6 JAN 05: AT THE HALF

Today marks two years of this blog - and it also marks two years since Bob Poydasheff became Mayor of Columbus. He's halfway through his term and is up for reelection next year, while your blogger is not. And then you wonder why I don't run for public office?!

If you ask me what Bob Poydasheff has done in two years as Mayor, several things come to mind. One is his emphasis on building "One Columbus." Based on the trends in business and construction, the "One" he's talking about seems to stretch from Macon Road to the Harris County line.

To be fair, Mayor Bob Poydasheff's biggest milestone so far may involve the part of town I left out. He's taken South Columbus and turned it into "Columbus South" -- but is this really changing anything? With so many apartments being built for military families, a better name might be "North Fort Benning."

(I guess the mayor's really trying to promote an image change in "Columbus South.". It's much like "Uptown Columbus" -- which is getting so many clubs that it could become "Bottoms Up-town.")

Has Mayor Bob Poydasheff changed anything in Columbus city government? A couple of things come to mind. He let the voters in effect decide whether public safety employees should have a pay raise - and they seemed to be against it, too.

(But there's one obvious change that's developed since Bob Poydasheff replaced Bobby Peters as Mayor. When Mr. Poydasheff shows up with a woman, you know it's his wife.)

Mayor Bob Poydasheff hasn't had an easy task in the last year, overseeing a city divided by the Kenneth Walker case. But he can take comfort in one thing -- the $100 million lawsuit doesn't seem to name him as a defendant.

Mayor Bob Poydasheff stands at a challenging crossroads right now. Friday is City Manager Carmen Cavezza's last day -- and there are two assistants, one African-American and one (if I may) Euro-American. Does the Mayor choose one, and risk alienating half the city? Or does he think outside the Government Center - with Ken Suddeth now out of work three days?

Is there anyone on the horizon, who might challenge Mayor Bob Poydasheff for a second term? I've hinted recently here about a hunch I have, that Councilor Julius Hunter might try for the job. He seems like a moderate voice, compared with Nathan Suber - if only because we hardly ever hear Hunter's voice at all.

Now that we've taken this "halftime break," let's check other items from Wednesday:

+ Lee County Sheriff's officers reported they found a methamphetamine lab in Smiths Station with 25 sticks of dynamite ready to blow up - and a suspect in the case escaped by jet ski on the Chattahoochee River. We finally may have found the perfect script for a "Miami Vice" reunion show.

+ Alabama Attorney General Troy King warned about possible fund-raising scams, connected with the Asian tsunami. My Pastor already was thinking about this last weekend. He said if someone asks you for a donation, say you've already made one - with federal tax dollars.

+ Police were called to the new Columbus Library, because someone reportedly stole ten CD's. How could this happen, in a building with uniformed security guards who act like Secret Service wanna-bes? Perhaps instead of people, the library should have put in shoplifting alarms from an old Columbus Square Mall store.

+ A new Home Depot store opened along U.S. 280 in Phenix City, complete with music by the Central High School marching band. But was this really the right musical choice for a Home Depot? Wasn't anyone available who could play the saw?

To offer a story tip, make a donation or comment on this blog, write me - but be warned, I may post a reply.

If you quote from this in public somewhere, please be polite enough to let me know.

© 2003-05 Richard Burkard, All Rights Reserved.