Mea Culpa

or, My Fault

It’s incredibly frustrating for me to have so much news to share and so little time to do it. Whether you know it or not (and this Web log hasn’t been much help), the new books are pouring in the door.

Biographies and histories of Teddy Roosevelt, J. Robert Oppenheimer, George Washington, and Frank Sinatra lead the way, but the most compelling book I’ve seen this week is The Pirate Coast, the tale of President Thomas Jefferson and the first U.S. Marine secret mission.

Harlen Coben has been out for a couple of weeks with his fourth bestselling novel; David Sedaris’ latest unspools in paperback this week; and Larry McMurtry tells a tale of Buffalo Bill Cody and Annie Oakley.

I’m packing frantically for a four-day jaunt to New York, but it’s a working trip. BookExpo America returns to Manhattan this weekend, and you can catch a lot of it this weekend on BookTV, your C-SPAN2 channel. Tens of thousands of booksellers join with the entire publishing world in a frenzy of deal-making, author appearances, and swag!

That’s right, swag!

When I return, I’ll be loaded down with good stuff, including advance copies of many of this year’s fall books. And the following Sunday, Patron Passport members can stake their claim to some of the best galleys, proofs, and other advance reading copies across the spectrum of publishing. They’re made available to us to help us make our selections for the fall season, but there’s no way we can evaluate them all. Help us make our picks and pick up one of your rewards.

We’ll also be calculating your earned rebates this summer. We’ve decided that this will be the time to reward you for your loyalty each year.

Mark Sunday, June 12, on your calendar now. As an added bonus, the Main Street Preservation Association will be holding their inaugural Mansion Row Garden Stroll that afternoon just two blocks from the store. Park here, come in for presentations on the hour, then explore Main Street’s architectural, arborial, and heirloom gardens. We’ll keep the store open long enough for you to do a little extra shopping after your stroll, or you can stop by our tent in the 500 block of East Main.

Finally, I keep hearing a rumor that while I’m away, Ann has something big planned, but when I ask her, she just says “What you don’t know won’t hurt you.” Hmmm.

Think For Yourself

OK, here’s the deal. First, you ask your questions…THEN, you draw your conclusions.

To let someone else tell you what to think is irresponsible citizenship.

A little learning is a dang’rous thing;
Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring:
There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain,
And drinking largely sobers us again.

-Alexander Pope

There is no secret knowledge in New Albany. Seek the truth about all things. Don’t come to the issues with preconceptions. Assertions aren’t facts. Opinions aren’t facts. Facts are facts.

We may disagree on an issue. For example, I think a community investment (and a government investment, for what is government but the expression of a community’s will) is the right way to utilize the resources we have downtown. Others believe it is a waste that will benefit only a few. That’s a disagreement.

But it is the facts that matter. Unless we can agree that truth is our barometer, there is no possibility of civility, or civilization, for that matter.

The truth is available. It is not hidden under a rock. It is not inaccessible. Just ask. We live in a system of government where the facts are readily available. And if someone is withholding facts that are yours by right, I’ll stand beside you to demand them.

But if you seek to lead others to follow your path by obscuring the facts, by layering them with untruths, by exploiting those without the same advantages you have in education, time, or aptitudes, then don’t expect any support from this quarter.

In the Bible we are taught that anyone can apprehend God, but comprehending God is beyond us humans. Government is not God. It can be comprehended.

Taking advantage of the prejudices and preconceptions of others is the basest of politics. Telling half-truths and sowing confusion is the realm of the ward-heeler, not the servant.

There is no “secret” being kept from the citizens of New Albany. But there are citizens of New Albany who are allowing themselves to be led astray in the belief that there is a “big, bad wolf” called government. You are the government. Be personally active in finding out the truth. Don’t let anyone else tell you what to think.

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Randy Smith, destinations@sbcglobal.net

In memoriam

Remember our troops in war zones, who follow the orders of their commanders and put their lives on the line each day in Iraq and Afghanistan.

As the count of U.S. military fatalities in Iraq approaches 1,700, give thought this Memorial Day to those families and the families of all who died in the service of our country.

The King vs. The Wizard

With kudos and apologies to lyricist and composer Scott Davis, as interpreted by Big E, himself:

As the rumors fly…

On a cold and gray Indiana morn’
An angry little demagogue is born
In the Grotto.
And his mama cries.
‘cause if there’s one thing that she don’t plead to
It’s another simple mind that she’s got to read to
In the Grotto.

People, don’t you understand
The child is a boy named Dan
And he’ll grow to be an angry councilman some day.
Take a look at you and me,
Are we too blind to see,
Do we simply turn our heads
And look the other way.

Well the world turns
And an angry man Dan with a chip on his shoulder
Jangles bathroom keys to make him feel bolder
In the Grotto.

And his anger burns
So he starts to bully everyone in sight
And he learns how to lie, throwing mud each night
About matters even he really knows are slight
In the Grotto.

Then one night in desperation
He brings on board a little congregation
He builds straw men, he hatches plots,
Takes advantage of all those who are have-nots
And his mama cries.

As a light exposes an angry councilman in
Stopping anything he don’t have his hand in
In the Grotto.

He fired his shot with the tools at hand
Looking out for his spot as the man named Dan
From the Grotto

And his mama cries.

Now is the time for integrity and leadership from our City Council. Members should identify themselves as being part of the conspiracy to defame Mrs. Garry, or should speak out loudly to condemn this abuse. That includes you, Mr. Coffey. If this is your doing, take responsibility for it. If not, then condemn it as the gutlessness it is on its face.
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Randy Smith, destinations@sbcglobal.net

May I Be the First to Say…

Remarkable.

New Albanians have come to expect less from The Tribune, our almost-daily paper struggling to compete with the dominant metropolitan daily newspaper. I hear story after story of people who once subscribed but wearied of the paper and settled for the coverage offered by the mega-chain.

Perhaps its time to give the paper another look. Although The Tribune is offering a very reasonable subscription offer (call 944-6481), you can get your feet wet by picking up a copy from a newsstand to see how signs of improvement are showing.

Saturday’s front page is a masterful representation of news delivery by a small local daily.

Leading the page is a six-column headline revealing that Kay Garry, the city controller, is no wallflower, and she will not sit idly while Council Member Bill Schmidt and his activist wife use surrogates to attack her. Headline: City official considering legal action after accusations.

At the last, and momentous, city council meeting, Schmidt and his minions launched a reprehensible attack on Mrs. Garry’s integrity. There is no other word for it. The charges were baseless and mean-spirited. Under the now monotonous banner of “we don’t know,” a bitter city resident, taking her cues from a small-minded cadre of fellow believers, demanded that council make a criminal referral against Mrs. Garry for what turned out to be “what-if” spreadsheet entries.

As a side note for all those demanding the city be run like a business, the “what-if” spreadsheet is THE standard tool of budgeting and forecasting in business, just as it is in the specialized world of fund accounting (government and non-profit bookkeeping).

City Editor Amany Ali turned in a gem of a story that did more than simply recite pull quotes from both sides of this issue. She illuminated the underlying reality. Great work, Ms. Ali.

Headline: Farmer’s Market opens today. I would quibble with the punctuation on that headline, but County Reporter Kyle Lowry put together a strong piece about this enterprise, which expects to be a major contributor to the downtown lifestyle in coming months, especially as the early harvest begins to come in. The addition of music and crafts, plus health screenings and more, should help get this market back on its feet. Kudos to Susan Kaempfer, the volunteer market coordinator and all the others who are giving their time to renew this market.

Headline: Camm trial moved back to Warrick County. Few could argue with The Tribune’s choice to pull together this breaking news story from Indianapolis. Of the local papers, only The Tribune added local items to this mostly-AP story that surprised many with the pre-holiday ruling by the Indiana Supreme Court.

Headline: NAHS Theatre gets national spotlight, and more. It must have been difficult for The Tribune to watch proudly as the nation’s preeminent newspaper built a feature story around one of the Trib’s local beats. They could hardly run a headline like National newspaper explores local high school theatre program. Even though the New York Times feature was big news around here, taking note of a competitor’s coverage isn’t the type of thing a professional newspaper would do. Great recovery, Tribune editors, in recasting the story with real news that most people did not know beforehand.

Balancing the front page is a standard story from The Associated Press and Economics Writer Martin Crutsinger reporting growth in personal incomes nationally.

I’ve written before how I support the local paper and urge you to do so, too. An edition like Saturday’s is one good reason.

No Need to Speculate

Some find it remarkable that residents of New Albany have been visibly taking an interest in public affairs. Personally, I find it remarkable that it has taken this long.

First of all, the laziest argument is that politicians are all the same. It’s not true. Sometimes the very nature of politics can shave off the sharp edges that bring a politician into the arena, and sometimes that formative process can produce negligence, self-serving, and corruption.

But to draw the conclusion that all politicians are the same (bad) is to abdicate personal responsibility for the common weal. In a representative democracy, it is individuals who create the forward momentum that improves our lives. An institution can’t provide momentum, only inertia.

When I first came to the city, I saw a community with a sparkling historical heritage and vast potential. When I first opened my business, I discovered dozens, then hundreds, of people who maintained high standards in their personal lives, but were somewhat divorced from public affairs. It dawned on me that those who wanted progress in the city weren’t waiting around for elected leaders to provide it.

No matter how dearly they might have wished for leadership from democratically elected politicians, it seemed they had become conditioned to expect little. A destructive loop had evolved where citizens expected little, while elected officials had become timid. Politicians were afraid to take strong positions for anything out of fear that they would become the latest target in the Luddites’ ongoing game of “whack-a-mole.” You know the game – any “mole” who raises up from the darkness gets whacked on the head with a mallet.

I have a core belief that the residents of New Albany have a sub-surface dream of greatness. They are not satisfied to watch the city become the haven of slumlords and meth labs. They are not satisfied with creeping blight and abandonment. Especially in the older residential parts of town, they have a dream of an urban lifestyle that they hold to, that they believe is achievable.

And they are hungry for leadership. Not everyone is cut out for service, but everyone who treasures this city is but one leader away from making their voices heard.

I believe there is a constituency for progess, a strong and powerful group of citizens who are ready to support leaders with a vision for the future, who will perk up and pay attention once again when a leader treats them with respect by explaining the alternatives to progress, finding creative solutions to our communal problems, and being bold enough to ask for our support.

Constituency for Progress, of which I am a member, believes that government does have a role to play in the rebirth of the city, perhaps the preeminent role, but clearly the lead role. Citizens are obligated to petition their elected and appointed representatives to achieve this goal. CFP is more than a group that so petitions, I assure you. But it is our activities in petitioning and monitoring the City Council that have been the subject of recent speculation and, I infer, criticism.

One member of the current City Council continues to stress that if citizens wish to be involved and to express opinions, they must first educate themselves. I agree wholeheartedly. But I would ask that council member “what next?”

Since arriving in this city just less than a year ago, I have sought to educate myself about this city, how it works, and how it is supposed to work. Many of my friends and new acquaintances, mostly longtime residents of this city and Southeast Indiana, have done the same. Those of us who are openly members of Constituency for Progress have carefully studied the issues (and the personalities) and continue to do so. When we speak, we make sure we know what we’re talking about. When we don’t know, we ask.

I believe the CFP has met that council member’s requirements. And if we haven’t obtained the right information, we invite that member to enlighten us. I have previously wondered aloud what secret information that council member possesses. Right now, the issue is the fiscal soundness of the city-owned sewer utility. That council member isn’t speaking the truth, but because he disagrees with the CFP, he attempts (by implication, at least), to invoke a gag order, a de facto barrier to the right to petition, the right to assemble, the right to speak and write our opinions, the right to organize our fellow citizens, and the right to express our consciences and faiths. In short, he speaks as would a tyrant.

Another member of the city council publicly declares his doubts that CFP is a sustainable model. He says that, other than on single issues, groups like CFP flicker and fade. He may well be right. Entrenched politicians without vision rely on that dynamic. Their sentiment is often “just go away” and they count on the fact that frustration and fatigue will sap the energies of such groups.

The real issue facing this city is thus defined. CFP believes the constituency exists and will grow as its members begin to recognize each other and draw strength from each other. The member suspects it will either grow weary or be co-opted. More passively than the other member, this man, too, speaks as would a tyrant.

A newspaper maxim of enduring legend is the duty to “afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted.” These two council members grow too comfortable if these are their true sentiments.

As a side note, I have seen and heard from both men flashes of reasonableness and vision, so do not find them to be irredeemable. But their public utterances do not build faith in their leadership or in their belief in democracy. Each is from a different political party. Each stands in the way of a solution to the city’s budget crisis astride their perches on the sewer board. And rather than showing vision, each relies on scare tactics and disinformation to achieve their as-yet unknowable goals. My diagnosis? Too much time in the echo chamber that is the domain of the multi-term council member, safe in the belief that obfuscation and distraction will see them through to yet another elected term.

Fortunately, one has promised the voters in his district that he will retire after this term. The other, according to the latest scuttlebutt, is determined to surrender his seat to seek higher office.

Remember our premise: Institutions don’t create momentum – individuals do. CFP is less an institution than a group of individuals and families – individuals and families committed to New Albany no less than these council members, individuals and families that have invested their lives in this city, and individuals and families determined to find leaders who will speak out to support and complement the efforts of those who still dream of New Albany and greatness.

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Randy Smith, destinations@sbcglobal.net

A Room With a View

It’s not quite the silver screen, but the “main stage” of the store will become a theater on Monday evening with two showings of the documentary, Blue Vinyl.

The City of New Albany’s Historic Preservation Commission (President, Ted Fulmore) and the Historic Landmarks Foundation (Director, Greg Sekula) are joining us as we wrap up our direct participation in Preservation Month. Thanks to the folks at Circuit City in Clarksville, we’ll be able to show the film on a 52″ screen.

In response to frequent and ongoing requests, we’ve scheduled two showings. The 5 p.m. show is for those of you who have been avoiding events at the store because they end too late. A second show will follow shortly after 7 p.m. Hot beverage service is available at our coffee and tea bar – bring your own cold drinks and popcorn.

This independent film examines the PVC industry with humor and solid research to spotlight a blight on civilization – polyvinyl chloride, the stuff they make vinyl siding out of. The environmental and occupational hazards, not to mention the danger to neighbors and emergency workers, far outweigh the aesthetic objections to vinyl. Besides, we’ll have experts on hand to show how the application of vinyl siding to your home can actually degrade and devalue the underlying character of your exteriors.

Everyone is invited to these free showings.

Thank You

To all of you who turned out last night for the teach-in.

To all of you who e-mailed your support for the efforts and the demonstration of civil debate.

To all of you who sent word by other means, expressing your support.

To the courageous monitors who braved the storm inside the council chamber.

To the stalwarts who stayed with us outdoors.

To the city workers and city officials who were kind enough to address our gathering and hear our concerns.

To the hundreds who blew their horns, waved, and yelled out their support.

To the visionaries who provided and erected our visual art.

To the many city employees and others who would be affected by sudden layoffs and dramatic cuts in city services, but were unable for fear of retribution, to join us.

To the supporters of Scribner Place and downtown revitalization.

To the volunteers working to make the YMCA a reality.

To the citizens concerned for the welfare of abandoned animals.

And finally, to the organizing committee of the CFP:
Rick and Karen Carmickle
Jeffrey and Karen Gillenwater
Jim and Tabitha Sprigler
Roger and Diana Baylor
Greg Roberts
all of the others who would have willingly been part of the organizing committee had we asked,

and most of all to my brilliant wife, Ann Baumgartle Smith. I love you, honey.

In the face of an orchestrated plan of diversion by those who look into New Albany’s future and see only doom, by those who believe that a city cannot change, these folks made an effective demonstration that there is in this city a constituency that will support vision, will applaud responsibility, and will expose dilatory and self-serving attempts to confuse the residents of this historic city.

Constituency for Progress, welcome to New Albany.

Leadership Yardstick

The very nature of elected leadership dictates that what you say matters. As you, the citizen, evaluate the words you hear this evening or read tomorrow morning emanating from the City Council and filtered through the mainstream media, you should have your own yardstick to measure the leadership quotient, or lack thereof, of each official.

Wednesday’s C-J made a splash with a leaked version of the state’s audit for New Albany 2002. It was not a pretty sight. There is very little in the document that wasn’t already known by City Council and the administration. Some of the more frightening aspects of the audit will be toned down when the 2003 audit issues from Indianapolis later this month.

Tonight, listen carefully. Here’s my yardstick. If a member of council uses this audit as an excuse for voting against the Garry Plan, there will be no leadership quotient to measure.

If, on the other hand, a member of council recognizes that this audit is the reason for the Garry Plan, there will be leadership to measure.

New Albany’s fiscal woes are a direct result of inattention to the details. But it doesn’t need to be treated as a disaster. No one is trying to divert attention from the seriousness of this problem.

But only a minority of council seem willing to fix the problem. Right now, a majority of the council are paralyzed with fear.

This is what I’m hearing from that majority:

We have a serious problem.
We don’t have the ability to spend what we thought we had.
Therefore, we should do nothing.

I’m weary of hearing the refrain “we just don’t know.” That’s either a lie (my vote) or an admission of dereliction of duty.

There is no longer any excuse for any council member to say “I don’t know.”

If you don’t know, you should have found out.

No more excuses. There is only one solution on the table. It addresses the problem with courage and ingenuity. It is lawful and financially prudent.

Failure to pass the Garry Plan, and each element of the Garry Plan, will be an admission by the “know-nothing” contingent that they are paralyzed by fear or that they actively wish to harm this city.

Voters will remember who showed leadership tonight. And they’ll remember who used this crisis as an excuse to prolong the city’s darkness.

Declaration

Of what?

Join us at New Albany’s City-County building this evening beginning at 5 p.m. for a teach-in and vigil.

We’ll discuss various measures designed to improve the quality of life in the city, including the immediate issue of the city’s budget crisis. Crisis can be avoided if the City Council approves the Garry Plan (below). Disaster is the alternative.