6 OCT 06: PICKED FROM THE LINEUP
The Columbus chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police revealed Thursday it's endorsing Jim Wetherington for mayor. In a similar development, the sun set Thursday night in the west.
I'm told the Fraternal Order of Police vote to endorse Jim Wetherington was quite lopsided. Was anyone really surprised by this? Wetherington used to be police chief. If the F.O.P. endorsed Bob Poydasheff and Wetherington still won, there would have been a lot of pushups to do and laps to run.
The main candidates for mayor certainly were not surprised by the Fraternal Order of Police decision. Both Bob Poydasheff and Jim Wetherington say they expected Wetherington to be the choice. And write-in candidate Burt Coker may have to hire private security guards, to protect his big banner on Warm Springs Road.
Fraternal Order of Police President Randy Robertson was reminded the chapter endorsed Bob Poydasheff for mayor four years ago. But Robertson says since then, public safety has become "too wrapped up in politics" - which in a way makes you wonder why the F.O.P. is making endorsements in political races.
Randy Robertson suggested Mayor Bob Poydasheff has spent the last four years doing what's "politically correct," as opposed to protecting Columbus. I guess that means we should pay police to protect the south side of town, before we do anything to renovate businesses which are closed there.
Randy Robertson says the Fraternal Order of Police needed to "look elsewhere" for a leader, because Columbus city officials have failed to focus on "fixing things." He may have a point there. We should blame the Mayor and Council for that Millennium Clock downtown not working properly....
To be fair: Randy Robertson claims Jim Wetherington's former status as Columbus Police Chief did NOT sway the Fraternal Order of Police endorsement. In fact, Robertson says Wetherington was held to a higher standard - which means the proposed pay raises should be twice as big.
Jim Wetherington may claim to be a political novice, but he knew better than to declare victory Thursday. After receiving the police endorsement, he said he has a "lot more hands to shake" before Election Day. For instance, who are the firefighters endorsing?
By the same token, Bob Poydasheff did NOT concede the mayor's race on Thursday. In fact, the incumbent flat-out told one TV station he's going to win despite the lack of a police endorsement. So if you see Poydasheff shaking a lot of hands outside the old Boom Boom Room, there could be a subtle reason for it....
Bob Poydasheff was not shocked at all by the Fraternal Order of Police's decision. But he told WRBL, "I'm not running for police chief, I'm running for mayor." Uh-oh - does someone need to remind him he's also the Public Safety Director?
It's not like the incumbent didn't try to win police backing for a second term. Why, I heard Bob Poydasheff on WDAK Thursday morning interrupt a thought to declare Rick(y) Boren "a very fine police chief." Maybe that's a subtle hint - as someone wrote "Sound Off" in the Ledger-Enquirer, that Columbus doesn't need a second one.
(Bob Poydasheff now has been heard on WDAK's "Morning Show" three mornings in a row, either live or on tape. But then again, Burt Coker's probably calling WRCG's "TalkLine" almost every day as usual.)
Mayor Bob Poydasheff says the police situation in Columbus actually is "being cured." He reports the force is down to 34 vacancies, and 20 applicants to fill those vacancies. Those laid-off B.F. Goodrich workers in Opelika cannot be bused nto Columbus soon enough....
WRBL staged its own quickie online poll on the mayor's race Thursday evening - and like our six-day Big Blog Question, Bob Poydasheff wound up a bit ahead of Jim Wetherington. Does this mean the incumbent is right to talk confidently? Or does it mean his campaign office actually has working computers inside?
As for other races, the Fraternal Order of Police is endorsing former law officer Charles Weaver for Council District 1. But the Police Benevolent Association is backing Jerry Barnes. Incumbent Nathan Suber may lobby this weekend for an endorsement from the Morehouse and Tuskegee football coaches.
BLOG SPECIAL EVENT: If our entries have seemed a bit offbeat this week, there's a reason for it. We've had a VERY busy week -- as we prepare for a vacation, while dealing with hours of extra work which suddenly was thrust upon us. When you drive home from work and suddenly remember you're supposed to drive the other direction to the bank, that's busy....
But barring something strange, I leave this morning for what I consider one of the most peaceful places on the planet - Jekyll Island. It's at the opposite end of Georgia Highway 520 from Columbus, so even map-resistant guys should be able to find their way there.
The church denomination I attend has annual conventions in a variety of places across the U.S. and around the world. This year I chose Jekyll Island primarily because of the plans for Power Frisbee. It would be easy to travel from there, to keep the schedule going. And in case people doubted my love of Georgia, it would absolutely be the politically correct choice.
Because it's an eight-day convention and I don't own a laptop, the trip to Jekyll Island will mean a change in our format next week. For the first time, I've arranged for "guest bloggers" to fill in for me. Several people from a wide range of areas were invited to write on whatever they wished. A few wrote me back. One well-known personality declined. And I think Money Boy Records is still plotting revenge, for being kicked off TV-66.
You'll see the items from guest bloggers beginning Monday or Tuesday, depending on how often we can gain access to a computer on the road. In the meantime, here's a quick check of the Columbus-area events we will MISS while on vacation....
+ Friday, October 6: The Georgia National Fair opens in Perry, while the Alabama National Fair opens in Montgomery. Maybe the Historic Columbus Foundation should learn from both of them, and declare an "International Riverfest."
+ Saturday, October 7: In addition to the Morehouse-Tuskegee football game, the Count Basie Orchestra performs at the RiverCenter. Please remember the lesson from last weekend, and check your babies at the lobby bar.
+ Sunday, October 8: The White Rock Freewill Baptist Church Phenix City welcomes guest speaker John Baily - a world champion knife thrower. [True/WSHE-AM] Now there's a way to keep people from falling asleep during the sermon....
+ Monday, October 9: The newspaper "Eco Latino" marks Columbus Day by holding its first Hispanic Heritage breakfast at the Trade Center. Before you complain about illegal immigrants doing this, remember one thing - Christopher Columbus sailed here representing Spain, not England.
+ Saturday, October 14: The Columbus Civic Center holds a tenth anniversary concert. One of the "star acts" is Bertie Higgins, who was a "one-hit wonder" with the song "Key Largo" more than 20 years ago. Some would say this sums up the Civic Center's history in a nutshell....
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