I am sure I had a point

This week in MY FRIDAY COLUMN I address a reader's concern that my column last week was a little too vague, I hope this helps.

I AM SURE I HAD A POINT

It might be hard to believe but when I sit down each week to write one of these opinion columns I believe that ultimately I will have a point.  Whether I make my point clear to everyone in every column is a matter of debate.  Apparently last week I failed miserably in that endeavor and for that I would like to apologize.  

Although I received a lot of positive feedback from last week’s column, one long time reader didn’t understand the use of my phrase “That’s not a request” that I used at the end of each segment of my article.  It seems I wasn’t clear enough about what my point really was.

In the title of the column “Thanks for the Idea, Bob” , I am referring to New Albany’s 2nd district city councilman Bob Caeser and a comment that he made at a city council meeting earlier this month and reported in the News and Tribune.  He owns a business on Pearl Street and Indiana-American Water Corporation was seeking a permit from the city in order to do some maintenance on  the water line there. 

In the very first paragraph of my column I refer to an exchange between the councilman and a member of the administration.  Mr. Caeser made it clear that the permit should not be issued until after Valentine’s Day.  Emphasizing his position by announcing “that wasn’t a request”.  He made it clear that he would use his power as a member of the city council to protect  his business interest.

I guess my point by emphasizing the statement throughout the column was to highlight that elected officials should not be able to use their power or position in order to obtain special privileges.  People in power should not use that power to protect their own business interest.  They should use their power as an elected official to protect the business interest of the entire city.

Just this week United States Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky was preparing to board a plane and set off an alarm and he was asked to submit to a more thorough screening, to which he refused.  Senator Paul said in an interview that the TSA spends too much time doing invasive searches of people who are not a threat, instead of identifying people who are.  How would the Senator differentiate between people who are or aren’t a threat?

I do not agree with all of the rules that are enforced by the Transportation Security Administration, an agency of the Homeland Security Department.  I believe that they probably over step their bounds and infringe on our civil liberties.  I also believe the rules are there for a reason and that they need to be followed.  It is the price that we pay for safe air travel.  If the rules are wrong, then they need to be changed, until that time they need to be enforced evenly for everyone.

Another person that believes that he is above all the rules is Indiana Secretary of State,  Charles White.  In 2010 as he was running as a candidate for Secretary of State, ironically the chief election official in the state, he maintained the address of his ex-wife’s residence.  Had he updated his residency as required he would have also had to resign from his position of town councilman and lose the $12,000 salary.

Last month a Marion County Court overturned the election and ordered the runner up to replace him as Secretary of State.  As of right now the case is still in the hands of the courts and it could be a while until it is ultimately decided.  Would any of this have been necessary if Mr. White had just followed the law?  

Elected officials should not be given special powers or be considered to be above the rules.  They should go out of their way to follow the letter of the law as it is written and not challenge the authority of others.  If they believe that the laws are wrong or unfair, they should be changed for everyone.

What if everyone went to the airport and refused to be searched?  What if everyone that moved before an election didn’t change their voter registration properly?  What if every business owner demanded that their business deserved favorable treatment?  If our leaders are not required to follow the rules, why should any one else?  I guess that was my point.

Matthew Nash just wishes common sense were a tad more common.  If you don’t get the point of this, or any other column he can be reached by email dmatthewnash

Thanks for the idea, Bob

This week in MY FRIDAY COLUMN I try my hand at getting a little more assertive:

THANKS FOR THE IDEA, BOB

Over the years when I needed something from someone or wanted someone to do something for me, many times it doesn’t get done.   Maybe I was unclear as to what I really wanted or too vague about how  serious I was.  After a news report in the News and Tribune about a New Albany city council meeting, and an exchange between a city council member and a member of the administration, I have found a new way to make my expectations clear.

To the Indiana Legislature:

You have a lot of very important legislation to consider this year and short session to get things done. It seems that some of you want to waste time on very unimportant issues that have very little impact on the every day lives of ordinary Hoosiers. 

The first time I heard about the bill being proposed by Senator Vaneta Becker R-Evansville I thought it was some kind of joke.  Her bill would set specific performance standards for the singing of “The Star Spangled Banner” at any event sponsored by public schools or state universities.  Schools would be required to record and maintain a record of all performances for two years and performers could be fined if they strayed from the guidelines for singing the National Anthem.  Without getting into the first amendment implications and the performers freedom of expression this bill is a waste of time and of tax payer money.

The next bill I agree with but do not think it is the job of the state legislature.  It concerns the Indiana High School Basketball and a return to a single class tournament.  For years the annual basketball tournament was the envy of the nation and I would like to see its return also.  I do not think that it is the job of the Indiana legislature to force the schools to play the tournament the way that lawmakers like.

Both of these bills are examples of lawmakers overstepping their bounds, I think they should stick to their jobs and not look for things like this that score political points back home.  There are much more important issues to tackle. Quit wasting your time and taxpayers money on ideas like this, that’s not a request

.

To the Floyd County Council:

Quit telling me how great of a job you are doing because we are better off than other counties.  I don’t really care how others are doing, I just want Floyd County to be a great place to live.  Why do I keep reading that you will fund the parks department properly only when a new plan is agreed upon with the city?  

The current plan requires you to fund the parks evenly with the city, and you should be living up to your obligation.  Maybe if you had been living up to your responsibilities over the last few years the parks department could have finalized plans to build a new outdoor water facility and a new little league field in our community.  You need to do your job so that the parks department is able to do their jobs properly, that’s not a request.

To the NA-FC School board:

Creating a new position that pays six figures and then promoting the wife of one your own to fill a vacancy is no way to do business.  Over the last few years you slashed budgets by closing schools, cutting programs and outsourcing services.  Field trips, elementary sports and music and arts programs are disappearing and you are adding administrators.  I am tired of hearing there is no money and then reading about things like this.  Stop this nonsense and get back to the business of education.  I really do not want to hear about a raise for this superintendent, that’s not a request.

To candidates seeking local offices:

If you send out a letter asking for support, please indicate some way for me to contact you besides the return address label on the envelope.  This is 2012 and if you don’t have an email address maybe you should reconsider running for public office.  Last year more than one candidate published the address of a website that was not even active.   If you are going to expend time, money and energy on a campaign and would like my consideration, paying attention to the details is a good place to start, that’s not a request.

To the New Albany city council: 

For years the members have looked out for their own self interest and it is time that you started looking out for the needs of our city.   When you are in the council chamber your job is to worry about what is best for the city and not whether or not your business or members of your families business succeeds.  If you would consider how your decisions will impact the entire city and not just worry how your business will be affected, this city would be a much better place.  Bob, that’s not a request.  

Ohio River Greenway project in full swing

GREENWAY PROJECT IN FULL SWING

At the first meeting of the New Albany City Council for 2012 there wasn’t much on the agenda.  Election of officers, appointment of committees and municipal boards (which was postponed) were some of the very few things that needed to get done.  About thirty minutes into the meeting it looked like it was about time to adjourn and everyone would get to go home early.  That’s when Shauna Graf project coordinator  of The Ohio River Greenway Commission got up and gave her annual update on the progress of the Greenway.  

The twenty five minute presentation was a look at the history, progress and the future plans of the Ohio River Greenway project.

At first glance The Ohio River Greenway appears to be just a concrete path along the river but it is more than that.  According to their mission  the “Ohio River Greenway is to provide a common linkage between the Communities of Jeffersonville, Clarksville, and New Albany, Indiana along the banks of the Ohio River and to promote a passive recreational environment for river access, while allowing each community to construct riverfront amenities to enhance the overall project.”  

Many people are aware of The Greenway progress around New Albany near the amphitheater, as part of the “Scribner Place” project.  The next phase of the project is preparing to open between 18th Street and the Loop Island Wetlands.  With the very nice weather that we have had over the last couple of weeks I was able to get out and enjoy the newest segment of the project.

I decided to start at the entrance to the Loop Island Wetlands and work my way back towards town.  While the pathway is not 100% completed, it is to the point where citizens can enjoy a piece of New Albany that most people have never seen.  The day I went out there were construction workers putting the finishing touches on some railing and cleaning debris from the path.

 

 The old entrance to the Loop Island Wetlands is still where it always was but now as soon as you enter there is a roundabout path that has benches for sitting and resting and just watching nature.  I hadn’t walked 100 yards when I saw my “exotic” creature when I captured a picture of a small woodpecker.

The path from there heads west along the concrete floodwall and up a railed path to the top of the levee trail.  From there you walk along the top of the levee trail that curves around to conform to the shape of the Ohio River banks.  Until spring arrives and the leaves return you can see through the row of trees across the river to Sand Island and hear the echoes from thee McAlpine Locks.

Then you walk down the levee trail to the entrance at Eighteen Street floodwall.  A sign welcomes you to the newest phase of the Ohio River Greenway project.  A place for a few cars to park has been added so that people can stop and take a walk from 18th street to Loop Island Wetlands.

The greenway will be a valuable asset to our community and to Southern Indiana.  creating a new bound between our communities that will last for generations.  One of the roadblocks to creating something really nice for every citizen to enjoy has been a rash of vandalism.  Several lights near the New Albany amphitheater have been damaged by vandals intent on destroying for the sake of destruction.

Along this newest segment of the Greenway Path graffiti covers  the concrete floodwall.  Gang signs, racial slurs and just your bored kids with a can of spray paint cover portions of the wall.  You can already see spots where some of the vandalism has already been covered up.  I believe that the concrete floodwall would be a great place for a huge mural to be commissioned, maybe depicting the history of the region throughout the years from the Scribner Brothers to the twenty first century.

Litter has also begun to be a problem with people just tossing garbage out and dumping their family garbage along the path.  If the Ohio River Greenway is going to be a nice place for people to go and spend some of their recreation time, it has got to be treated with the respect it deserves.  

With plans for the Big Four Bridge in full gear and the growing possibility of a pedestrian bike path across the K and I bridge,  our region would have a complete loop that would be an resource for commuting or recreation which would rival any in the nation. 

Southern Indiana communities will always be linked by our river heritage. When the Ohio River Greenway  is finally completed from the Jeffersonville Riverstage to the New Albany amphitheater we will also be physically linked with a path between our communities.  I look forward to the continuation of this project and hope for its timely completion.