Sometimes a Sugar Daddy is Just a Sucker

Here's the latest on the scheme for an interlocal no-bid ambulance service being pushed by John Gibson, board member of Central Medical Emergency Service and county administrator for Washington County Judge Jerry Hunton, who sees no conflict of interest in his actions. The Morning News reports that Gibson began making the rounds this week to small cities gathering support for the creation of an ambulance authority to oversee a regional ambulance service, which, of course, will be his own CEMS.

What is becoming clear is that the county and the smaller cities want Fayetteville to carry the financial burden while they contribute far less to assure ambulance for the rest of the county. "The success of the authority may hinge on whether Fayetteville participates in the county-wide venture. [Johnson Mayor Lonnie] Barron worries whether the venture would be financially feasible for smaller cities if Fayetteville isn't part of the authority. "If there's no Fayetteville, I don't see how the rest of us can afford it," Barron said. "All of us little towns already have financial problems."

Well, breaking news, Fayetteville also has serious budget problems, too. Fayetteville currently pays almost two-thirds of the costs of the ambulance service that operates county-wide. Gibson wants that to continue, and he doesn't want Fayetteville to take bids to get the best deal for ambulance service for its citizens. He wants the City Council to turn over all control to his proposed interlocal group and just keep paying $4 per resident without asking questions.

What's That Smell?

Thanks to the new interactive Fayetteville City Council Agenda blog created by Jeff Erf, citizens can easily review and comment on upcoming agenda items before it is too late.

One item of interest on the October 16th agenda under the "consent agenda" is "Romine Lawsuit Insurance Deductible: A resolution to approve a budget adjustment in the amount of $50,000.00." I haven't seen any news reports on the trial that was scheduled for September 25th. Does this mean that the city has settled the suit for damages against the city and David Jurgens? Does it mean they are pretty certain they have a loser when it comes to trial? Are the taxpayers also picking up any possible damages against Jurgens? Anyone have the straight poop?

Hate Is Not a Family Value

After failing to get the Legislature to prohibit gays or unmarried couples from adopting and fostering children, the Arkansas Family Council has found another way to punish gays and lesbians and to reduce the number of qualified foster and adoptive parents for unwanted children.

Jerry Cox of the Arkansas Family Council said he’s been told that gay couples in Arkansas are adopting children. “The door is wide open for that to occur,” he said. “What we want to do is close that door.” The group has drafted and received approval for the ballot title for an initiated act that would ban unmarried sexual partners who live together from adopting or becoming foster parents.

The Arkansas Family Council, affiliated with the Colorado-based Focus on the Family, now will begin politicizing its network of churches and church members to try to gather signatures for the initiated act. If you want to know more about how to discriminate by law against people who are different, you can contact local Republican activists and Family Council board members Vickey Boozman in Rogers and Robin Lundstrum in Springdale.

NWA Times Editorial Gets It Right

In an excellent editorial today, the Northwest Arkansas Times discusses the First Amendment, individual freedom of speech, and the Draconian persecution of Judge Wendell Griffen by the Arkansas Judicicial Discipline and Disability Commission. It is good to see the local daily standing up for the First Amendment, a task that usually falls to The Morning News.

The Times editorial suggests that Judge Griffen was singled out because of "his personal views on the mindless nature of attacks on immigrants and homosexuals, his support of raising the state’s minimum wage, and why the Iraq war isn’t such a hot idea." Then they surevy the parameters of the constitutional guarantee and observe, "In light of the evidence, we can’t imagine why the commission pursued a case against Griffen in the first place."

They don't mention that "in the first place" someone filed an anonymous complaint against Judge Griffen when he had the audacity to point out that the University of Arkansas wasn't doing a very good job with encouraging racial diversity or making blacks feel welcome on campus. Perhaps no one at the U of A filed the complaint, but a transcript of administrators' testimony in the Nolan Richardson lawsuit revealed that there were several who might have been so inclined, and the University's history with trying to limit speech with which the administration disagrees offers nothing to suggest otherwise. You'll notice also that none of the UA officials have expressed support for Griffen's First Amendment rights or for the decision to drop the charges.

The Better Part of Valor

Sometimes citizens complain when government does not seem to listen or respond. At other times, we can be thankful when government adopts the do nothing strategy. This week's Fayetteville City Council meeting provided two examples of the latter.

The Council once again tabled a decision about the possibility of the city picking up the approximately $ 70, 000 cost of dredging a private lake for the convenience of private property owners in the exclusive Boardwalk Subdivision. No action is far better than spending tax dollars for the benefit of a few people in the upscale subdivision.

The Council also tabled a decision on a revised design proposal to stabilize the stream banks and reduce erosion in the public Red Oak Park. That action allows for further discussions regarding the possibility of adding rain gardens to the solution for controlling storm water runoff.

Both of these decisions to table the resolutions suggests that our elected officials are listening and considering the public good, and they should be commended for doing so.

Quote of the Day

"First thing’s first. I lost my patience the other day at the Saturday meeting with you, Nancy, and I apologize. In a million years I shouldn’t have been so tacky, and I was, and it was my fault and I apologize."

Mayor Dan Coody, quoted in Northwest Arkansas Times

Neighborhood Bully?

The Springdale Planning Commission tabled a request by Haley Properties, which operates Shiloh Steel Fabricators, for rezoning of property at 200 E. Arkansas 264 from residential to light industrial. Residents living on Hickory Street, adjacent to the property, objected and said that the company already was using the land for debris which they piled next to the fence. They presented a petition with signatures of 95% of the street's residents against rezoning to industrial.

The residents said a meeting with Mark Brewer, representing the company, ended with a take-it-or-leave-it threat to build unsightly shacks on the land, although there were no explicit remarks about the ethnicity of the anticipated renters. According to neighbor Les Rau, "They said if we didn't support the industrial rezoning, they would build 1,100-square-foot, cinderblock houses with tin roofs."

Chuck Haley of Shiloh Steel said that sharing their proposal to build low-income housing in the neighborhood was merely a presentation of possible options the company had for the property if the rezoning requested was denied. How thoughtful.

Spaghetti Western

During last night's City Council meeting, Tontitown Alderman Scott McNair asked City Attorney Mark Dossett to draw up a resolution of nonfeasance to address the job performance of Mayor Joe Edgmon. That is the first step, under Arkansas law, toward removing an elected official from office for not performing job duties required by law.

"I came on board in January and it seems like every three months there's problems," McNair said. "I don't know if it's a full moon or what. But this has got to stop." The Morning News reported that Alderman McNair made his request after both Shane Harrison, city code enforcement officer and fire marshal, and Tracy Goddard, city recorder/treasurer, again told the council they were having problems with the mayor.

Who knows where this is going, but there is nothing wrong with asking elected officials to show up and prove that they are doing their job. Maybe such inquiries should be regularly scheduled every three months like an oil change?

Today's News and Matthew 25: 35-40

“If you will think about what you ought to do for other people, your character will take care of itself,” said Woodrow Wilson in what is good advice to anyone seeking or holding public office. It is also a bit of wisdom that we can see every day in the actions of ordinary citizens in our community who contribute to making it a better place for all of us, especially for those who are less fortunate.

Yesterday, the legal division of Tyson Foods contributed $7,200 on behalf of its 18 corporate attorneys, to Legal Aid of Arkansas, a nonprofit organization that provides civil legal services to those who could not otherwise afford a lawyer. Alberto Gonzalez-Pita, Tyson's chief legal officer, said, "I think it's very important. I think it's really part of being a lawyer,” because lawyers enjoy a special place in society and have an obligation to provide pro bono legal work and to support legal aid financially. He is right.

Yesterday, the Fayetteville Housing Authority Board of Commissioners recommended that the City Council approve the nomination of Hugh Earnest to serve on their board, and not only because he was the only person concerned enough to apply for the unpaid and often thankless position on the board,. Earnest is the former chief administrative officer and urban development director for the City of Fayetteville and is currently serving as interim executive director of the Seven Hills Homeless Center. “I know that I can contribute, and I do believe that the Housing Authority could have a significant role of dealing with affordable housing,” he said, and we agree.

To paraphrase a devoted leader in the private sector who had the heart of a servant, “There is no greater calling than to serve our fellow citizens. There is no greater contribution than to help the weak. There is no greater satisfaction than to have done it well.” We would do well to keep that in mind.

Although Scott Shackelford was talking about people who did things to help him personally, he wrote in his column today, “We tend to expect kindheartedness from our family and friends, but not perfect strangers. We have been taught that communities — where everyone treats everyone else like family — are a thing of the past. In the face of such cynicism, I found it remarkable that three people I had never seen before, and will probably never see again, dropped everything they were doing to make sure I got home safe and sound.” That is a grateful recognition of the spirit within each of us and a much more uplifting and generous editorial observation than a petty complaint about not getting proper deference and respect from minimum wage employees at a fast food restaurant.

Ruminations on Local Blogs

We're way beyond Letters to the Editor these days, and the public conversation is far more lively and usually more interesting than anything since our local newspapers and television stations sold out and were bought up by corporate chains. Not everyone is amused by the expanded opportunities for citizens to speak their mind and talk back to their betters, but they will adjust as they become more comfortable with hearing the voice of the people and having gypsies in the palace.

We are blessed with a diverse array of local online information and opinions, and here's a sample of what's going on in our community. Richard Drake's Street Jazz has a piece today about Mayor Coody and political perceptions. Aubrey Shepherd's Albunique is advocating rain gardens as a solution for erosion in Red Oak Park. Terri Chadick's All Sides of Life lets us know what's happening for kids, families, and adults who have grown up but refuse to grow old. If you like Rush Limbaugh, you'll love Valerie Biendara's blog about her cats and why all Democrats are awful. There are others that are updated every so often. Even Springdale has a fine blogger in Josh Jenkin's Springdale Votes that follows city government and The Naturals.

It is downright pathetic that Benton County appears to have no bloggers interested enough to report on and evaluate local political life in Stepford. Lowell alone would keep someone busy, and Rogers Mayor Steve Womack provides daily outrages that should spark some minimum of citizen commentary; then there are all those public officials taking kickbacks, stealing drugs from dead people, harassing people about their clothes, and shooting unarmed citizens. I mean, even the Dogtown bloggers from North Little Rock have two outstanding resources in the Argenta News and the Levy Project, as well as neighborhood commentary from Rose City, Lakewood, and Scenic Hill.

Local blogs foster participatory democracy and build community, provide information and encourage civic participation, check the arrogance of public officials and shine light on private interests that would hijack control of our collective destiny as citizens. They are better than community access television. Blogs are sometimes disorderly and misinformed, but most are interactive and provide an opportunity for immediate contradiction or correction. Sometimes local officials don't like blogs, usually when the bloggers are doing their jobs and are right in recognizing foolishness. It is irritating to those who have always run the show to be without the protective cover of the corporate media to print their press releases and repeat their spin unrefuted and to have to read the opinions of the unwashed and unvetted citizens who are their rightful bosses.