15 JAN 08: HOBBS-SCOTCH

The Columbus election year unofficially opened Monday - and it began with a potential challenger taking back a promise he made a year ago. Doesn't this give you hope for the future of our government?

The back-tracker is Jeremy Hobbs, who ran for Columbus Council and lost in 2004. He says he'll file letters of intent with the city and state, to challenge Red McDaniel again. Some of us can remember when you couldn't sign a "letter of intent" until national signing day, when.... oh wait, that's football.

Last January Jeremy Hobbs sent an e-mail to Red McDaniel, asking if the veteran Columbus Councilor planned to run for reelection. Hobbs wrote he would NOT run if McDaniel did. Now Hobbs has sent McDaniel another e-mail of explanation - so I guess we have a race here.

Jeremy Hobbs sent e-mail "media releases" Monday explaining his change of plans. He says "an abundance of people" have urged him to run for Columbus Council again - and the city needs "a refresher and new image...." Is the phrase "What progress has preserved" that outdated already?

Jeremy Hobbs is tying his bid for Columbus Council to the Muscogee County School Board's plans for a new administration building. One issue mentioned in his media releases is for the school superintendent's job to be an elected office -- which makes you wonder why Hobbs doesn't run for the school board, so he can try to vote out John Phillips personally.

Jeremy Hobbs contends school board and city matters are related - and apparently fears the proposed school administration building will lead to the mayor's proposed city sales tax being voted down. It's as if Mayor Jim Wetherington needs to come out and say his new police stations will look nicer - when they're installed by Action Buildings.

Jeremy Hobbs's statements also call for Columbus Fire Chief Jeff Meyer to be "fired as chief and demoted to Deputy Chief." Both? Accepting a lesser position after you're fired doesn't seem to happen very often - unless it's major league baseball, and you can pinch-hit for a World Series contender.

In a way, I would have been surprised if Jeremy Hobbs had NOT run for some kind of office this year. He's sent dozens of e-mails to news outlets across Columbus in the last 12 months, on all kinds of issues. Hobbs is getting by without talk radio very well, thank you....

I've seen some of Jeremy Hobbs's e-mails - so I can tell you where he stands on major issues:

+ Against working traffic lights on 13^th Street during afternoon rush hour. Hobbs wants two police officers to direct traffic between Veterans Parkway and the bridge to Phenix City. Those of you driving on First, Second and Third Avenues will have to find your own way around this.

+ In favor of strict five-minute limits on public comments at Columbus Council meetings. So if Paul Olson can't control his tongue, he might find himself speaking to an empty chamber.

+ Against the "Sound Off" column in the Ledger-Enquirer. He calls it a "rancid column of.... insane filth." I assume Hobbs does not subscribe to Rolling Stone magazine, either.

+ In favor of invading Iran. He wrote in June it could save "quite possibly millions of innocent lives." Maybe President Bush has decided to let Saudi Arabia launch an air attack instead.

+ In favor of Sunday alcohol sales - IF the money is used to improve school security. Hobbs tried to organize a campaign called "Protect Our Kids" after the Virginia Tech bloodbath last April. You noticed how well it developed - right?!

+ Possibly against the Columbus population at large. In a November e-mail Hobbs wrote: "The people of this city seem to hold a grudge about everything." But then again, November is the month of the Auburn-Georgia football game.

BLOG UPDATE: It appears the Marvin Christian with the long list of speeding convictions we mentioned Monday really is the interim Hurtsboro Police Chief. I'm told Mayor Sandra Tarver-Yoba is looking into his actions in Union Springs. Of course, she might take her time investigating Christian - to set a better example for him.

E-MAIL UPDATE: Our Instant Message of Sunday brought a reply from Clear Channel Radio on Monday....

Hey Richard;

What time and day did you hear the Marion Jones PSA on WDAK?

Thanks;

-Joseph-

Let's see -- I think I heard it in the 5:00 p.m. half-hour, on either 26 December or 10 January. I was jogging around South Commons with headphones on. And I was listening to the TV news simulcast - which may prove I'm more addicted to the news than I ought to be.

On down the AM dial - welcome back, WRCG! The station with the vandalized tower finally went back on the air Monday. Neal Boortz can put down his giant bullhorn now....

And now let's see what caught our ears and eyes on Monday:

+ A Muscogee County School Board work session discussed a possible sale of the Baker High School property. Reggie Richards of Columbus South Inc. says she wants the building on Benning Drive kept as a "historic landmark." Besides, there's no good place in the Historic District to tow it.

+ Columbus Fire Chief Jeff Meyer admitted to the Ledger-Enquirer only about five percent of the firefighter/EMS force is female. I'm not sure he admitted this as part of the Zachary Allen investigation, because of that complaint a female EMS employee made awhile back - or if someone's upset because all the "firehouse hottie" calendars seem to show men.

+ Newell/Rubbermaid told WRBL it plans to relocate its Goody distribution center on Cargo Drive to Atlanta. Someone from the Chamber of Commerce needs to go there, and change the signs to "Baddy."

+ Phenix City officials met with state lawmakers about the proposed five-cent county soft drink tax. Councilor John Storey told WXTX "News at Ten" even if the proposal goes on the ballot, "I don't think we're stupid enough to vote a tax on ourselves." Just like voters were too smart to approve that school sales tax last year....

+ WLTZ's late-night newscast "11@11" never got on the air. I'm not sure what happened - but it wasn't even renamed "Coca-Cola Zero@11."

+ The Southern Christian Leadership Conference office in Atlanta promised to file federal tax reports within 45 days, after falling three years behind. The SCLC leaders said, "How long? Not long!" - and the Internal Revenue Service answered, "I'm sorry, you need to be more specific."

+ A female deer crashed through the front window of Cici's Pizza in Prattville, Alabama. It should be obvious why this restaurant was chosen -- it wanted fresh doe.

+ Columbus State University athletic director Herbert Greene was named to the C.S.U. sports Hall of Fame. Greene has won hundreds of basketball games over the years, but I've always been amazed by one particular loss - when he dropped more than 50 pounds one off-season. [True!]

+ LaGrange native Mike Cameron signed a one-year contract with baseball's Milwaukee Brewers. He'll miss the first 25 games of the season for a drug violation - yet he'll earn seven million dollars. So next time you take your child to a ball game, don't try to claim crime doesn't pay.

(Do you realize what this deal means? If Milwaukee is willing to pay Mike Cameron this much money after his second drug violation, Roger Clemens actually might be able to pitch one more season.)

+ Instant Message to WRBL reporter Kelly O'Connell: Trust me on this - Muscogee County School Board member Fife Whiteside pronounces his first name like "fife and drum." He is NOT from Senegal.

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