Oh, H-E-doubletoothpicks
Posted Thursday, May 8, 2008 @ 12:33 am
"It is understanding that gives us an ability to have peace. When we understand the other fellow's viewpoint, and he understands ours, then we can sit down and work out our differences."
Those are the words of Harry S. Truman, born 124 years ago today in Lamar, Mo. State and county offices are closed today in remembrance.
I wonder what Give 'em Hell Harry would think of the current state of Cape Girardeau County Commission.
The commissioners have held more declared closed meetings in a month than they have in the previous six months. In fairness to the commissioners, there's not much point in closing a meeting when no one else is in the room. Lately, however, people have been showing up to the 9 a.m. meetings on Monday and Thursday.
The commissioners seemed to agree that Auditor David Ludwig should resign for having broken his year-old promise to follow the county's computer-use policy, but couldn't convince him to do so. Lawyers are offering different interpretations as to the legality of confronting an elected official in a closed meeting.
The commissioners have argued over road easements getting signed and notarized and the deadlines for doing the same.
They butted heads over realigning office space. A plan would move two commissioners who share a second-floor office (Presiding Commissioner Gerald Jones and District 2 Associate Commissioner Jay Purcell) to the third floor, closer to commission chambers and two assistants. The second-floor space would be expanded to include Highway Administrator Scott Bechtold's office and a customer service counter would be installed. The remaining highway department employees would move into that space, with a provision that someone would be available during office hours to help visitors with road easement and other questions.
They've fussed and cussed in discussions about whether the commission meetings should be broadcast over the Internet.
The commissioners often debate what did or didn't happen in meetings because their motions or the minutes reflect an unclear history.
On Monday, they did it again, telling differing stories about a closed-door vote to sell some park land. And by "they" I refer to Jones and Purcell. District 1 Associate Commissioner Larry Bock has been doing everything he can to keep a low profile.
At one point during Monday's disagreement, Purcell held up his digital audio recorder. He's been recording meetings and at least one private conversation with Jones.
I know this is so having recently heard a few minutes in which my name was mentioned, along with the usual expletives, and the suggestion that I'm, oh, a not-so-bright reporter. (Paging Tim Blattner. The next sentence might be your favorite in the whole blog.)
There are days when I forget to pay the brain bill. For example, I don't know if it's war or what between Jones and Purcell. Individually, they seem to want what's best for the county.
I've been asking people if their apparent rift is rooted in generational differences or personalities. What do you think?
p.s.
"Once a government is committed to the principle of silencing the voice of opposition, it has only one way to go, and that is down a path of increasingly repressive measures, until it becomes a source of terror to all its citizens and creates a country where everyone lives in fear." HST
Happy Truman Day.
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Agenda-palooza
Posted Saturday, May 3, 2008 @ 10:17 pm
Lots and lots of meetings scheduled for Monday:
Cape Girardeau County Commission's agenda features a 9:30 a.m. features a discussion on Read more >> | Browse comments
Peripheral planning meeting
Posted Thursday, May 1, 2008 @ 03:20 pm
Sorry for the late notice on this, folks. I've been out of town and am just back today. This is posted on the Read more >> | Browse comments
Employee or not?
Posted Saturday, April 26, 2008 @ 09:47 am
With the debate bubbling up in Read more >> | Browse comments
New CTA Web site
Posted Monday, April 21, 2008 @ 03:13 pm
The Cape Girardeau Transit Authority has a new Web site. Tom Mogelnicki, CTA executive director, said the site went up on Wednesday and is still getting tweaked.
What do you think of it?
Read more >> | Browse comments
Judy Patterson update
Posted Monday, April 21, 2008 @ 09:24 pm
Two things happened after Friday's story about Judy Patterson.
First, reader Mary Ha responded with an e-mail.
"What can I do to help?" she asked. I called Patterson's sister, Sharon Wickham, who is battling a case of bronchitis at the moment, and asked.
Read more >> | Browse comments
A matter of public trust
Posted Sunday, April 20, 2008 @ 02:48 am
"Public confidence in the integrity of the government is indispensable to faith in democracy; and when we lose faith in the system, we have lost faith in everything we fight and spend for."
Any clue who said that? It seems to apply to the Read more >> | Browse comments
All shook up?
Posted Friday, April 18, 2008 @ 08:04 am
I'm so glad to see other communities are pitching in to reduce tectonic pressure in the Midwest.
Read more >> | Browse comments
Louis Houck, 'Teutonic blur'
Posted Wednesday, April 16, 2008 @ 10:20 pm
Joel Rhodes tells great stories.
At Wednesday's meeting of the city of Cape Girardeau's historic preservation commission meeting, the Southeast Missouri State University professor
shared a few tales from his forthcoming book, Read more >> | Browse comments
Busy agenda for Cape County commission
Posted Wednesday, April 16, 2008 @ 05:55 pm
Chip and seal surfacing is tops on the agenda for the Cape Girardeau County Commission, which meets at 9 a.m. Thursday. The board will vote on a contract with Blevins Asphalt.
Also on the to-do list are some standard items, set for 9 a.m.
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Remember the NIMBY
Posted Tuesday, April 15, 2008 @ 10:19 pm
One unexpressed thought bubbled up again and again while writing about the DNR's decision to deny an expansion permit to Lemons Landfill. The state denies at least one permit every year.
All landfills are finite. A landfill is a hole lined with two feet of compressed clay and punture-resistant plastic. Then we dump in, gosh, just about everything.
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