21 MAY 08: THE NEW BLUE REVIEW

You have to hand it to Columbus city officials - they're trying as hard as they can to get the NAACP's Bill Madison to endorse the one-percent sales tax question. On Tuesday, they tried another approach. But they might as well have tried persuading Madison to take off his bright yellow jacket.

A Columbus Council work session focused on creating a "Citizens Review Board" -- an independent panel examining controversies in city government. At the moment, the closest thing we have to that in Columbus is the "Sound Off" column in the Ledger-Enquirer.

A panel of four from across the Southeast was assembled, to explain how Citizens Review Boards work in their cities. The emphasis seemed to be on law enforcement - since we all know top fire officials are above reproach.

Atlanta is currently the only Georgia city to have something like a Citizens Review Board. A member of that group showed a presentation to Columbus Council, in which one slide warned against boards being too identified with either police or complainers. Bottom line: bring coins to every meeting for flipping.

But wait a minute, you may be asking - doesn't Columbus have something like this already? Well, this month marks four years since a "Public Safety Advisory Commission" was established. That was set up in the wake of the Kenneth Walker shooting. But the members seem to have vanished almost as fast as the marches for justice.

The Public Safety Advisory Commission was asked to make recommendations to Columbus Council -- and that was about all. The proposed Citizens Review Board would go farther, by investigating police complaints. After all, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation really was created to do other things....

Mayor Jim Wetherington doesn't seem thrilled about creating a Citizens Review Board. He told WXTX "News at Ten" he's happy with what the city has now. And why not? Police officers funnel their reports to a former police chief - and things are kept within the family.

And amazingly, Columbus NAACP President Bill Madison seems skeptical about a Citizens Review Board as well. He actually agrees with the mayor about something?! Those "One Columbus" meetings are working after all....

Bill Madison actually is unsure about an independent review panel for another reason. He says it's a great concept, but won't work unless there's "integrity in the police department" from the Chief down. Of course, we know what would happen if that occurred -- the panel would have no reason to meet, and fold for lack of interest.

Is Bill Madison hinting police officers might lie to a Citizens Review Board, during an investigation of possible misconduct? If they're not giving sworn testimony for a court case, I suppose it's possible. And if they're jealous of another officer winning the "Protect and Serve Award" ahead of them, it really might be possible.

I don't see where a Citizens Review Board would hurt Columbus law enforcement. But if it's being done simply to placate Bill Madison and other civil rights leaders, it won't be enough. For one, Madison wants more than an outside examination - he wants officers like J.D. Hawk outside the force completely.

BIG PREDICTION UPDATE: We're pleased to report the Alabama legislative session did indeed end with NO fistfights between lawmakers. It's nice to see things back to normal - with state Senators having tugs of war over piles of money instead.

E-MAIL UPDATE: A complaint here Monday brought a fiery response Tuesday....

Tell the son of a b**ch complaining about the old Welcome Center that it's home to DISABLED Veterans now so if he wants to shut his pie hole and do something for soldiers who have sacrificed for him to be free to spew such garbage, get on down there and clean it up, by all means. RW

I'll assume RW never worked at that Welcome Center -- because tourists might have jumped back into their RV's and driven non-stop to Valdosta.

Another e-mail will have to wait, until we do some research. So let's check other Tuesday topics....

+ Columbus Council approved a special Sunday "no-parking" zone on Fifth Street, between Second and Third Avenues. People have parked on both sides of that street for years, during Fourth Street Baptist Church services - even after a big new parking lot was built across the street. But if they're listening to the Pastor's scolding about where to park, do they remember his sermons?

+ Ground was broken for a new Health Sciences Building at Columbus Technical College. Governor Sonny Perdue said the project shows the importance of a good public-private partnership. Someone in the audience should have unrolled a list of all the donors to the National Infantry Museum.

+ An angry customer walked into the Metropolitan Life Insurance office on Warm Springs Road and fired several shots. Thankfully, no one was hurt - but some people need to read the fine print of that new Georgia gun law, because insurance offices aren't restaurants.

+ Brookstone and Pacelli swept doubleheaders, and advanced to the Georgia Class A high school baseball semifinals. These small private schools could collide in the championship round - and attract a crowd rivaling a typical weeknight with the Columbus Catfish.

+ Instant Message to The Medical Center: I heard you were placed on some kind of "honor roll" Tuesday. What was it for? The fastest takeovers of other hospitals in this decade?

SCHEDULED THURSDAY: We announce a new Blog Special Event....

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