Police union should work with chief

This week in MY FRIDAY COLUMN I discuss New Albany's chief of police and his decision to adjust the take home car policy and the Police unions challenge:

POLICE UNION SHOULD WORK WITH CHIEF


In early 2009 the fate of the economy was still in question and many companies were making adjustments or risk going out of business.  The company that I work for made the tough decision to eliminate overtime for all employees.  At the time everyone in my position was working at least four hours a week and some were working from seven to ten hours of overtime.  Many people had come to count on this extra money and believed that it was guaranteed to them.

Losing this overtime meant that many people at the company would lose from 10-20% of their annual salary virtually overnight.  Upper management justified their decision by saying that without this reduction in payroll would cause the loss of thousands of jobs in the future.  We don’t have a contract with our employer or a union to protect our interest.

Earlier this year New Albany’s Chief of Police Todd Bailey made the tough decision to change the department’s long standing policy concerning take home police cars.  Chief Bailey amended the policy so that members of the New Albany police department that lived outside of Floyd County would no longer be able to drive their patrol cars home.

When Chief Bailey announced his decision to change the policy he cited cost of fuel as his concern.  By the end of June of this year $114,000 of the $150,000 that was in the budget for fuel cost had already been spent.  I commend the Chief for his attempt to try to save his department and our city money by limiting the use of take home patrol cars.

As soon as the decision was made to change the take home car policy the union that represents the police officers filed a grievance.  Last week an arbitrator ruled for the union and forced the New Albany Police Department to reinstate the former policy and even pay damages to ten officers.  Now the Police Chief must find a way to make up the money in the Police Department budget another way.

The arbitrator in ruling in favor of the union cited a contractual obligation that all officers had to be treated equal in respect to their employment.  This means that they cannot take away the cars of some officers, without taking them away from everyone.  While I support the union and their right to collective bargaining, I believe that they are wrong on this issue.  I believe that they should be willing to concede some of their benefits so that the department can operate within its budget.  What if their hard-line stance on the take home car policy ultimately cost jobs?  Would it not be better to make some small sacrifices then to have some staff reductions in the future?

The Police and Fire departments have been under attack over the last few years because of New Albany’s budget problems.  Now when the chief of police tries to take action that will save the taxpayers of New Albany some money, the Union stands in his way.   What has the union done to help the police department to live within the constraints of its budget?

If the chief of police is unable to keep the city’s patrol cars within the boundaries of our county, then I think then maybe police officers that reside outside of Floyd County should pay a surcharge for the extra mileage that they put on the cars.   I think this would be a compromise that is fair to everyone.

Todd Bailey has made some great strides in his short stint as chief of police.  He has change the way that the department operates and has made the streets of New Albany a safer place.  Next week the citizens of New Albany will go to the polls to elect a new mayor, I hope that the one that is chosen will at least give Chief Bailey a chance to continue some of the programs that he has started.  At least one of the candidates has made the statement that no one that has held the position of Chief would be considered for the job in his administration.  I believe that it is short-sighted to not even consider a qualified candidate who has shown that he is willing to do things differently in order to get the job done.

The job of police officer is a difficult one no matter if you live in New York City of New Albany, Indiana.  I appreciate the job that they do and do not blame them for trying to receive the most out of the benefits that they receive.  I also think that is important for members of the police department and their union to work with the chief of police and the administration to work within the constraints of their budget.

It's that time of year again...

This week in MY FRIDAY COLUMN I take a look at New Albany's premiere event

IT'S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN

It is starting to get dark earlier in the evening and stays dark longer in the mornings. The morning temperatures are starting to dip to a point to where it is down right cold if you leave your windows open all night. Soon the leaves will begin to change and eventually fall off the trees, and raking them up will be the bane of my existence. Fall has come to Southern Indiana and that means one thing to the citizens of New Albany, it is Harvest Homecoming time.

Now in its forty-fourth year the Harvest Homecoming has grown from a simple pumpkin festival, to one of the largest events held in the State of Indiana. Hundreds of thousands of people converge on downtown New Albany to visit the party that “was conceived as a means of bringing the people of southern Indiana together to share in its wealth of talent, historic background and beauty”, according to their website.

A parade kicks off the festivities held annually on the first Saturday in October followed by four “booth days” the following weekend. The parade has featured such dignitaries as Davy Jones of the Monkees and Tom Wopat of the Dukes of Hazzard. Many people line the parade route and cheer on the floats as the travel from New Albany High School to the heart of downtown. I have participated in the parade as a spectator and as a participant and there is nothing like it in this part of the state.

People travel to New Albany to visit the Harvest Homecoming for a variety of reasons. Many people come down to eat the food that is only available this time of year. Some come down for the chicken and dumplins, others for the fresh made doughnuts. I always enjoy a ear of roasted corn and wash it down with a pork chop sandwich.

Others come downtown to see people that they haven't seen since last year's Harvest Homecoming. For years there are a few people that I always make it a point to see while I am down there. Some of them include people that I went to high school with and others are people that I worked with years ago. Some work at the same booths every year and I always make a point to stop by and say hello.

There are also those that come to see the entertainment. Whether there is a rock and roll show at the riverfront on Friday night or a group of school kids singing or square dancing on the official Harvest Homecoming stage, there is something available for everybody. For years I worked a booth where we could watch the old Pearl Street stage and I remember the belly dancers that seemed to be scheduled every year on Sunday afternoon.

Until the last few years, many people only came to downtown New Albany during the Harvest Homecoming. Lately that trend has changed with many dining and shopping options opening up in recent years. Now local citizens here have more reasons to visit our once floundering downtown area.

There has been some grumbling from people who own businesses downtown for things like trash thrown around and booth operators taking over the sidewalks in front of their business. Some places even close down there business for those days because of the problems. Even the YMCA which has been heralded as the catalyst for some of the Renaissance downtown schedules its annual shut down during the booth days. Downtown merchants contribute to our city for the other 361 days of the year and should be given some consideration.

I talked to a mayor from the early 1970's once and he said in the early days there was a proposal to move the booths to the center of the street back to back so as not to disturb the daily operations of the permanent businesses. This might be a legitimate compromise if the Harvest Homecoming committee would be willing to make some adjustments. Of course change is often hard implement even it would be a huge benefit to our entire city.

Another idea that has been tossed out is moving the whole thing to the riverfront. Putting all of the booths in one long shoot from West 10^th to East Sixth Street would be interesting and would bring citizens back to their river heritage. There would be some logistical problems with parking with many people fear that crossing the flood wall would be too much of an obstacle.

The Harvest Homecoming has a little something for everybody. I have been visiting it for most of my life and have experienced from the position of booth operator, booth volunteer and as a private citizen just enjoying the show. I look forward to it every year and who knows, maybe I will see you downtown this weekend.

New Albany Community Garden

Last Thursday night I attended a meeting of people interested in starting a community garden or multiple gardens around New Albany.  While only a few people were at the meeting several great ideas were discussed.  It was pointed out that if this is going to come to fruition next growing season some important decisions will have to made pretty quickly.

In order to gauge interest and to make sure that we head in the right direction an informal survey has been created and it is important that if you have some interest that your opinion be heard.

NEW ALBANY COMMUNITY GARDEN SURVEY

Please fill out and pass along to anyone that you might think is interested.

Six Months and $20 million Later...

A who's who of Kentuckiana politics descended upon the New Albany Fire Department Headquarters Friday morning to deliver the news that the cost and time frame estimates to repair the Sherman Minton Bridge would be six months and $20 million.





Jeffersonville Mayor Tom Galligan now looks like a genius having his estimate of six months just after the bridge was closed on September 9th, while everyone else was waiting until after the entire inspection was completed.

News and Tribune Coverage:  Governors: Bridge fix to take six months

Everyone seemed optimistic that coming up with federal funds would be easier since October first marks the first day of the fiscal year and there would be more money available that was not already spoken for.

Let's put the bridge closure in perspective

For nearly half a century the bridge crossing the Ohio River between Louisville and New Albany has stood as a symbol representing our city.

This week in MY FRIDAY COLUMN I take a look at our community's first full week coping without the Sherman Minton Bridge.

LET'S PUT THE BRIDGE CLOSURE IN PERSPECTIVE 

 A week has gone by since the Sherman Minton Bridge was closed and now they are saying it is possible that it may not be open for quite some time. It was reported that it will take up to three weeks just to inspect the entire span and repair estimates range from a few weeks to six months to several years depending on the extent of the damage. There is a lot of speculation of what could happen but it is clear that nobody knows for sure.

The most important thing to consider is this is not the end of the world. While it may be the end of the world as we knew it, we will survive just by making a few changes in our everyday lives. The first few days commuter traffic has been better than I thought it would be with most people adapting nicely. I thought that there would be a lot more chaos caused by people that were using any means possible to get to where they were going, but so far cooler minds have prevailed. The question remains What will happen if this condition persist for weeks, months or even years?

Some business people in New Albany are concerned that a prolonged closure of the bridge might negatively impact their business. With traffic tie ups and some former access points now limited it is just another blow in an already tough economy. Now that driving to Kentucky is not as easy an option as it was before, it is time for people to consider what our local communities have to offer. You can get just about anything you need on the “Sunny Side” of Louisville, without the hassle of gridlock traffic standing in your way.

The news of the bridge closure had barely gotten out when members of the Ohio River Bridges Authority were basically telling us “I told you so”. The problem is that they do not understand the argument of their opponents basically because they refuse to listen. Most people that oppose their plan, those who “Say no to tolls”, aren't against cross river mobility, they are against a plan that has gotten so swollen it cannot be paid for. Most people agree that the East End Bridge is the only bridge that would have helped in our current situation, funneling more people through downtown Louisville is not the answer

.

No one has proven to me that a new downtown bridge would do anything to help relieve congestion. It is unnecessary and nearly triples the cost of the entire project. In the years that have passed since the “record of decision” was formally adopted, our world has changed radically. It is time that The Louisville and Southern Indiana Bridges Authority consider other alternatives other than their two bridges, one project plan, whatever the cost. Especially if major repairs or even replacement of the Sherman Minton is called for.

Now that we have been put in a position as a community to come up with our own solutions maybe we can have some actual discussion about how best to spend our money on infrastructure projects. It is also time we take a look at options that may be out there that could help making getting across the river easier. There have been many “ideas” put out there on how to make the rush hour commute a little easier the range from the simple to the simply ridiculous. But I believe a few have merit.

A ferry service was started on Wednesday from downtown Jeffersonville to the wharf in Louisville. The Spirit of Jefferson will take passengers across the river for a two week trial period to see if there is enough interest to continue. Only a few passengers took advantage of the service on its first day of service and officials hope that more people will utilize it. Some people have said that it is not a viable solution because that most of the journey is actually getting to the river. Once you are there, you might as well just cross the Kennedy or Clark Memorial Bridges.

Some people have also suggested that the K & I Bridge be opened to traffic in order to alleviate some of the congestion. I was not even aware that the bridge that opened in 1886 was safe for travel until a local news helicopter spotted people using it to avoid traffic jams. It was later reported that those spotted crossing the bridge were railroad employees.

Norfolk Southern who owns the bridge has been reluctant in the past to discuss the possibility of reopening it, even to pedestrian traffic. They list safety, security and liability as their concerns of allowing traffic on the span that they still use strictly for a railroad bridge. I think local leaders should try to persuade Norfolk Southern to open up this alternative to help alleviate the congestion. I think this will be a great addition to the Ohio River Greenway Project and benefit this entire community for years to come.

Only time will tell how Southern Indiana will cope with the loss of the Sherman Minton bridge. I think we can use this crisis to pull together as a community and come out of this with a better grasp on what is really important. For far too long we have taken things for granted and when we lose those things some question whether we can survive. Surviving is the easy part, getting through rush hour traffic, that is going to be a little harder, for now.

Matthew Nash can be reached at dmatthewnash@gmail.com

My Solution:

Maybe, while we take the time to figure out the best way to fix this...

...We take a look at getting a few more of these

TAKE SOME TIME TO REMEMBER

This week in MY FRIDAY COLUMN I take a look at that tragic day ten years ago this weekend.
TAKE SOME TIME TO REMEMBER

Most people that are a little older than my parents can tell you what they were doing when they heard that the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor. Every baby boomer can tell you where they were when they heard that President Kennedy was assassinated. People of my generation remember how they felt when they heard the news that the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded after take-off. To this day I can still remember what I was doing and how I felt ten years ago this weekend, when hijackers took over four planes and flew them into the twin towers of the World Trade Center and Pentagon and crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

 

I was off work that day and had not been out of bed for very long, I had worked late the night before. I am a little embarrassed to admit but I was watching a wrestling program that I had taped from a few days earlier. The place that I worked for at the time was considering advertising on the program and one of the performers told us that he would mention us on the air that weekend. I got a call from my wife at the time to turn on the television, someone was attacking us.

I turned the television station to one of the broadcast networks to see the first tower smoldering. A few minutes after I begin watching, wondering what was actually happening, another plane flew into the second tower. I continued watching as the events of that long day unfolded. The towers collapsed, the news of an attack on the Pentagon and the crash landing in Pennsylvania with speculation of what its intended target might have been.

I watched all day long up until I had to pick my eleven year old up after school that day. I was nervous on how much I would have to explain about what had happened, I wasn't even sure that I understood most of it myself. They had already had some discussion in school about what was going on at school and he seem to understand.

The next day I had to return the work. I was curious of how the attacks had affected the people that I worked with. My boss at the time seem to be taking it pretty hard. He had grown up in New York City and knew the areas affected well. He also had a brother that worked in the “Windows of the World” restaurant that was near the top of the one of the towers and he had not heard from him yet. The attacks occurred at a time that he would not have normally been at work, but he was worried nonetheless.

Another issue that we had to deal with at work that I had not anticipated was an elevated level of anti-Muslim sentiment. We had several African immigrants working for us, mostly from the Republic of Senegal, who practiced the Muslim religion. Some fellow employees were emotional about this and were very vocal in their opposition. They believed that these people hated America and should not be allowed to work there. Nothing could have been further from the truth. These people had traveled to America legally and were on the path to citizenship. They had left their homeland in search of a better place for their families to live.

Around our country peoples attitudes began to change almost automatically. There was a new level of patriotism that had not been seen in many years. Rows of houses could be seen flying flags in neighborhoods everywhere. The Sunday following the attacks, many churches reported record crowds had attended church.

There are a number of things going on this weekend to remember those who died on that tragic day, September 11, 2001. Dedications are planned for the memorials in New York and Pennsylvania and other ceremonies all across the country. Locally there will be a service at 8 am at Riverview Towers on Scribner Drive in New Albany that is being organized by the local Firefighters Union.

Our world forever changed that day, ten years ago this weekend. Some things have change for the better, some for the worse. We can discuss and debate the mistakes we have made since the attacks another day. We should take some time this weekend and try to remember how we felt that day when our country was under attack. Remember those who lost their lives that day and remember those that risked their lives trying to save others.