and expenses incurred in connection with such proceeding, including, without limitation, court costs reasonable attorney’s fees and expert witness and consultation fees, incurred at either the trial level or the appellate level.

The City of New Albany
President, Board of Public Works

(signed and witnessed) Anthony B. Toran, President
Date: December 30, 2005

CLARK-FLOYD LANDFILL, LLC/ECO-TECH, L.L.C.

(signed and witnessed) Robert Lee, President
Date: December 30, 2005

Rumorbusters II

2005-12-30T08:08:00.000-05:00

You won't read about it, of course, in your local media-giant controlled newspaper. But then, the editors of that publication still don't seem to realize their coverage of New Albany is dictated by Senior Executive Editor "Slippery" Larry Kochert.

You won't read about it at SlanderBlog (soon to be trademarked), the "I'm like rubber, you're like glue" kindergarten of the little mind that continues to ooze "truthiness."

Read it here first: all contractual arrangements have been completed to implement residential garbage pickup beginning next Tuesday.

Yes, Eco-Tech and the City of New Albany have, as anyone with a scintilla of a brain knew they would, inked a contract for the next five years. You knew they would. But wasn't it fun for Ben Zion Hershberg to give his pet council members a last chance to slag the mayor?

Our correspondents are hard at work seeking comment from the parties and we'll share what we learn later today.

Gosh, I hope at-large council member Mark Seabrook didn't lose too much sleep worrying about this contract. We know how closely he's been monitoring it. So, Larry, Mark - ain't it cool to see your plan work out without being outed?

Rumorbusters

2005-12-29T18:43:00.000-05:00

One of the most engaging magazines around is Adbusters. With quite a bit of seriousness, it pokes fun at the ways in which advertisers try to manipulate us, their customers. Of course, it doesn't accept ads. It is the anti-consumerism magazine.

In many ways, VH tries to do the same thing. Call us Rumorbusters. With quite a bit of seriousness, we poke fun at the ways in which politicians try to manipulate us, their voters. Of course, we don't accept rumors. We're the anti-prevarication blog.

For those of you who rely on us for the news (since the C-J stenographer has demonstrated his obeisance to the GFNA, despite being paid by Gannett), we're happy to report that the rumor of wholesale layoffs in the drainage department has exactly the same credibility you've come to expect from the original source of that rumor - zero.

Those jobs are funded. The stormwater quality management fee will show up on your next Indiana American Water bill. You might remember the little fracas resulting from the Sewer Board's abdicating any responsibility for stormwater quality management. Residences, like mine, will pay $2 a month. Commercial establishments, like mine, will pay $18 a month. Let me once again state my fervent desire that the advisory committee send a recommendation forthwith to make the assessment of this charge more equitable. In the meantime, small businesses all over New Albany will be subsidizing a) the residences, b) apartment complexes, and c) big box retailers.

You're welcome. Think about that the next time you shop, by the way. The small businesses are unfairly bearing the brunt of this charge.

In any event, with a funding source secured, it was always obvious that the drainage and flood control workers would not be losing their jobs. No layoffs. No furloughs. No interruptions in service.

Doesn't it seem just as likely that will be the case when we wake up Tuesday morning on a routine holiday schedule for sanitation pickup? I'll double-down on Roger Baylor's wager that a contract will be signed in plenty of time for service to begin as scheduled.

Doesn't it seem a little peevish, though, for AFSCME to push its workers to take jobs where they will now have to pay non-resident municipal taxes in Kentucky as well as EDIT and CAGIT taxes in Indiana? Is it truly for their benefit, or merely to retain their dues and membership, albeit in a different local?

Bizzy, But We Haven't Forgotten You

2005-12-28T00:38:00.000-05:00

While we put together the first annual Volunteer Hoosier Best & Worst Lists, take a gander at this provocative Web log: http://www.takingdownwords.com/

As you read about Their Man Mitch's "balanced" budget, keep in mind the reality that the means by which the Governor claims to balance is by delaying the 12th month's payouts to counties and cities for 2005 ------- to the 1st month of 2006. Neat trick, huh?

After cooking the books on Silvercrest, what's next?

Council - We Forgive Your Choice in 2005...

2005-12-16T01:13:00.000-05:00

...but this city has for too long been at risk of the catastophe of being, even for one moment, being directed by the council member elected by the absolute minimum number of voters.

As we head toward January 2006 and the vote on a City Council president, it is an imperative that the council see to it that the minority representative (and I DO NOT MEAN Mark Seabrook) is removed from any possibility of affecting the course of government.

No matter the temptation...no matter the party line...the council member from the 1st District must be eliminated from any possibility of exerting his medieval mentality on the city.

No matter who the council elects as president in 2006, it must not for one moment compromise its integrity to the grasping ambition of Councilman Cappucino. If anything has become clear, any of seven members of the council are more qualified to serve as vice-president of the City Council.

As a life-long Democrat, I must admit that even Mark Seabrook would make a better vice president. Do not pander, council. Second place in the January vote is NOT a justification for making council's most unqualified member vice president. Give it to Seabrook before you concede the position to Dan Coffey, Democrat-in-name-only.

If you don't credit my opinion, just ask Vila-ann.

And let me invite you, readers, to nominate (and explicate) your choice for council president in 2006, and your choice for vice-president.

Rumpkegate Matters

2005-12-15T08:50:00.000-05:00

The integrity of New Albany's city council remains under a cloud until the council itself addresses the damage and condemns the recent Rumpkegate activities.

You will recall that during Thanksgiving week more than one local resident confidently stated that the bid process for a new sanitation contract had been corrupted, that despite the strictures of a sealed bidding process, the contract had already been awarded to Rumpke, one of the bidders.

Although the assertion was palpably untrue, it represents an attempt by persons unknown to tamper with the public bidding process, to extort bribes or other consideration from current and prospective bidders, and to discourage bidders with integrity from seeking public contracts.

When the statement was challenged, it was defended by the claim that not only was it true, but that the source of the corrupt information was one or more city council members.

Only 5th District Council Member Beverly Crump has publicly denied being the instigator of this rumor. Council President Jeff Gahan must assert his authority tonight to make it clear that no member of this council would be involved in extortion of bribes or theft of public information. And if any council member should admit involvement in Rumpkegate, the council as a whole must censure that member in the strongest possible terms.

Anything less does damage to this city, its residents, the council itself, and the public trust. And Gahan's legacy as council president for 2005 will be indelibly marred and diminished.

Pulling at the Thread, Continued

2005-12-14T10:24:00.000-05:00

We resume our end-of-year thread.

Some of the recent stresses in the city have been relieved, but we still face challenges.

Use the comments section here to highlight the great moments of 2005, the embarrassments of the year, and tell us where you think we should focus our attention in the coming year.

BPWS Accepts Mayor's Recommendation to Award Sanitation Contract to Clark-Floyd Landfill/Eco-Tech

2005-12-13T11:18:00.000-05:00

Say so long to the acrimony and give James Garner his due. Despite the suspicion, Garner recommended and the New Albany Board of Public Works and Safety has concurred in choosing to award Clark-Floyd Landfill LLC/Eco-Tech LLC the contract to collect residential trash beginning on Jan. 2, 2006.

I have the BPWS memorandum in front of me and am analyzing it now. But here are the high points:

* The bid selected charges $12.90 per household, slightly under the current user fee charged to residential customers with one can.

* The bidder intends to employ most, if not all, of the current employees of the Sanitation Department.

* No immediate increase in user fees will be necessary.

* In the fifth out-year, the bid is for $15.68, based on a (high) CPI increase of 5% per year.

Here were the criteria used to make the selection:

1. Will the bidder retain or offer jobs to current employees? C-F was the only bidder who scored 10 points.

2. Will the bidder be able to start by Jan. 1? C-F and Rumpke were the only bidders who could.

3. To what extent does the bidder plan to utilize the Clark-Floyd landfill (where the city has a commitment to deliver 16,000 tons, minimum)? C-F was the only bidder taking 100% to C-F Landfill - kind of a no-brainer - but the other bidders were seeking additional profits by using competing landfills.

4. Will bidder eliminate risk of future losses to city? All bidders scored the max.

5. How does the bid address the payoff of truck and container costs within the current rate? Neither ID nor C-F came in with bid levels that paid them off, but each left some of the user fee available for equipment cost retirement.

6. Does the bid maintain the current level (amount) of items picked up? C-F is the only bidder who could promise that.

7. Does the bid address the pickup of large items? Only C-F said yes.

8. How often will recycling pickup take place? It appears that recycling will only be picked up twice a month (or perhaps every other week).

9. Which bid offers the lowest rate in the fifth year out? C-F ranked second here.

With 9 questions, the preferred response would earn 10 points per question. C-F scored 80.5. ID scored 46. Rumpke scored 31.5.

Watch for more details and comment in Wednesday's New Albany Tribune...and please feel free to resume posting here or in our conversation below about the good and bad of 2005.

Pulling at the Thread

2005-12-10T21:34:00.000-05:00

Here's an open invitation to friends and enemies alike. Use the comments section to tell us where New Albany has progressed in 2005, and to whom you would give the credit. And likewise, if you believe New Albany has regressed in the past 12 months, tell us which areas you see that occurring in.

Tell us which policies and decisions you agree with, and those you disagree with.

And as we enter the second half of the term for this council and mayor, tell us those areas, initiatives, and policies you think are most in need of being addressed.

For those of you who fear to identify yourself, you know how I feel about that. But that hasn't kept me from allowing anonymous comments here at VH. To the extent we don't share the same goals, to the extent we disagree, that's what makes for a ball game.

Be prepared, however, to answer any challenges. At VH, we don't confuse facts with opinions. If you assert a fact that is unsupported, I'm certain another commenter will ask for a reasoned response.

Collectively, we can compile the boners, groaners, and mistakes of 2005. Who's up, who's down. And at the same time, we can chronicle the winners and losers, the defeats and the triumphs.

There won't be any comments deleted. Instead, comments will be responded to. Anonymity, if desired, is allowed. But failure to defend will be met, I'd bet, by an overwhelming rebuttal on the facts.

Are you game? Then bring it on...

Pause Before Boosting Fees

2005-12-05T10:03:00.000-05:00

A city has only limited opportunities to exert its will to deter or promote private behavior. When a city has at hand the ability to create incentives to encourage behavior, at little cost to the treasury of the city, it is imperative that the city take full advantage of that opportunity.

Although private interests may have other priorities, the elected officials of this city have consistently expressed a belief that development within and redevelopment of New Albany’s urban core is the most effective utilization of public resources.

As this council considers an increase in fees for residential sewer connections, it is presented with a golden opportunity to further express its commitment to encouraging what John Rosenbarger calls “infill” development.

New Albany, for almost 200 years, has invested in its urban core. Maximizing the return on this investment is a worthy public policy goal. In fact, no professional planner or public policy professional would argue with the fact that any city should create incentives for development within the urban core, particularly when compared to the alternative or encouraging what has come to be known as “urban sprawl.”

The cost of providing services within the urban core is far less than the cost of providing services to the far-flung reaches of the city.

Over the next six years, this council will be presented with numerous opportunities to demonstrate its commitment to the renaissance of the 1st, 3rd, and portions of the 2nd, 4th, and 5th districts.

Tonight, as the council considers the imposition of an increased sewer connection fee, I urge them to create within the ordinance the mechanism for expressing a public policy preference for “infill” development.

This council can effect that preference by authorizing a slightly higher sewer connection fee, while directing the Sewer Board to declare a moratorium for one year, or a waiver, for all residential sewer connection fees for properties within the areas currently designated as “blighted.”

Over the past four years, a period during which the city has been somewhat restricted in granting sewer connections, residential developments in this zone have represented fewer than 8% of all sewer connections and less than 4% of all sewer tap-in fee revenues.

As new sewer credits begin to flow in 2006, such a moratorium will have a negligible effect on Sewer Board revenues, particularly if the new fee is raised slightly to accommodate this incentive program.

By imposing a moratorium in blighted areas for a one-year period, this council can encourage accelerated development and redevelopment in its blighted areas. By limiting the moratorium to one year, this council can reconsider this again in 12 months and evaluate its effectiveness.

As currently written, the ordinance is a disincentive to “infill” development. It imposes a much higher barrier to new development for properties within the blighted areas, most of which are in the 1st and 3rd districts.

I don’t believe this council wants to discourage “infill” development and redevelopment. I believe this council wants to encourage it.

By increasing the “new” sewer connection fee by a nominal percentage, the financial integrity of the Sewer Board’s revenue stream is maintained, while continuing to encourage “infill” development and redevelopment.
Others have other serious concerns with this ordinance as written. As the council considers it on second and third reading, I hope to see several amendments, including one that would create an incentive to develop the urban core first.

Wisdom from the Prairie

2005-12-02T17:35:00.000-05:00

One reads books in order to gain the privilege of living more than one life. People who don't read are trapped in a mine shaft, even if they think the sun is shining. -- Garrison Keillor, Salon Magazine.

Eval

2005-12-02T01:43:00.000-05:00

Solna's late Cali post: Transparently manufactured, fooling only the blog administrator, who is either a fool, or the author of same.

NAC's Thursday postings: Declarations of principle and challenges worthy of emulation.

No comparison.

When it comes to a battle of wits, it's sad to see one party come into battle unarmed.

If She's Innocent, Who's Guilty?

2005-11-29T13:28:00.000-05:00

By now, the New Albany Board of Public Works & Safety, Mayor Garner, and City Attorney Shane Gibson will have in hand all the submissions for operating the household refuse collection services for 2006.

But there sure seems to be a lot of sub rosa maneuvering going on. The Gang of Four are up to the same old dirty tricks again. When told last spring that there was a hole in the ship that is New Albany, the gang proceeded to start digging holes in the keel. When a sail needed hoisting, they cut the lines.

Now, we discover the allegation that one or more city council members is tampering with the sanitation contract, claiming to have secret knowledge of the unknowable.

Every bidder, and every resident of this city, is entitled to a bidding process that is fair. These bids were sealed, and opened only this morning. Yet, the manager of the pink blog claims to know in advance not only the low bidder, but the winning bidder.

But she claims not to have personal knowledge, but rather, knowledge secretly passed to her by a member of the city council.

We know her facts are lies. What we don't know is who the liar is. Is Laura Oates the liar? She did retract her false report, but only in part. Apparently, she still maintains the truth of her assertion, but "apologizes" for the authority she cited.

Now, she is alleging felonious conduct on the part of a city council member. You can be sure the attorneys for those companies (and the union, if applicable) who fail to obtain the city sanitation contract, will want to know who that (those?) member(s) is (are).

Did BPW chairman Tony Toran impermissibly open these bids? Did another member of the board of works? Did a clerical employee tamper with sealed bids? Did a city council member use undue pressure on some lowly city employee to obtain knowledge of the bid specifics?

I am myself satisfied that the bid packages themselves were not tampered with. But I'm not the judge and jury on that. Mr. Toran's ethics are above reproach, smears and slanders notwithstanding. No city employee would risk their job and risk jail time to leak information to a city council member about sealed bids.

Therefore, there are only two possibilities. Oates is lying. Or her sources lied to her.

The lie is exposed. The attempt to interfere with the bid process is a felony. The question is, who committed the felony - Oates or the elected official? Disinterested speculation as to who might be the "favorite," and even journalistic digging to ferret out from the bidders their proposals would be permissible, if unhelpful, but when an elected official pretends to have inside information and spreads that around, it is clear malfeasance and grounds for removal from office.

The potential for bidders being extorted into shading their bids, or the potential to deter present and future bidders from participating in a sham process, are serious violations of the public trust. New Albany needs for its bid processes to be not only clean, but to appear to be clean, too.

I believe that the next city council meeting is the time for each member of the city council to come clean. While we're at it, let's interrogate Mr. Toran and the rest of the BoW to see where the truth lies. While denials by all nine won't necessarily implicate Oates as anything other than a gullible tool, it could be the lie that ends a political career.

If, as I suspect, the member(s) believe themselves fully justified in either a) engaging in felonious tampering or b) extortion of bidders, they should step forward and explain themselves to the council, and to the people.

Beyond the legal ramifications, which may have deterred the union from submitting a legal bid, it was a cruel lie to dump on the employees of the sanitation department on a holiday weekend. For those to whom Ms. Oates has credibility, it only poured fuel on the fire. But come to think of it, that was probably the motive. Too bad the political gamesmanship crossed the threshold to criminal malfeasance.

In this instance, I believe Ms. Oates. Will Keith Henderson?

Credibility Gap

2005-11-28T12:23:00.000-05:00

Anonymous rumor-mongering is one thing, but the operator of the pink blog has taken her credibility quotient down yet another notch. I would have thought that impossible, but indeed she not only floated another conspiracy theory, backed by her "fact" that the contract for sanitation services in New Albany has already been awarded in advance of the Board of Public Works and Safety meeting set for tomorrow.

She attempted to back her claim by asserting that the award announcement was published in the "legals" classified section of The Tribune on Friday. When challenged on her assertion, she restated it, defending herself against the charge she was disseminating false information. Here, verbatim, is here insistent defense that she is NOT wrong.

...Despite accusations of 'flawed information', the contract for privatizing sanitation services has been awarded to Rumpke. This was posted in the Legals of the Friday Tribune...(signed) east ender.

What possible motive would she have for making and re-making such an outlandish claim, then further attempting to fool her readers by referring to a nonexistent newspaper notice?

Speculate at will.

For affirmation of the untruth of her allegation, which would have raised numerous objections from this quarter had it turned out to be true, note that the Friday Tribune legals were published on page B5. I have a crisp $100 bill for anyone who can show me the "legal" to which east ender is referring. Trust me folks, it ain't there.

But then, if your aim in life is to cast aspersions, I suppose it was worth the risk to her to bluff it out. When paranoia rules your life, and you stop taking your meds, truth loses out.

By the way, the BPW&S will be opening bids to supply gasoline at Tuesday's meeting, and that is noted in the legals for Friday.

Don't Worry, Just Have Hope

2005-11-23T17:26:00.000-05:00

News item

WASHINGTON - President Bush announced today that he will sign a bill providing an additional $2.8 billion for private organizations that emphasize the importance of hoping for change.

Read more by clicking the headline

Without Comment

2005-11-20T12:15:00.000-05:00

Take a peek at Sunday's copy of The Tribune.

The New Albanian Brewing Company, and co-owner Roger Baylor, are featured on page 1, with a strapping young Mr. Baylor posing nonchalantly before his new brewing equipment. Kyle Lowry reports.

Staff writer Greg Gapsis regales us with the news that, at least tentatively, economists expect our river counties to outperform the state of Indiana as a whole during the coming year.

Lowry comes back below the fold with yet another business profile of Main Street veterans earthlygoods.com, the online garden site operated by locals Ann Streckfus and Stephen Brown.

Page 3A offers a photo montage of Thursday's Pillar Award winners and nominees, as selected by Develop New Albany.

And the back page of section A features a delightfully wry look at blogging by columnist Terry Cummins, who in part gazes with envy on the "in" crowd who blogs, while taking a few shots at the imperiousness of such navel-gazing.

What a difference a year makes. Click the headline for access to these stories online.

Their Man Mitch Strikes Again

2005-11-18T18:13:00.000-05:00

CLARIFICATION: We've subsequently learned that the news is even worse - they're not just privatizing, they're shutting the facility completely (presumably to sell). Stay tuned.

In my estimation, the following is news. I can think of only two reasons to withhold this item from publication: 1) to allow 150 or more area families one last weekend without the discomfort of knowing their job security is threatened, and 2) to allow Gov. Mitch Daniels (R) and his public relations staff to hone their rhetoric for a big, splashy press conference on Monday.

Strike that. I imagine Gov. Daniels will arrange to be as far away from the state capital as possible on Monday and will send out some hapless cabinet member to face the media.

A single, but reliable source informs us that the state of Indiana will announce the turnover of Silvercrest Children’s Development Center to a private contractor.

Silvercrest provides services to children with multiple disabilities and four state psychiatric hospitals provide services to children with serious emotional disturbance. Although the service needs vary by diagnoses, many children with disabilities require similar services, including:

Case management
Respite care and/or respite beds
Family counseling
Family involvement
Family training
Self help skills
Education
Group counseling
Individual counseling
Recreation/activity therapy
Medical treatment/monitoring including dietary
Assessment and evaluation
Habilitation training
Behavioral specialist staff
Physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy
24 hour a day/seven day a week consistency in therapy milieu
High control strategies
Locked units

Silvercrest Children’s Development Center, under the auspices of the Indiana State Department of Health, provides services to children with multiple disabilities. Located in New Albany in southern Indiana, Silvercrest provides services to children throughout the state, with the majority of children coming from the southern part of Indiana. By statute Silvercrest provides assessment, remediation therapy, and program development to children ages birth to 22, who have 2 or more disabilities. Children are referred to Silvercrest by their local education agency (LEA) and the average length of stay is approximately 12 months.

Services are also provided in the community for children with multiple disabilities. These services are coordinated by the local education agency or the Indiana State Department of Education, Division of Special Education, and include community services, alternative residential placements within the state, and residential placements in other states. Children with the same types of disabilities as those receiving services at Silvercrest are currently receiving services within their communities.

(Data taken from the Governor's Council on State-Operated Care Facilities Final Report)

From that report: Recommendation #13: The Council recognizes the important role that Silvercrest plays in providing services to children with multiple disabilities. In keeping with the goal of providing services as close to home as possible, the Council recommends that the Department of Education, Division of Special Education and the Department of Health develop a collaborative plan that draw on their expertise to further expand these type of services throughout the state. This plan should be developed by December 31, 2001.

That's the O'Bannon/Kernan solution. What does Their Man Mitch offer? And why did those particular state employees endorse Daniels in last year's election?

Learn more about New Albany's contribution to the care of children at the official Web site here http://www.in.gov/isdh/silvercrest/index.htm

We invite those of you who work at or with, or have been served by Silvercrest at some time, to contribute your thoughts about the idea of the state relinquishing control over the facility to a for-profit company.

For the Record

2005-11-18T11:23:00.000-05:00

Somebody's lying. No great surprise, I'll grant you, but nothing more clearly demonstrates the utter inability of some people to tell the truth than the conversations circulating regarding last evening's city council meeting.

I was there. In fact, the audience was filled with progressives. The only civilian in attendance whose progressive credentials are lacking departed the meeting before any actual business was conducted. Perhaps Tim Young Productions can persuade their client to make the tapes available to the public. I know they will verify the following report.

City Council took up an ordinance to increase sewer tap-in fees by about 40% last evening, passing the ordinance on first reading.

Beforehand, Mr. John Miller pled the case that these fees, particularly with the increase, serve as an impediment to fostering the type of housing this city so desperately needs in its core area. New Albany's Community Housing operation offers this city the best opportunity in sight for economic development, cash inflows, jobs, and safe and fair housing. The locally contributed money triggers an additional nine times that in federal grant money to rehabilitate some of the 3,000 substandard homes in New Albany. Moreover, that $15 million then become available to leverage several multiples of additional funding for the same types of projects.

Seeking recognition during the public comment portion of the meeting, I asked the council to consider that one of the ways it could promote infill development, which I presume they prefer to sprawl, would be to calculate the rate increase in such a way that it would allow for preferential waivers, discounts, subsidies, etc. for developments that meet the objectives of the city's five-year plan. Acknowledging the need for the sewer utility to operate on a firm financial footing, I suggested the council should amend the ordinance to raise the tap-in fee by an amount sufficient to cover such subsidies.

Mr. John Rosenbarger, who wears many hats, including planning and redevelopment, made a compelling case that such waivers can, should, and are used regularly to promote desirable development. In fact, he suggested that those very waivers can also be leveraged as a local contribution that can be matched by federal and other grant funds.

At no time did anyone in the room oppose the idea of raising the tap-in fee to meet the obligations of the sewer utility. I REPEAT. NO ONE AT ANY TIME RAISED ANY OBJECTION TO THE BOOST IN TAP-IN FEES.

Anyone who tells you otherwise...is a liar. Anyone who facilitates the same is aiding and abetting the spread of disinformation.

We'll lay it out in numbers next week. If the current ordinance is sufficient to meet the obligations of the sewer utility, then a slight boost in the fee would give the sewer board or the council the ability to give a hand to deserving projects that meet specific criteria. NACH's project is clearly one of those, but setting that aside for a moment, we ask: Can no one on the council envision a circumstance where the city might want to ENCOURAGE development by waiving the fee or establishing a fee structure that won't be such a gross impediment to (really a theft from) preferred projects? If they can see it, then why not pass an ordinance that makes it possible in the future without harming the financial stability of the utility?

A Fine Night Downtown

2005-11-18T09:18:00.000-05:00

New Albany's Main Street organization, Develop New Albany, saw fit to honor ourr store with its Horizon Award on Thursday, Nov. 17, during that group's annual meeting. This is one of four Pillar awards the organization gives out each year, and we are honored to be selected in our first year.

Also honored Thursday in a presentation by staff member Jane Alcorn were three other "pillars" of the community, as defined by the boundaries of the Urban Enterprise Zone.

The Redmen Club took the marble trophy for its architectural contribution to the city with the Renaissance Award. In just a short time, the Redmen built a new club building on Main Street and built it in such a way as to strongly complement the historic character of that section of town.

The architectural firm of Michell Timperman and Ritz earned the Foundation Award for its contributions to the business community.

And Al Goodman was honored with the Achievement Award, granted to an individual who epitomizes the spirit of New Albany Business.

Here are those nominated, with the "winner" in bold. I put winner in boldface because they each were deserving.

Horizon Award
Destinations Booksellers
Federal Hill Cafe
Hornblower Marine Services
Martha's Attic
Patch as Patch Can Quilt Shop

Renaissance Award
Aunt Artie's Antiques
The Calumet Club
New Albany Fire House
The Redmen Club
State Street Flooring
Third Century Properties

Foundation Award
Coyle Dodge
Harvest Homecoming
Kraft Funeral Service
MainSource Bank
Michell Timperman and Ritz
Terry Middleton's Kick Boxing and Karate
The Office Supply Company
Sassy's Flowers
Schad and Palmer
Mike Smith Firestone

Achievement Award
Al Goodman
Mike Ricke
Rich Robinson

Each of these nominees has a story to tell and I wish I had the time and space to tell it. Let them know how much you appreciate them, next time you visit. We invite you to share with us your impressions and we'll add them on to this story.

Say What?

2005-11-10T19:00:00.000-05:00

“I’d like to say to the good citizens of Dover: if there is a disaster in your area, don’t turn to God, you just rejected him from your city." -- Televangelist Pat Robertson, Nov. 10, 2005

That's Dover, Pa., where voters turned out the entire Republican slate of school board members who changed their school curricula to teach the intelligent design view vs. evolutionary development of species. (Click the headline for more details.)

No matter your view of the whole squabble, I'm interested to know if anyone out there has any thoughts on Mr. Robertson's conception of God.

It's Not in the Water

2005-11-08T22:58:00.000-05:00

I love New Albany. Warts and all. Here's proof that muddled thinking isn't exclusive to the misanthropic and "so open-minded their brains might fall out" disciples of Mrs. Anna Schmidt's boogedy-boogedy doubletalk. See if you recognize any of these themes.

As an ill-informed pseudo-intellectual with a particular interest in the unverifiable, I'm always on the lookout for some partially thought out misinformation. So, if you have an uninformed solution to a dilemma that doesn't actually exist, don't bother double-checking your information. I'm all ears.

Read the rest of this opinion piece at I'm Very Interested In Hearing Some Half-Baked Theories

Stunning

2005-11-07T00:10:00.000-05:00

The missus and I sat down to view the documentary film, "Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price," this evening, after a successful trial run at the Farmers Market in New Albany.

If you are an adherent, an acolyte, a missionary for the Wal-Mart Way, avoid this film at all costs.

It will change your buying patterns, if not your life. Never have I seen a film that affected me so deeply. Alternating between tears and curses, I was, simply, broken by what I learned from the film.

Mrs. VH professes that she knew all of this. I did not.

For example: Did you know that while a single big "W" typically generates $100 million in sales each year, the net result is the destruction of $140 million in local business activity?

Plan now to join Constituency for Progress and Destinations Booksellers in downtown New Albany just 9 days from now. Bring a chair, a muffler, perhaps gloves, and a warm coat.

Your life will never be the same.

Guru to the Gullible

2005-11-06T21:13:00.000-05:00

Laura Oates, intake counselor for New Albany's CHODO and infrequent blogger, continues to cloud the ether with half-truths, concealing more than she reveals with each and every posting. Look at this example.

So, who didn’t do their job? Who are we supposed to blame for not staying on top of this? Why did they assemble a public committee to study the issue and make recommendations if all their work was simply going to be tossed aside as a useless formality? The Committee had a plan, the costs were only $200K by May of 2006, and it required no fees on residentials. But, that didn't satisfy the Administration.

Oates once ran for public office, but if she intends to do so again, it is clear that she will have to eradicate all trace of her Web log. The "public committee" she mentions in the above excerpt IS charged with making recommendations for a permanent stormwater impact and quality management fee structure. They were not charged with any responsibility to address interim fees. Furthermore, the ordinance passed by the council does not represent the "tossing aside" of the committee's recommendations. Except as modified in a gesture pandering to the likes of Ms. Oates, it was adopted as the committee recommended. And the $200,000 figure she quotes above is only the additional cost to stormwater quality management that will kick in this coming April.

This is just one example of the disservice Ms. Oates does to civic discourse. Ms. Oates is infected by a syndrome most tellingly revealed in the above excerpt, which I repeat here: Who are we supposed to blame for not staying on top of this?

Citizenship isn't about who you blame, Ms. Oates.

In any given posting, Oates either ignores reality or is unaware of reality. That's called lying when you know better.

But wait. It gets worse. In her management of the blog, she encourages blind postings that issue threats, ad hominem attacks, and more lies. Like a catfish to a ball of corn meal, Oates swallows the hook whole, as do her acolytes. It feeds their self-pity, their fear of the "other."

I'm sure this seems like engagement to Ms. Oates. But paranoid ranting, casting blame, and spreading lies is not engagement.

With her blog, as currently operated, Ms. Oates has made it clear that she does not want to engage. And with her effluvia captured for all time through the wonders of the Internet, it's clear she no longer has any ambition to run for public office or serve on any policy board. For one look at her blogging will abort any campaign or any application to serve. Credibility counts. Ms. Oates, you've lost yours.

Price is Right! The Sky IS Falling

2005-11-05T13:34:00.000-05:00

OK, chuckleheads. Sneer if you want, but the man America chose to serve as president, not merely to occupy the White House (yes, even Floridians) is still making sense.

The man most qualified to lead this country and to head the Gore/Obama in '08 ticket writes in Salon magazine that "the time to act is now."

Best line, borrowed from another? Stronger hurricanes and typhoons represent only one of many new dangers as we begin what someone has called "a nature hike through the Book of Revelation."

Al compares the current administration's approach to planetary warming to Neville Chamberlain's appeasement of Hitler in the '30s. VH is pleased to rebroadcast Gore's article today by providing this link.

Falling Like Ten-Pins

2005-11-05T12:59:00.000-05:00

The attempted conservative takeover of public broadcasting was dealt a blow this week, as reported in Friday's New York Times.

Steven Labaton reports that the Corporation for Public Broadcasting demanded the resignation of Ken Tomlinson after an inspector general's report revealed serious conflicts.

In a speech before he quit as chairman, Mr. Tomlinson said he had no regrets over "aggressively" trying to balance what he called overly liberal programming.

In a related story, muffled cries of anguish were heard from under the porch steps when word reached the friends of Darby O'Gill. The progressive banner still stands despite all they throw at it.

Proudly we hail this development.

Read the story here

Hie Thee to The Tribune

2005-11-05T09:36:00.000-05:00

Sanity rears its glorious head in the letters section of Saturday's editions of The Tribune, while just four pages later, on the back page of the front section, "Floyd County's newspaper since 1851" stumbles.

The Last Shall Be First

Decent content on the Saturday Technology page. I'm grateful they have it. But the lead illustration, provided by a syndicate, shows 4 seemingly identical iPods. Unfortunately for local readers, the illustration was intended to demonstrate the variety of colors the ubiquitous personal listening stations are offered in.

Even though Apple's iPod comes in a rainbow of colors, Los Angeles resident Jo Ann Villalobos gives them even more character by creating costumes for the gadgets, including Halloween masks, below, and complete western-style cowboy outfits.

Rainbow? Show it, don't tell it.

First Shall Be Last

Officer Todd Bailey, who works diligently as a neighborhood association liaison, takes the Gang of Four to task in a letter of frustration with their ongoing obstructionism.

Some City Councilmen just don't get it

Dear Editor:

For the past few years certain members of the New Albany City Council have felt it necessary to discuss at agonizing length gasoline consumption and use for the city's take home car fleet, particularly the police department's. This, of course, has sparked many related and unrelated debates within the council and the community in general.

Mayor James Garner and Chief of Police Merle Harl identified the problem and have implemented gas saving programs that have truly helped with this matter. It is no illusion that fuel prices have risen significantly. A conservative estimate would show the cost increase to be around 40 percent over the past few years. The mayor and chief identified this early on and understanding the need for fiscal responsibility and public safety, took several cost saving measures.

One, that police officers who live beyond the city limit contribute fuel in the amount of either 10 or 20 gallons per month. This move in itself more than covered the costs of officers taking their vehicles home. Two, that officers be restricted to driving the vehicles for work related tasks only and no private or "off duty" driving. These are ideas that most if not all police officers gladly support because they too want to help the community with any financial problems.

You may ask why we have vehicles assigned to individuals and why they take them home? The reason is for the same reason the mayor and chief implemented the money saving measure I mentioned previously, fiscal responsibility and public safety. It is simply less expensive to have a fleet of vehicles assigned to individuals rather than fleets of pool cars running 24 hours per day seven days per week. In fact, the savings are significant to that point that I doubt the city could afford to have a 24/7 non-assigned fleet. With regard to public safey, the more police cars on the street, the more visibility, the less crime.

Additionally, and even more confusing, officers providing traffic assistance for church traffic on Sunday mornings has been attacked by the same councilmen. This assistance costs the city nothing as the church pays completely for the service including the gasoline. Without these officers assistance on Sunday morning, traffic would be gridlocked on Charlestown Road.

So, Todd, you're making a lot of sense here. The command staff made the same compelling presentation to council months ago. Are you saying that the Gang of Four still doesn't get it? Aren't they paying attention? Isn't that what we pay them for? Why are hundreds of residents who aren't elected officials aware of these policies, but not the Gang? Most residents recognize them as one example of the leadership and fiscal responsibility shown by this new administration. Most residents see that, particularly in 2005, the Garner administration has guided the ship through mighty rough waters. Why is the Gang so opposed to reform and progress? Talk to us, Todd.

The councilmen who agonizingly debate the so-called "fuel problem" or "take home car issue" are the real failure. These are the same people who for years have stifled progress in this community.

I am ashamed and embarrassed for members of the New Albany City Council such as Larry Kochert (4th District) who have served for so long and have accomplished so little. Why are Kochert and other council members dwelling on this fuel matter that has already been solved? A personal agenda? Incompetence? Who knows. What is known is that Kochert is a large part of the problem. But with all problems, we have the ability to solve them. When it comes time to vote again, (2007) please exercise your right and vote Kochert back to a non-public life.

As you have probably suspected by now, yes, I'm a New Albany Police Officer.

I chose this career and city because I am genuinely concerned about the welfare of the people. I grew up in this city and proudly serve its citizens. It's time for council members to set aside their agendas and care about this community too.

For the record, there are members of the New Albany City Council who are doing positive things for the community. Councilmen Crump, Messer, Gahan and Blevins have all acted in a responsible manner throughout this matter.

Todd Bailey
New Albany

Note that we are aware that Mr. Kochert hasn't confined his demagoguery to the council chamber, but has taken his campaign against the administration and the police department on the road, too.

At Volunteer Hoosier, we support the cops. How about you?

Olive Branch...or Psychotic Episode

2005-11-01T23:40:00.000-05:00

Stripped of its paranoia-laced rhetoric, a recent posting at anonybloghorrhea parroted progressive goals, including the elimination of the good ol' boy network that has held New Albany back for years.

Is this a repudiation of Schmidt, Coffey, and Kochert?

Talk amongst yourselves.

Storm Sewers, Water Quality, etc.

2005-10-31T23:45:00.000-05:00

One of the reasons I've not spoken much about the new stormwater interim impact fees is that it's a no-brainer. That is, there's practically no debate among reasonable people that New Albany is faced with an absolute, non-negotiable mandate to institute a 5-year water quality improvement regime.

Remarkably, the same council faction that has been crying "the sky is falling" all year has now come out in favor of paying these expenses out of the general fund, for Pete's sake.

Under professional guidance, the advisory committee made up of regular citizens has recommended a rate to fund stormwater management and the Rule 13 mandate. Beginning in 2006, there will be three rates - $3 a month (for most residential lots), $15 a month (for most commercial lots), and $60 a month (for large industrial and institutional lots, and presumably large shopping developments, although that is not clear).

Granted, a minority of those advisors has been very vocal in opposition, but not very persuasive. I will acknowledge that that minority has spent much time studying the issues, but then so has the majority.

What would the interim fee pay for?

First is the development and implementation of a five-year plan to get a handle on unmanaged storm runoff, point source stream pollution, and non-point source waterway pollution. The city must submit a viable plan by Spring or it will face serious fines from environmental regulators. That's not a job for amateur sleuths. Perhaps much of the aerial photography and topographical mapping has been done. Perhaps the current plat maps will speed the process. But it may also be that the city will have to institute a global GIS software system almost immediately.

Whatever the hurdles to be faced early, the cost over five years for this mandate will be roughly $180,000 a year. No one disputes this figure.

Second is the ongoing maintenance and emergency response now provided by a team of fewer than ten workers. Those costs, and the attendant payroll costs, have until now been paid from the Sewer Board fund, and total something like $450,000 a year. Maintaining a decaying underground system is costly, but no one disputes that this expenditure is necessary.

Third is planned infrastructure upgrades. These are discretionary, in the rawest sense, but deferring these upgrades would be foolish. Some estimate that New Albany needs to invest $500,000 a year in modernizing the underground storm sewers, but it's clear that there is neither the money nor the will to undertake such an ambitious program. It's likely that the annual investment there will be between $100,000 and $200,000, and probably closer to the lower figure.

So when someone tells you that you are being "lied to," that there is only a need for $180,000 a year, remember that the interim user fee is designed to fund ALL stormwater management.

But isn't this a rate increase?

Yes, it is. And it's more than just for the new water quality management mandate.

Remember, the Sewer Board has been carrying (quite logically, to my mind, but reasonable people can disagree) the costs of drainage management. The Sewer Board is reclaiming that money. It will no longer be available from sewer revenues.

In a way, the new user fee is a backdoor increase in our sewer rates. The costs of managing the sanitary sewer operation have gone up, and that board is doing everything in its power to keep from raising that rate. But they are firm about dumping the responsibility for drainage (and sanitation) back onto the city proper.

Here, I think, is the logic of Mr. Kochert and Co. Sewer rates are based on water usage, or more properly, sewer usage. My store, for example, is unlikely to ever be charged more than the minimum sewer charge - we simply don't run a lot of water through the system. On the other hand, our entire property consists of either roof or pavement, and rain that falls on our property has nothing to do with how much water we run through the pipes.

Accordingly, to be equitable, a system must be devised to apportion the costs of stormwater management according to the impact. In addition, as a commercial property, it's of added importance that we have surface roads available so that visitors can get to us. The biggest drainage impact comes from roads, so commercial and industrial entities that survive only because of those roads will pay a higher rate than mere residential properties.

Given enough time and cooperation, a perfect system could be devised to measure actual and potential impact. In the meantime, a rough but fair impact fee is being proposed. It compares favorably with the impact fees charged by other Indiana municipalities who have addressed the issue. It is under no stretch of the imagination a money-grab.

The plan to be developed over the next 6-12 months will spread the costs equitably. That is the primary charge of the citizen advisory committee - to sit through those long meetings listening to dry technical matters and come up with a recommendation for a fee system beyond the interim. Council is demanding a tight deadline be met to spread those costs equitably, so let's hope the Council will help, not hinder the process.

Why can't this be paid from property taxes or EDIT taxes?

Well, it's not a tax. Water quality impact is only marginally related to property values. It's not related to income at all.

But can't it be "tacked on" to the property tax bill?

Sure. Not right away, but it could be set up in 2007 as a property-specific charge, and it is believed that it can be taken from the first dollar paid on that bill, making the possibility of delinquencies much less likely. But in the meantime, funding must be made available. We can't just stop working on the system until the property tax bills are paid. And there will be a transition period where, if the add-on to the water bill is dropped, the city might have to borrow money while waiting for funds from the treasurer.

I've not heard of anyone who is opposed to levying delinquent fees on the top of the semi-annual property tax bill, either.

Why create a new board to oversee water quality?

The mayor has stated his belief that the existing sewer board should be the body that oversees stormwater management. His colleagues on that board disagree. Someone will have to serve as a board of directors here. It won't operate itself.

What about tax-increment financing money? Why not use that instead of apportioning the costs by impact?

One reason. There is no such thing as TIF money. TIF is not a big pile of money that can be used for anything, anytime. TIF areas are created as special taxing districts where improvements are desired. As development takes place in the area, the taxes derived from the added value are dedicated to paying off bonds. Those bonds are issued for such things as infrastructure improvements. In theory, that COULD include drainage channels, aboveground or underground, but diverting that TIF money to drainage would simply leave other improvements unfunded.

What's the bottom line?

Yuck. More money coming out of my family's pocket. During the interim period, our commercial property is getting screwed. Indeed, my 3,000 s.f. store is likely to be paying the same rate as stores 30 and 40 times larger (not to mention the disparity in parking lot space). I say, give the professionals and the advisory committee every resource they need to implement an impact fee that's fair. Don't issue a dare to the regulators by delaying the creation of a 5-year plan. Don't bitch about funding stormwater operations from this fee.

How about Wednesday's vote?

Vote yes. Put the interim fee on the Indiana American Water bill so we don't just stop managing the drainage problems. Don't put the city at risk of more environmental fines.

Bonus consideration

A few have actually suggested the stormwater operations be funded out of property taxes. Is there a secret agenda at work here? Who pays property taxes? More importantly, who doesn't?

An impact fee based on actual contributions to stormwater runoff volume would capture the costs generated by the institutional property owners who are already exempt from property taxes. How much land (and impervious surfaces) would escape paying their share of the costs? The school system. Some non-profits. Property-holding churches, particularly the mega-churches that are starting to resemble theme parks. Private schools. Floyd County. Under the user fee, no property is exempt. But as a property tax, many high-impact properties would escape paying their fair share.

The equities here are certainly debatable, but let's do that some other time. Just consider a church like Southeast Christian in Kentucky, a church that operates businesses and owns properties that are being subsidized by the taxpayers of Jefferson County. At what point does being a church give you license to take money and services from those around you, especially those who don't share your particular brand of worship?

Pick a Side

2005-10-30T21:40:00.000-05:00

There’s nothing funny about it, folks. Whether they are truly just paranoiac conspiracy theorists or witting tools of a criminal political machine, there is an element at large determined to poison the atmosphere of political discussion and to stifle free speech.

It’s unfortunate that they also seem to have been smoking dope when they should have been paying attention in English class. Their composition skills, incredibly, are even worse than their reasoning skills.

The Hon. Maury Goldberg, the former city council member for the 3rd District, has attempted to give us a history of the atrocious management of New Albany’s sanitation department. Speaking loutly, if incoherently, certain elements have willingly misinterpreted these histories to support their own miserable preconceptions.

How anyone could possibly take what Mr. Goldberg reports and twist it to support a belief that trash collection user fees are “propping up” the city’s sewer utility operations is beyond me.

Mr. Goldberg is earnestly seeking answers. He clearly favors a solution to our sanitation problems that would necessitate a 50% increase in user fees. That’s a solution that I believe, after 15 years of an ongoing subsidy from the general fund and other fund accounts, is untenable. Nonetheless, I do believe MG is being intellectually honest, no matter how much I may disagree.

For one thing, New Albany is the home of a large proportion of residents on fixed incomes. Proportionally, this city has a large number of lower-income residents and an out-of-proportion number of elderly single-person households who do not have the ability to shoulder the burden of a trash-collection fee of $21 a month.

No one, least of all the cave-dwelling troglodytes, has made a convincing case that maintaining sanitation as a purely civic service is worth the cost to our fixed- and limited-income population.

No, the psychotic strain spews the canard that the only explanation is greed, corruption and an inherent desire to harm the community.

I, and many, many others are here to make the case that the current administration is demonstrating courage by addressing an intractable problem that has plagued this city for nigh unto a generation. The sanitation operations of this city have been so miserably mismanaged, with no easy solution in sight, that the only choice is to consider contracting this service to a private company.

Adhering to core principles of accountability and recognizing the valuable contributions made to municipal services by the current workforce, this mayor has continued to make the continued employment of the existing employees a priority. James Garner has not once descended to the tactic of criticizing the work ethic of the current workforce.

Of course, he will not be given credit for retaining these jobs. Political enemies will cast this as a callous betrayal of public employees. Reasonable people, however, will see that there has been nothing hasty or callous about the mayor’s course of action.

His plan maintains municipal control over the level of service. His plan strives to keep a maximum number of current workers employed. Furthermore, his plan fulfills the city’s obligation to the cooperative venture that is the Clark-Floyd landfill.

Continuation of services is jeopardized by the ongoing obstruction by the Gang of Four. As requests for proposals issue this week, the mayor and his administration are committed to the absolute minimum of job losses (the preference is zero job losses) and to maintaining our obligations to utilize the community landfill operations.

It is clear that opponents either don’t understand the basic mathematics of fund accounting or that they are committed to a political agenda to keep the city operating inefficiently.

It is beyond ironic that the mayor’s opponents claim to be champions of the “little people” while insisting that the poorest of our citizens carry the burden of a provably inefficient sanitation operation.

There is no question but that 50 years of outrageous cronyism and preferential treatment would give rise to such an unreasoned anger and vitriol. What’s most ironic, however, is that those who decry it most strenuously are ignoring the first, best chance to destroy the machine that has perpetuated this abomination of government accountability.

At long last, New Albany has a reform mayor, a mayor who is willing to disrupt the old boy network no matter the political cost. Those criminal and near-criminal elements who assumed that Garner would be “their boy” are angry and embittered. Clumsily, but evidently, they have enlisted a cadre of already disillusioned citizens to do their dirty work.

Whether that dirty work involves disinformation (the Schmidt modus operandi), craven populism and self-evident disdain of every communitarian instinct (the Price modus operandi), pure ignorance (the Coffey modus operandi), or naked political calculation (the Kochert M.O.), it is drawing the attention of the citizenry.

New Albanians are not stupid. They may have, in the past, paid little attention to the day-to-day, week-to-week, month-to-month machinations of city government. That day has passed.

Citizens are paying attention. They see who is seeking to move this city forward. They see who is making the tough decisions. They see who is timid and who is bold.

And now, the desperation of Garner’s political opponents has ramped up to a fever pitch. No tactic is beneath them. Slander is but the poisoned tip of their arrows. They do not hesitate to employ any tactic. These vandals, these Klansmen, these Nazis, see their hegemony threatened by a mayor who will not submit to their direction. They see an awakened constituency no longer accepting of an attitude of “it’s always been this way.”

New Albanians will not be cowed by criminal violence. They will not be fooled by crackpots pressing an agenda of racism, religious persecution, theocracy, homophobia, and xenophobia. They will react. They will reject the appeal to nativism and intolerance. They will, no matter which party banner it marches under, declare a preference. Choose YOUR side very carefully.

Democratic Party Dinner a Triumph

2005-10-28T00:07:00.000-04:00

It was a grand night at The Grand for America's oldest continuous political party and their Floyd County adherents. A happier bunch I've never seen as everyone involved seemed to be on the same page.

Baron Hill, our member of Congress until this year, made it very clear that he intends to reclaim that seat for the Democrats. Few House seats generate $4 million in outside funding, but the GOP elected to pour that much into the Ninth District to help take the seat away from the Democratic Party. Hill reports that, somewhat to his surprise, the Democrats aren't disillusioned by the loss, but energized, and that the party will reclaim its rightful stewardship of the Congressional office.

In his first real public exposure, county chairman Randy Stumler was appealing, even endearing, in what turned out to be a highly motivating lovefest.

With the national Republican party imploding and the local Republican party still rudderless, there is great cause for optimism as we approach the 2006 national and local county elections.

CM Donnie Blevins was his usual taciturn self, joining two groups of Hurricane Katrina evacuees at Mayor James Garner's front row table.

For the record, this observer noted not one moment of discord or dispute, even among intraparty opponents. The celebration of the legacy of FDR was the centerpiece, and the party was one in reasserting its principles. Thanks go out to Judge Joe Weber for his masterful recap of the Roosevelt philosophy.

Perhaps embarrassed to show their faces after their performance during 2005, the Gang of Four, all putative Democrats, elected to show their back ends to a party that's more than ready to leave them behind. Go ahead and make that party switch, guys. I'm sure there's nothing Franklin Delano Roosevelt can teach you. After all, "we've nothing to fear but fear itself" is a slogan completely at odds with your style of politics.

CM Jack Messer and his lovely wife were a big hit, drawing praise from all quarters for his fearless stance against the obstructionist Gang of Four during the past 12 months. County Council President Ted Heavrin exhibited an esprit de corps seldom seen and spent most of the evening with a smile on his face. And the ever gracious New Albany Township Trustee added to the spirit of the evening.

The new party central committee pulled off a great event, mixing new blood with all the active stalwarts Floyd County has come to know and love.

Great job, Randy, Marcey, Tony, Adam and all the organizing committee. You put together a stirring program that bodes well for the future of the party.

And we would be remiss if we did not give kudos to Steve and Bill Lohmeier for their inspiring rendition of Woody Guthrie's "This Land is Your Land," modified to represent the true spirit of Guthrie.

Self or Community?

2005-10-27T10:08:00.000-04:00

The American Ideal - is it the embodiment of "rugged individualism," where the citizenry is encouraged to be self-centered, or does it institutionalize a belief that we are one people with common goals. Here's one woman's opinion.

This, I believe.

I believe that our Constitution is the most unique document in the world because it is about society; creating a more just and equal society, for all people. – Our Preamble begins with the words We, the people, not I, the individual. America’s Constitution, introduced by our most unique Preamble, was meant to bring a new order of relations among people.

I believe that we must strive to provide conditions which are beneficial for our society, and for our posterity; that is a good life – a life well lived; so that after you are gone- you will be remembered for the good that you have done.

This nation was formed to change forever the relationship of people to each other; to create true justice, equality, liberty and happiness; that a life worth living is one of giving of one’s self, for in that alone do we find true happiness

I believe that money is only a tool, and even that distinction is a given; Value, real wealth, does not flow from paper, or gold or possessions, but from economic activity. Economics is not price theories. Economics is about people; the value of human beings.

Government is not legitimate unless it truly encompasses and protects the lives of people – all the people. Government needs a well-organized, well regulated money system – but the money system must be intended to meet the requirements of society’s security; as Roosevelt’s successful Social Security system typifies this.

I believe that our Founding Principles have been perverted by those whose power is challenged by our greatest Principle – the General Welfare clause of our United States Constitution. We must rise to the challenge, as Roosevelt did, of crushing those intentions.

We will never fulfill the ideals that guided our founders hands in writing our Constitution by succumbing to greed and arrogant power. We must rise to the occasion by uplifting, inspiring, and invigorating our fellow man to act truly human toward all people. The ‘advantage of the other’ must be our guiding principle.

This, I believe: I believe that this nation and its people will return to our founding principles - to government of, by, and for the people. The world is headed for a new rendezvous with destiny, for as the immortal Schiller said, “There are limits to a tyrant’s power.” We are working for a Global New Deal for all mankind.

- Carol Smith

An FDR Day Message to the Gang of Four

2005-10-27T00:12:00.000-04:00

"They Sow the Wind, and Reap the Whirlwind"
Hosea 8:1-14

Happy 50th Birthday, Allen

2005-10-24T03:23:00.000-04:00

I invite all and sundry to join with my bride and me as we wish Allen Howie, founder of Idealogy, Inc., a happy birthday as he reaches the mid-century mark.

Allen and wife Lisa, their three children and dozens more friends and family celebrated downtown Saturday evening. Allen is one of the good guys, and is working hard to grow his business, serve his community, and make downtown a place where we all can celebrate happy occasions.

Post your own best wishes to Allen in the comments section below and we'll forward them to him.

What Hubris!

2005-10-24T01:25:00.000-04:00

So, Their Man Mitch decides that a high-technology innovation and development fund is giving TOO MUCH money to our institutions of higher learning.

SO, let's divert this taxpayer money to private firms, further strangling innovation from our most productive researchers.

How long will this go on? IU Southeast docs? Anyone?

Shall We Gather at the River?

2005-10-20T23:39:00.000-04:00

Lacking the will to shoulder the responsibility for implementing an interim stormwater management program, and the unwelcome but necessary impact fees to fund it, New Albany's City Council punted Thursday night, but not before bemusing the crowd with a semantic debate that reveals just how diminished is the awareness of certain elements.

In a fit of pique that infected both sides of the table, with two abstentions and a remarkably petulant "nay" from Gang of Four veteran and Strom Thurmond wannabe Larry Kochert, council decided that no, we shall not gather at the river. Instead, we shall again run from responsibility and blame the big, bad Feds when they impose daily fines of $25,000.

Volunteer Hoosier is working on developing an online calculator so readers can plug in the budget line amount for their favorite city service to discover why the Gang of Four wants to eliminate that service. I don't know about you, but having 911 dispatchers get that ambulance to me on time is MY favorite city service!

For those of you who do not read books, here's a primer.

SHALL is directive. WILL is predictive. MAY is permissive. - VH Glossary of Legal Terms

shall (shal) v. aux. pt. should [ME schal, pl. schullen sceal, inf. sceolan, akin to Ger sollen < IE base (s)kel-, to be indebted > inf. Lith skeliu, to owe] 1. Used in a first person to indicate simple future time [I shall probably go tomorrow] : cf. WILL (sense 1) 2. Used in the second or third person, esp. in formal speech or writing, to express determination, compulsion, obligation, or necessity [You shall listen] 3. Used in a statement of laws or regulations [The fine shall not exceed $200] 4. Used in questions about what to do [shall I invite them] 5. Used in conditional subordinate clauses [If any man shall hear, let him remember] USAGE - see usage note at WILL - Webster's New World College Dictionary, Fourth Edition, the Official Dictionary of the Associated Press

Council's attorney pointed out the reality-based truth (granted, a foreign concept to the opponents of responsibility) that will and shall are interchangeable in common speech, although shall is the preferred usage in legal documents, still.

Somehow, Li'l Stevie's fan-girls define shall as some exotic weasel word. Hey girls! Maybe next time, instead of muttering "bullshit" (I kid you not) all night, you could pick up a dictionary. Some experts!

In other news, the bipartisan attempt to knee-cap $75 million in outside investment in fair, affordable housing that (wonder of wonders) meets code and complies with zoning regulations continues apace. As Cruella de Val looked on, her agents on the council came very close to torpedoing up to $600,000 in federal grants, provoking a rare flash of anger from Redevelopment Director John Rosenbarger when he was accused of lying.

One surprise was the appearance of a contingent of student journalists, on hand to cover this government meeting. They were treated to random outbursts of anger from almost every point of the council compass, and the behavior of the citizenry was only slightly more savory. Even your humble correspondent succumbed to the spirit of anarchy, but the response my "crudeness" provoked gives me a few suggestions for investigators chasing leads on the recent spate of criminal harassment toward progressive elements.

Kristallnacht any day now. We invite responsible comment.

I Guess It Wasn't a Progressive

2005-10-20T16:51:00.000-04:00

Baseless allegations, slander, racial epithets, slurs on personal faith, and outright homophobia, all conducted under the cover of anonymity and/or under the influence and guidance of the most regressive elements in elective office...taking sides with the slumlords and the mafia. Throwing "birds" at a man's family as they celebrate the city's signature moment...personal attacks, threats, libels and harassment...

Who is the diseased mind who found it appropriate to launch a brick through the window at James the Cleaner? Logic dictates who is responsible for this. There is a sickness, diagnosed or otherwise, driving a Nazi element in our fair town. If you are one who fosters this hatred, your fingerprints are on that brick, too.

My guess? It wasn't a progressive who committed this crime.

Sense and Sensibility

2005-10-19T16:32:00.000-04:00

Why do you read blogs? To find something interesting!

Poll: More Americans Getting Their News From Bev

Quote of the Day

2005-10-19T08:54:00.000-04:00

I don’t trust books. They’re all about facts, not heart. And that’s what’s tearing this country apart. --- Stephen Colbert

To Everything There is a Season

2005-10-17T18:00:00.000-04:00

Volunteer Hoosier extends its sympathies to 1st District Council Member Dan Coffey. Although we find ourselves in agreement with Mr. Coffey on practically no occasions, we don't wish him ill will.

We learned today that Mr. Coffey was involved in a collision along Spring Street in the West End, leaving his vehicle undriveable. We extend our best to Mr. Coffey as he deals with any injuries he might have sustained.

Investigative Journalism?

2005-10-16T14:20:00.000-04:00

Friends across the river report that the only time they hear any news about New Albany, it's bad news. The Courier-Journal fails miserably in covering the Southern Indiana arts scene, so event announcements, civic club activities, and other items that would and could be important for folks separated from us by the river go unreported.

IU Southeast gets short shrift. Businesses large and small are treated as insignificant if they are located in Southern Indiana, especially if the matter is important to the region. Such news only makes it into the Indiana "section" of the Indiana editions of the C-J.

I put "section" in quotes because the typical 8 pages include maybe 2 pages of local news and some slapped-together Indiana wire copy on a third page.

And yet, every Southern Indiana subscriber is guaranteed to know about every development if it's happening in a Kentucky zip code.

Indiana Weekly is inserted on Wednesdays (and distributed separately, according to rumor), so every event competes for coverage on one single day, whether it's timely or not.

That's why I and others are so ardently hoping for a renascent Tribune and Evening News to fill the void. As an advertiser, it is in my vested interest that The Tribune, in particular, become an essential read for anyone on this side of the river. Their goal, as I read it, is to make that so, and then if you have a particular need to find out something specifically about Kentucky because you work there or still have family there, you can make the C-J your "second" paper.

The problem is exacerbated by the neglect that the editors of the Louisville paper show toward the New Albany/Floyd County beat. Clearly, the only way government beat writer Ben Zion Hershberg can get good placement in the paper is to sensationalize his coverage of local government.

I don't blame Ben. It is the neglect shown by his superiors that constitutes my beef with the Gannett company. His editors don't worry about whether his stories are accurate. Their only view of New Albany is Ben's. The idea that what Hershberg reports bears little resemblance to reality has probably never crossed their minds.

They reward Ben because his snarky attack style is fun to read. It doesn't matter to the C-J executives that it paints a picture that is misleading. It doesn't matter to the C-J that it is slanted to reflect the views of Ben's anonymous and not-so-anonymous informants. Ben's stories present "a view askew," a view that is tainted by the reporter's sloppiness with quotations and his allegiance to crackpots who can always be counted on to launch baseless accusations.

It's good copy and his editors don't have a clue whether it's true or untrue. When Ben's stories make the front pages, his editors recognize them as similar to great investigative stories they've heard about in journalism school. They never question whether they are true.

So Ben does what any ambitious reporter will do. He shades his story to make piddly mistakes into crimes of great magnitude. He then goes out to find someone, anyone, who will give him a quote to support his slant on the story. Remember the "lady at a bus stop" who Ben asked about the issues facing New Albany's sanitation operations? No context, no analysis, just a supporting pull quote. From there, Ben proceeded to paint the reconstruction of the sanitation department as something that many (Ben's words) in the community oppose.

He did much the same during the years of struggle to make the Scribner Place redevelopment project a reality.

I speak not from a partisan or Partisan perch. I speak from experience. As I tried to find out how and why things work or don't work in this town, I relied on the local newspapers, including the Courier-Journal. My bad.

One trip to a New Albany City Council meeting, which in 2005 have been marked by contentiousness, vilification, slander, and near-criminal neglect by the Gang of Four, and certainly an abdication of representative responsibility, is all it will take for you to discover that the Courier-Journal and Ben Zion Hershberg are not serving you with the truth.

I have observed closely. I've asked questions. I've reported on what actually happens in this city, and increasingly in Floyd County as a whole. What I've observed bears no resemblance to what Ben reports. Don't believe me? Join me Thursday and see how a city council meeting goes. Then read Hershberg's report the next day.

That's how Ben gets rewarded. He won't stop now.

Volunteer Hoosier calls on the C-J to reassign Hershberg to another beat and to put a reporter with integrity in place in Floyd County. Today's overblown non-story is typical Hershberg. Using the "hook" of a returned audit of the New Albany Township Trustee's operations, he paints a picture for readers throughout the region. KY readers again hear only bad news.

The slant, snark, and words from Ben mimic award-winning journalism. But a careful reading reveals that Mr. Tom Cannon has done nothing of substance wrong. An audit is a report by technicians on just how far off the perfect mark an operation is hitting. From my reading, there is no story.

A driveway was built alongside the township fire hall, a condition requested by planning authorities. A building was built without using an engineer or architect. A travel expense reimbursement was rejected. No, Tom Cannon's operations aren't perfect, but they are far from the dereliction of duty implied in Ben Hershberg's coverage.

Complaints by political opponents have been referred to a government attorney in neighboring Clark County. In Ben's telling, Cannon is "under investigation by a special prosecutor."

It would pretty simple to rewrite Ben's lead to reflect the truth with another slant. It happens all the time.

ITEM: "Long-time political opponents of New Albany Township Trustee Tom Cannon are citing a recent report from state auditors as evidence that Cannon is mismanaging the trustee's office.

Although the audit highlights minor problems with recordkeeping and questions some expenditures, observers note that the personal animosity of the Township Advisory Board has led that body to make a routine financial report into a cudgel to use against Cannon just one year before the next election."

That story is equally valid. It, too, would make the front page, and would be a great launching point to discuss how the vitriol from the advisory board makes their contribution to township affairs little more than political posturing.

But the C-J gets Ben's slant, buys it as gospel, and reinforces the belief that New Albany is Yokelville, USA, filled with corrupt politicians, shady dealings, and an electorate powerless to change things.

Hey, Ben's chosen his side. It's time for the C-J to send a reporter who doesn't take sides. VH won't be linking to C-J stories until then. Our friends at NA Confidential may feel comfortable peddling Ben's trash as "news." From this keyboard, I won't be bothering.

Although Ben's stories provide a limited view into the minds of his sponsors and informants, they do not provide news fit to reprint, much less news to which I would refer you.

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Take the Challenge

October 20, 2005
7:30 p.m.
Third Floor Assembly Room
City County Building

The Common Council of the City of New Albany meets at 7:30 p.m. They will often hold public hearings 15 minutes prior to their scheduled meetings.

Come to the meeting. Take your own notes. Read the faces, hear the words, and measure the mood. Then read the newspaper coverage the next day.

Lather, rinse, and repeat.

Other upcoming City Council meetings:

November 7th and 17th
December 5th and 15th

The jockeying for selection of a new president of the council should be fascinating. I'm hearing that a deal has already been cut to oust current president Jeff Gahan of the city's 6th District. My question is "Why?" And who's making the deal? And in exchange for what?

New Albany Cleans Up Nice

2005-10-13T23:33:00.000-04:00

Zip over to Clarksville and do a U-turn. Then start back across Silver Creek on Brown Station Way/Spring Street and play spot the eyesore.

We have one less to count, I'm here to report. The proprietors of Sunset Spirits Too have made a major contribution to the aesthetic atmosphere of our fair city. I'm told that the tenant prevailed on the landlord to spiff up the place.

First, about two weeks ago, the astoundingly ugly "LIQUOR DEPO" sign was consigned to oblivion. From all appearances, that atrocity of a pole-mounted, double-sided sign was electrified by little more than an extension cord that draped from the roof of the purveyor's place. UGGGGLEEEE!

It's gone, and that alone would have made a major contribution to the impression made as people enter New Albany from the east. A run down Spring Street reveals only a few jarringly ugly distractions, if you make allowances for '50s vintage strip architecture, fast-food modern, and 21st Century suburban standard architectural styles.

The bottle shop is no longer a dank, dark distraction. It's still little more than a block building with a glass face, but it's now much, much more attractive. New paint, repaired lighting, and a newly visible wall sign improve the Gateway of New Albany tremendously.

Volunteer Hoosier applauds the owner. The mayor should issue a special beautification award. Our eastern Gateway can be presentable, and the investment made at this location by the landlord and tenant deserves recognition.

Now, on to the half-dozen remaining eyesores between Silver Creek and Hauss Square.

Al Gore in 2008

2005-10-13T23:16:00.000-04:00

Since 1988, I've been convinced that no American has prepared better to be this nation's leader than Al Gore. He tried twice. Twice elected vice president and once elected president, he has learned the lessons necessary to clinch the deal.

For the record, this writer endorses Al Gore for president in 2008. He'll certainly be better than Speaker of the House Denny Hastert, who stands a remarkable chance of becoming president before another year is out. Now let's try to figure out who would make the best running mate on the Democratic ticket. I earnestly believe that Gore can define the Democratic Party in much the way that Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, and Franklin Roosevelt once did.

I Really Always Thought It Was Trite, But...

2005-10-11T03:59:00.000-04:00

...I have to admit that it has its applications.

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, and comes short again and again...." - Theodore Roosevelt.

Umpty-umpt years ago, my then father-in-law offered this quote in support of a good man in an untenable situation. If you care to know, come by and ask me who the man was, but you'd have to be a real trivia nut (or just old) to even have a clue as to who the man was. Remember, I'm a "newcomer." One of those "outsiders" who aren't entitled to speak out on public affairs.

For example, I'm not permitted to speak out about how MY property values are lowered when the neighbor next door decides that, despite his double-wide driveway (fairly unique in my neighborhood), he can just park his truck in his front yard. I'm scolded that I "just don't understand New Albany."

A year ago, still apparently feeling his way into the duties of his office, Mayor James Garner was struggling to demonstrate his talents. Unfortunately, he fell back on an extremely weak argument that he, by virtue of his office, was entitled to "respect."

True or not, it was an argument from weakness, or at least, it appeared to be one of the lamer declamations ever put into writing by a municipal executive.

Since that time, however, the man has demonstrated why so many invested their confidence in him in 2003. Time after time, he has been willing to shoulder the burden of responsibility for this city's welfare, and politically, he has managed to be a winner on issue after issue, vote after vote, and has successfully led this city through an unprecedented and inherited fiscal crisis.

He has weathered the fiercest criticism with grace and aplomb.

He has created an environment where partisan affiliation is no longer relevant, and where even the most disengaged recognize that New Albany has changed...that the city is no longer a place where "change" is a bad word, where nothing ever "really" changes. When even these, the least interested citizens, are declaring that NA no longer has an ineffective government, but an active and responsive one.

No matter whose "idea" it was, James Garner was steadfast in promoting the most ambitious voluntary economic development concept in recent history - the Scribner Place redevelopment project. He worked closely with the City Council to make Scribner Place, the Floyd County YMCA, and the Caesars' Foundation Aquatic Center at last a reality.

Against all odds, Garner tackled the intractable problem of a much-neglected sanitation department deficit and proposed a solution that maintains city control without unnecessarily burdening its most vulnerable citizens with outrageous fee increases.

He negotiated successfully with all of the city's employee unions.

And now, inexplicably, he is attacked by the willing tools of the Gang of Four, accused of withholding information (FALSE), of seeking to enrich himself (FALSE), and of somehow desiring to burden the city's residents with, what his critics say is a manufactured storm water management fee.

Q. How in Hades is this Garner's plan? This unfunded mandate is what it is. Its costs are what they are. To my knowledge, James Garner hasn't even issued an opinion on this matter, but rather, has ardently solicited the input of a citizen's committee to address the requirements of the mandate. This ever-evolving advisory committeee (not a STEERING committee, no matter how egoistic and egotistic its component members may be) is charged with developing the permanent plan for allocating the costs of a storm water management plan.

The interim fee structure is little more than an arithmetic calculation, and the storm water advisory committee has no discretion with regard to that fee. Unless and until they get to work on the permanent plan, an admittedly flawed interim plan only funds the planning process for the next 12 to 18 months.

My own self-isnjection into New Albany's public affairs was motivated by a sincere curiosity as to what it was that made the city so unreceptive to new businesses (and new residents). I found my answers by asking questions and making my own observations (aided by newfound friends).

I have NEVER found it difficult to find the answers to my questions. In every instance, if I had a question, SOMEONE was able to answer the question. At least at the upper levels of city government, where Garner himself has been able to effect a semblance of control, I've been able to obtain the answers to any question I asked.

Those who have been paying attention will remember that, with the possible exception of one preeminent blogger, I was the furthest thing from a cheerleader for NA's city government.

But, like that Web logger, I was sincere in seeking out the truth. As it revealed itself, my own latent political analytical skills asserted themselves, and my initial reactions proved to be just that - reactionary.

No thing is clearer than that a cabal of venal, self-interested politicians (ward-heelers) and hangers-on (you know who you are) are intent on creating a miasma of discontent in New Albany. Relying on their experiences from the past, they believe that Rove-ian propaganda can ensure that, come election time, all of that discontent will be poured out indiscriminately toward whoever is the incumbent mayor. After all, isn't that the norm. Don't try to improve things, just blame whoever's in there at at the top of the ticket?

It's a game. Don't allow yourself to be gamed. Gaming is for the Harrah's/Caesar's time- and money-sucker down the highway.

What the criminally negligent incumbents (yes, Gang of Four, that's you) seem to be ignoring is that, for once, New Albanians are paying attention to what's going on in the city far before the two weeks prior to the elections. That works against you. Your own behavior is under the microscope. The mayor's incremental moves to move the city forward are invariably appreciated. Your own obstructionism and willful celebration of ignorance is spotlighted.

Where once the four-year interregnum between elections was pretty much ignored, the progressive movement in this town has created an atmosphere where YOUR actions are under the microscope. I abstain? What the hell? If I lived in Corvallis, Ore., or Carmel, Ind., I might possibly object to providing economic incentives to some "River Rat" town on the Ohio.

But if I were the sole direct representative of a district that was on life support and relied desperately on every possible incentive to attract investment and jobs, I could never justify voting against the continuation of its designation as an Urban Enterprise Zone.

Who in the world are you representing?

We know, by now, that you take pride in your ignorance and your refusal to represent the best interests of your constituents. You are now irrelevant. We earnestly hope that you continue to ignore what we say, that you continue to listen to your extremely limited inner circle, and that you continue to believe that, once election time rolls around, that New Albanians will again "blame the mayor, not the council member."

And surprise of surprises, you'll soon discover that your own party will find it distasteful to tolerate your ongoing attempts to propagandize, to obstruct, and to serve a master other than your constituents.

Watch closely, Gang. Watch as people who once, at least, deigned to pretend to pay you the respect you so deeply crave begin to distance themselves from you. Watch them as they abandon you. Don't be surprised when your phone calls are diverted to voice mail, when your calls are no longer returned. Don't be surprised when your own constituents reach out to the "at-large" council members to represent THEIR interests. It's already happening with the majority in the 3rd District. The 2nd and 4th Districts are slowly awakening to the reality that they are no longer being represented at council.

And you, Mr. First District. The BIG surprise will come when you discover that a dozen dozen votes is no longer enough.

If only to disassociate themselves from your deeply sociopathic public actions and votes, your cartoonish slavishness to the precepts of Willie Starkism, and your contempt for reason and rationality, the acknowledged leaders of the Democratic Party will renounce and disengage from you, leaving you to find your own constituency.

Will that be criminals, homophobes, slumlords, malcontents, and the barely functional deranged?

I suspect so. So far, the only visible support you evince is from trogloditic cave-dwellers devoted to moving society backward as far as possible (hey, let's bring back slavery) or, as they describe themselves, troglobytes (trilobytic "little people").

But surprise of surprises. A whole community of non-partisan, usually disengaged citizens are paying attention. While they may have no devotion to the incumbent mayor as an individual, they are repulsed by the effluvia that emerges from the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th District representatives.

With no other alternative, they will, as against your alternative, be compelled to see this city's executive as the anti-trog candidate in 2007. And when the established party elders see this truth, you will be isolated, condemned, and left in this glacial-edged territory's ashbin.

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Private message to the Duchess: I recognize that medical conditions can affect judgment, but can you tell me who in this tiny blogosphere is most likely to be accepting of your personal choices - the progs or the trogs?

The Truth is Out There

2005-10-07T09:10:00.000-04:00

http://newalbanytoday.blogspot.com/

Yeah, He's a Progressive, Too

2005-10-06T20:17:00.000-04:00

Of the Internet, Al Gore says: "We must ensure by all means possible that this medium of democracy's future develops in the mold of the open and free marketplace of ideas that our Founders knew was essential to the health and survival of freedom."

For more progressive thinking, read the text of the media conference speech by the man America elected to the presidency in 2000.

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2005/10/06/D8D2IU703.html

Progressive Primer, Session Two

2005-10-06T19:56:00.000-04:00

Another of those things that progressives find relevant (nay, necessary) for discussion:

Wednesday's Courier-Journal reported that an Indianapolis Republican legislator planned to introduce a comprehensive ban on "assisted reproduction" physician care for prospective single parents and homosexual couples.

Sen. Patricia Miller, R-Indianapolis, said the state does not have regulations on assisted reproduction.

She said the requirements should be similar to those for adoption, but acknowledged that the legislation would be "enormously controversial."

"Our statutes are nearly silent on all this. You can think of guidelines, but when you put it on paper it becomes different," she told The Journal Gazette of Fort Wayne.

Miller is chairwoman of the Health Finance Commission, a panel of lawmakers that will vote Oct. 20 on whether to recommend the legislation to the full General Assembly.

The bill defines assisted reproduction as causing pregnancy by means other than sexual intercourse, including intrauterine insemination, donation of an egg, donation of an embryo, in vitro fertilization and transfer of an embryo, and sperm injection.

It requires "intended parents" to be married and states that an unmarried person may not be an intended parent.

A doctor cannot begin an assisted reproduction technology procedure that may result in a child being born until the intended parents have undergone an assessment and met the bill's requirements.

Read this story (limited shelf-life on C-J stories)
Reproduction bill targets gays, singles: Married couples could use science

In case you were wondering...that is NOT a progressive idea.

And just so you'll know, the state's constituency for progress killed this one in its crib, as related in Thursday's C-J.

Things are changing. Like it or not.

Tell It, David

2005-10-06T19:50:00.000-04:00

Let this serve as a little primer on what progressives are concerned with:

At the Very Top, a Surge in Income in '03

by David Cay Johnston
The New York Times

After falling for two years, the share of income going to the richest slice of Americans - the top tenth of 1 percent - grew significantly in 2003 while the share going to 99 percent of Americans fell, tax data released yesterday showed.

At the same time, the effective income tax rates paid by the top tenth of 1 percent fell sharply, declining at more than 10 times the rate reduction for middle-class taxpayers, the new report, by the Internal Revenue Service, showed...

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...The I.R.S. data tend to understate incomes for those at the very top because of different rules for reporting wages and capital gains, meaning the actual disparity was larger than the official data show.

Other data show that among major world economies, the United States in recent years has had the third-greatest disparity in incomes between the very top and everyone else. Only Mexico and Russia, among major economies, have greater disparity.

Read the whole story online at
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/05/business/05tax.html?oref=login

Before the Next Storm

2005-10-04T14:28:00.000-04:00

Let me first say I applaud the individuals who volunteered to work with the city and its professional contractors to develop a stormwater management plan. If you ever wondered what their duties and responsibilities are, read this:

From the public notice:

The public stakeholder committee will discuss a number of issues including:

Long-term financing without raising taxes through user fees

State mandated services the City must provide

Drainage and flood control services the City should provide

An acceptable balance of new costs and new fees

State mandated revised construction site runoff control ordinance

State mandated new illicit discharge elimination ordinance

State mandated new post-construction site runoff control ordinance

The committee will make a series of recommendations to the City of New Albany based on these discussions.

From the invitation letter:

The SWAC, composed of public stakeholders, staff and elected officials, will discuss goals, visions, needs and financial priorities for the City to address problems associated with flooding, new development, water quality and federal regulations. The SWAC will consider the public discussion and incorporate the comments into recommendations that will be given to the New Albany Sewer Board and elected officials for consideration and adoption.

Committee members will serve as representatives from groups interested in stormwater management, including homeowners, developers, business leaders, environmentalists, and related industry. New Albany has gone through great lengths to create this mix of membership to provide the technical basis for unbiased and sound recommendations from the community that will be communicated to the Sewer Board for action.