10 JAN 07: OPEN MIKE DAY

Mike Gaymon must have declared Tuesday his "day of living dangerously." He made some curious comments on radio. He tried a new idea in Columbus business meetings. And in the evening, he may have done something really daring - and driven from Columbus to Phenix City.

Mike Gaymon is the President of the Columbus Chamber of Commerce - and he's also the host of the weekly WDAK radio talk show "Viewpoint." Tuesday was talk show day, and he began the program with a very strange reference to a Georgia murder case. It was almost like Gaymon had a "Rush Limbaugh moment...."

Mike Gaymon told the WDAK "Morning Show" team he'd found a new use for antifreeze -- then brought up a woman accused of poisoning her husband with the stuff. It seemed like he was trying to joke about the case. But the way he dropped the topic, it seemed like his co-hosts were nodding their heads "NO" vigorously.

If this wasn't strange enough, Mike Gaymon made this comment while St. Luke United Methodist Church Pastor Hal Brady was in the studio! Brady was the guest of the morning on "Viewpoint." If Gaymon had a guest from Striffler-Hamby Mortuary, I might understand what he said....

Pastor Hal Brady was a different sort of guest for "Viewpoint," because Mike Gaymon usually interviews politicians or business leaders. In fact, I tuned in Tuesday simply to see if Gaymon might have Bob Poydasheff on again - for his exclusive first interview as an ex-mayor.

During his chat with Hal Brady, Mike Gaymon revealed he's a "P.K." This must have puzzled most WDAK listeners for a moment - who thought the initials meant place-kicker, instead of "preacher's kid."

After Viewpoint was over, Mike Gaymon went to the RiverCenter. He presided over the "annual meeting" of the Columbus Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber actually has meetings and events all year long - but I think this is the one where everyone officially approves him by acclamation.

For decades, the Columbus Chamber of Commerce has held its annual meeting in the evening with a nice banquet. This year, the meeting was moved to Bill Heard Hall at the RiverCenter -- where you can't even take a cup of water inside, to throw at a snobby opera diva.

The Chamber of Commerce annual meeting was moved from the Trade Center to the RiverCenter to make it more accessible to members. An evening banquet would have cost about 60 dollars. Mike Gaymon said the meeting in a theater was free, so there you.... hey, hold it! If small business members have to close doors to attend the meeting, isn't it costing them money in lost sales?

Mike Gaymon explained it's better for the Columbus Chamber of Commerce to conduct meetings more like corporate stockholder meetings. Of course it is - because people who vote "no" are more easily seen, when they're not hiding at a round table behind a big vase full of flowers.

Some traditions have not changed for the Columbus Chamber of Commerce. The annual "Jim Woodruff Jr. Award" was given to retired Synovus chairman Jim Blanchard. You have to say he was a visionary - because the Synovus sign remains the most visible advertisement along the Riverwalk.

BLOG UPDATE: Tuesday also was a big day for Columbus Mayor Jim Wetherington, as he presided over his first Columbus Council meeting. Wetherington admitted to WRBL he forgot a few times to push buttons which turn on microphones. Wait until he realizes that's one of the biggest areas of power he really has.

Columbus Council gave Evelyn Turner Pugh the title of Mayor Pro-Tem. Jim Wetherington called Pugh the "most knowledgeable member" of the Council. Yet with her background in banking, she somehow didn't realize something didn't add up at the landfill?!

"Landfill-gate" was a big issue again Tuesday. Councilors suggested new rules, to put late fees on companies more than 60 days behind in paying landfill fees. The Mayor and City Manager wanted to allow 90 to 120 days of grace -- but the Council apparently wants to show it's tougher than the ex-Police Chief.

City Manager Isaiah Hugley said he'll reveal next week which companies are more than 60 days behind in paying landfill fees. Reporters might be able to find out sooner than that. Stop everyone entering the Government Center wearing sunglasses - because they might be trying to hide their identities, as they pay up.

E-MAIL UPDATE: A "POP3 User" (we usually only drink one at a time) sent us this Tuesday:

This is the 1st time I've been to the Columbus blog, its very good I will be back , but to much info on Jade Hindman, letys do more info on the hard poor working stiffs in the Chattahoochee Valley who don't make the Big money

Thank you for the nice words, and the constructive criticism. If any poor working stiffs want to invite me to their farewell parties, I'll be glad to come by and share in your saltine crackers and Hawaiian Punch.

You might even find some hard poor working stiffs embedded in our wrap-up of other Tuesday news:

+ Chattahoochee County commissioners confirmed to WXTX "News at Ten" they've dropped plans to establish a police department. Uh-huh. Yeah, right. That's what they say now -- before the meth dealers show up, and the undercover operation begins.

+ The Ledger-Enquirer updated the "Stocking Strangler" murder appeal with the big headline: "HEARING ON GARY'S TEETH." I saw this, and wondered which local dentist was being sued.

+ The evening news interviewed a "graduation coach" at Jordan High School - a woman named Jimmie Johnson. You'd think all she has to do is borrow quotes from that OTHER coach Jimmy Johnson. He won a Super Bowl with the Dallas Cowboys, after all....

+ Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue called for higher fines for excessive and habitual speeders. The Governor confessed he's a speeder himself - perhaps hurrying to as many land sale closings as he can.

(Governor Perdue said he wants the money from higher speeding fines allocated to trauma centers. Huh - you mean the state won't offer grant money to improve Atlanta Motor Speedway?)

+ The Columbus Cottonmouths crushed Jacksonville on the road 7-2, with assistant Tyler Keller coaching behind the bench. Head coach Jerome Bechard was somewhere else in the Jacksonville Coliseum -- either taking notes for future games, or hiding from an arrest warrant on an old battery charge.

+ New Alabama football coach Nick Saban was introduced to the crowd at a Tuscaloosa basketball game - and the Crimson Tide went on to beat his old school Louisiana State, 71-61. As much money as they're paying Saban, he should inspire as many teams to victory as he can.

(I figured an important matchup in this game would be between Alabama's Alonzo Gee and L.S.U.'s Tack Minor. Any musician would tell you there's nothing quite like a Gee-Minor key.)

+ A Georgia House member called for an audit of the state's Golf Hall of Fame in Augusta, claiming $13 million in state money is missing. Step one: drag the lakes. Step two: rake the sand traps....

+ Instant Message to the man I saw pedaling a bicycle down the middle of South Lumpkin Road, in the center turn lane: There's an old Archie Campbell joke along those lines - only the children in his neighborhood thought he actually might be dumb enough to do that.

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