Hillary Clinton makes concrete response to Minnesota bridge colapse

The Clinton campaign is saying a lot of the right things about infrastructure. Of course, the usual special interests flat-earth crowd will fight till the biter end. Get all the details on my blog devoted to good ground transportation. Trains for America.

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There IS an election going on in LR

There is an election happening right now in Little Rock, but you would never know it from the level of non-discussion. What is it they don’t want us to know about the proposal to grant move authority to the mayor, while keeping the city manager? Although supporters of the power grab are mighty short on details, these two positions will, I strongly suspect, require around $300,000 in annual salaries.

There is a certain risk that, by vigorously opposing this matter, I will gain a reputation as the eternal antagonist, somebody who fights every stride for progress just for the sport of it. Nothing could be farther from the truth, and I would like to begin by discussing the things about city government that I would improve and enhance.

Little Rock has a good man in the mayor’s office these days and the position deserves more prestige. The capital city should have a truly representative form of government. What we need is a city-council arrangement with full ward representation. North Little Rock has it, and that is the style in most larger cities. It brings accountability right to the mayor’s front door.

Proponents of the proposal before voters today are trying to pull a fast one on us by confusing people into believing that, by passing this new scheme, they will be getting all the many benefits of a mayor-council format. That simply is not true.

This election is a diversion. Passing these twin questions puts off real reform for many years. It has been 15 long years since Little Rock people had a chance to make a change, and it will not come back around for a long time, and there is a very good reason for me making that prediction.

The banking, real estate interests, Hillcrest and the downtown folks who are accustomed to running things, will continue to have the advantage of owning six of the eleven seats on the city board. They will do anything to hang on to those three “at large” seats. When you see Mark Stodola or Dr. Kumpuris around town, ask them how many “at large” directors are on the city council in North Little Rock, or any town in Arkansas, or any city anywhere.

The answer is, of course “none.” It’s undemocratic and blatantly unfair to dilute the voting power of ordinary folks represented in ward council members. This is a question of mathematics, so stick with me. It’s not hard. Promise.

It costs a lot of money (in six figures) to seek office citywide. The three directors who run “at large” have to raise more money and are more attuned to the voices of those who make the campaign contributions. With the three “at large” directors, and a mayor, there are four votes which are overly attentive to big money. Then we add two more affluent wards and you have the six votes to win every time. The rest of us are always shut out when it’s something important. Ask yourself, isn’t that pretty much how it has always been? That is no accident.

The proposal presently being considered in central Arkansas actually means less accountability in city government because the mayor can hire and fire the city manager and the city attorney. If the professionals oppose something the big dollar people want, there are always six votes available to toss out the offending contrary voice.

You didn’t know that did you? It is part of the plan to keep people in the dark, but the mayor will have that kind of authority. Always remember the magic number “SIX.” In the new arrangement, the mayor always has the muscle.

And what exactly will the new mayor be paid? Why have none of our highly paid and professionally educated journalists posed that question? Let’s get a specific answer. What exactly does the job pay?

If this thing passes, wise old heads in Fifty for the Future and the Greater Little Rock Chamber of Commerce will announce that, yes, it might be nice to someday go to a mayor-council form of local government, but we haven’t really given this time to work. And, trust me, they will need LOTS of time.

By defeating these two bad ideas, the concept of truly representative local government moves to the front burner. It is nothing but an insult that Little Rock does not already have such a modern form of government.

I will wholeheartedly support a proposal for a mayor-council government for the capital city. In the meantime, we have a duty not to let the city hall insiders derail necessary reform again.

VOTE “NO” TWICE on August 14, and in early voting.

UPDATE: Tildy and Edna have given this a bit of discussion on “Matilda’s Rants and Advice,” and, wouldn’t ya’ know it, a new piece of information as been advanced. I feel pretty dumb to not have realized that in a REAL mayor-council arrangement (as is the case in North Little Rock) the city attorney is ELECTED. He is INDEPENDENT. In the Little Rock Power Grab, the city attorney is an employee who can be fired at the whim of the mayor any time he starts giving opinions that go against the local power brokers. Remember that, in the proposed Power Grab, the mayor always has the votes tied up to defeat anything ward representatives, those that represent regular people, may desire.

A million thanks to Tildy and Edna!!!

NOW.. as an added bonus… in honor of today’s Democrat-Gazette editorial endorsement (which somehow fails to address even one of the following grown-up fiscally sensible questions) I have decided to include here, at no extra charge SEVEN HARD QUESTIONS FOR LITTLE ROCK POWER BROKERS…

1. What will be the exact dollar amount of salary paid to the mayor under the new arrangement? Please list fringe benefits and non-cash compensation separately. Be specific.

2. Please list the duties of the mayor in the new method of operation. Be specific. Include supporting legislative documentation.

3. Please state the exact dollar amount of compensation for the city manager in the proposed organization. Please list fringe benefits and non-cash compensation separately. Be specific.

4. Please list the duties of the city manager under the new method of operation. Be specific. Include supporting legislative documentation.

5. Please explain why a city manager is needed in this new proposed arrangement.

6. If the measures should pass, will the city manager be accountable to the mayor, or the city board of directors

7. It has been reported in the Democrat-Gazette that the City of Little Rock may be facing a $3 million budget shortfall. In view of the substantial increase in compensation for Little Rock’s mayor ($120,000? It’s just a guess, and absolutely low end.) which employees or services will be cut to pay for this new expenditure?

It is also noteworthy that, under this novel proposed reorganization, the city attorney loses all independence, since he can be fired by the mayor. Yes, I know there is the appearance of needing board approval, but the mayor, as you have seen in earlier posts, always has the six voted needed to do anything in his hip pocket. In a true mayor-council form of government, such as in North Little Rock, the City Attorney is an elected position.

Scroll down for several good essays on why this measure makes things worse for neighborhoods and regular folks.

VOTE “NO” TWICE ON AUGUST 14, and in early voting too!

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Buddy Villines big secrets

My column in yesterday’s Democrat-Gazette deals with Pulaski County Judge Buddy Villines’ determined efforts to keep emails from accused felon, and former country controller, Ron Quillin, secret. Judge Mary McGowan has reviewed all 600 emails between Quillin and a female vendor with the county with whom he was having a romantic relationship, and has decided to keep the sexually explicit pictures each sent under wraps. That seems reasonable, but I could be wrong.

Villines wants to keep the press, and you, from seeing any of it. There is a lot more than voyeurism at work here. Folks are entitled to know how contracts are awarded and what kinds of favors get swapped. This story is also an important study in human nature, as regards the attempt to cover up what has happened.

Human nature is all wrapped up in greed and power. What we will do to get either money or authority over others is remarkable. That goes for Quillin and Villines. Government is like a living creature that needs nourishment to survive. The nourishment is money and respect. If we do not keep our eyes open, almost anybody can be corrupted. That is why secrets are such a bad thing. It is just a basic understanding of fallen human nature.

(Broadcast August 7, 2007)

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Another Janie Ward outrage

When I read Mike Masterson’s column about the reburial of Janie Ward’s earthly remains after her third autopsy, there was this sinking sick feeling. How Ron and Mona Ward must have suffered since learning that their daughter had mysteriously died at a teenage party at a rural cabin near Marshall back in 1989.

The official story is that she fell about twelve inches from a porch, broke her neck and died. Much physical evidence, even the original autopsy photos, belies that cock-and-bull nonsense. The cover-up has continued since the day of her demise.

The Arkansas Democrat smelled something fishy just a few months after Wards death, and now ABC TV is on the verge of broadcasting a major documentary on this shameful miscarriage of justice. That national spotlight is the one and only thing that would ever get special prosecutor Tim Williamson off his do-nothing rear end.

The real purpose of last weekend’s examination is to provide a pretext to declare her cause of death as “undetermined.” That overlooks a reputable private autopsy performed two years ago and emerging eyewitness accounts of Janie’s murder.

The Ward’s civil lawsuit will not go away and Janie will get justice someday.

(Broadcast August 8, 2007)

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Thursday summary

A panel of the state commission that disciplines judges agreed Wednesday to recommend dismissal of ethics charges against state Court of Appeals Judge Wendell Griffen. The panel determined that public comments that Griffen made critical of the Bush administration’s handling of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, among others, was protected speech under the First Amendment.

A state employee’s e-mail contains evidence in a lawsuit over the University of Arkansas’ handling of a harassing e-mail to a former quarterback, a plaintiff’s attorney contends. Fort Smith attorney Eddie Christian Jr. says an e-mail from Department of Finance and Administration employee Sherri Darby points to a cover-up by key witnesses in the case stemming from an e-mail sent in December to Mitch Mustain, a freshman quarterback at the time.

Gov. Mike Beebe says he will consider pushing an initiated act to raise the severance tax on natural gas if energy companies, legislators and counties do not reach a consensus. Although a major player in the Fayetteville Shale, Arkansas has the lowest severance tax in the region.

Sandra Hochstetter resigned from the Arkansas Public Service Commission amid concerns that conflicting interests could rise if she presides over cases involving her future employer — the Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corp. — or one of its competitors.

Gov. Mike Beebe says that he won’t delay the implementation of new social studies standards that historians have said will de-emphasize the teaching of Arkansas history.

The state will loan $33 million for construction of a regional wastewater treatment facility in Northwest Arkansas, Gov. Mike Beebe announced Wednesday. The package, which also calls for the state to bear finance and interest costs for 3.5 years at a cost of about $4.3 million, will allow construction to begin immediately with a planned completion date of late 2009 or early 2010.

A new law in Fayetteville will put the brakes on residents using lots of their front yard for parking. The Fayetteville City Council has approved limiting how many vehicles can be parked in front of residences, and how much of a front yard can be used for parking.

Jacoby Cooper, an 8-year-old boy from Hope is dead after apparently shooting himself accidentally while visiting a friend, according to the Hope Police Department.

Five correction officers are being disciplined by the Department of Correction, most for knowing about abuse of inmates at the East Arkansas Regional Unit in Brickeys and not coming forward to report it.

Pulaski County Prosecuting Attorney Larry Jegley wants the Arkansas State Police to investigate a nonprofit probation program and its relationship with a Pulaski County court after an audit pointed to conflicts with state law. The state police received the information on Cycle Breakers, a nonprofit program that works with probationers from the 5th Division Circuit Court.

A 27-year-old Little Rock man accused of killing his stepfather is back in jail after a detective testified he saw him threaten the victim’s family in front of the Pulaski County Courthouse the day before. Attorneys for Harold Terrance Dison, who is charged with first-degree murder, argued he’d been provoked by the family members.

A Maumelle man is being held in lieu of $250,000 bond after being charged in the abduction and rape of two women he met outside a Little Rock nightspot while posing as a narcotics officer. Chase A. Prater, 23 faces two counts of kidnapping and single counts of rape, sexual assault and criminal impersonation in the assault.

A rape suspect believed by prosecutors to be 22 years old has 30 days to prove he is 17 and eligible to have his case transferred into juvenile court. Hugo Eriberto Morales was arrested in March after Fort Smith police responded to a report that a 14-year-old girl was obtaining a pregnancy test at a local clinic. Police suspect Morales of being involved with the girl in what the defense contends was a consensual relationship.

A growing air of violence on Beale Street, highlighted by the assault on a patron by a security guard, has the landlord of the entertainment district wanting to scale back its hours. Now, John Elkington, the leasing agent the city-owned entertainment district, says he plans to appear before Memphis City Council to lop off those last two hours of operation, to 3 a. m..

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