17 JUL 08: P.D. IN FULL

The woman in uniform stood watch quietly, in the lobby of a downtown utility office. No one seemed to get out of line, while I was there. I'm not sure if that's because of the woman in uniform - or because those straps defining the lines are a lot stronger than they used to be.

The woman actually wore a Columbus Police Department uniform. Perhaps she was doing one of those "uniformed off-duty jobs" which became an issue here a couple of years ago. If so, I think she found a good one - because Georgia Power isn't likely to have its air conditioning go out on a hot summer day.

What will happen to this woman, now that Columbus voters have approved the one-percent "streets and safety" sales tax? Will she get a raise, so she doesn't have to work second jobs anymore? Will she get a second officer to join her in the Georgia Power lobby - since July and August power rates tend to be the highest of the year?

The 61-percent vote in favor of the Local Option Sales Tax can be examined from a variety of perspectives. For one thing, it shows Columbus is still a city of LOST causes....

It's also clearly a vote of confidence for Mayor Jim Wetherington, after the TAD proposal's failure last fall. If you looked carefully Tuesday night and Wednesday, there actually seemed to be a nice smile across the mayor's face.

Mayor Jim Wetherington said Wednesday he may not wait until the LOST takes effect in January, to begin looking for 100 new officers. If you think about it, the mayor needed to say something along those lines - because otherwise the criminals may decide to have a "last fling fall."

The mayor may tap into Columbus city reserve funds to begin recruiting and hiring new officers in the next few months. He says the reserves would be rebuilt with LOST money next year - so if you'd like to help, skip Xmas shopping this December and do all your gift-giving from the President's Day sales.

(By the way, did you see how WLTZ reported on the LOST vote? It played a soundbite with Mayor Wetherington - which was taped last week! The Ledger-Enquirer is the oldest news outlet in Columbus, but airing an old interview?!)

But allocating the sales tax money to various departments may not be as easy as "Yes for Public Safety" promised. Marshal Greg Countryman told WRBL Wednesday he wants 26 new deputies. The LOST campaign guarantees his office only five. The competition for tax money could be like that skiing event at the Winter Olympics -- where athletes not only race, but fire guns.

The LOST campaign's breakdown of sales tax money includes a line for a somewhat nebulous "66 correctional officers." Are all of them designated for the county jail and prison? Could Marshal Greg Countryman appeal for some of those positions? Or could this greedy-sounding announcement spark a new drive to abolish his office?

The Yes side claimed "only the criminals lose" with the LOST - but there seems to be a couple of other big political losers from Tuesday's vote. Bert Coker filed to run for Columbus Council during the No campaign. It now looks like incumbent Skip Henderson can spend all his time this fall coaching youth league sports.

And what must Bob Poydasheff think of the LOST vote? The former mayor refused to take a stand on it, in an interview with this blog. His own LOST proposal failed in 2004. The rumors about another campaign in 2010 might as well have been confiscated by agents, in a drug raid.

There's still one unsettled local race from Tuesday, as Coroner Bill Thrower wound up with a 210-vote lead over Ricky Weeks. There may have to be a recount next week - or would the candidates for this position call it an autopsy?

The race for Coroner finally "went negative" Wednesday, when Ricky Weeks filed a state ethics complaint against Bill Thrower. But the complaint cannot disqualify Thrower - and can't even lead to a second vote. The Georgia Ethics Commission needs to get out of the baseball replay mindset, and move to football.

Ricky Weeks accuses Bill Thrower of NOT filing required financial reports with the state this year. Are you paying attention, Josh McKoon? We may have found your next legal client....

Bill Thrower explained he didn't know about the rules for filing campaign reports. After all, this is his first campaign for elected office. OK - so how do we explain "Be Smart Vote No LOST?" It still has no reports on file in Atlanta, and organizer Paul Olson ought to know better.

As for other races: State Senator Ed Harbison defeated Reginald Pugh for the second election in a row. Harbison received 69 percent of the vote, down from 73 percent in 2006. So if Pugh and Josh McKoon keep trying, this contest could become competitive around 2018 - when Harbison may well retire anyway.

And how about that runoff for Russell County Commissioner? Larry Screws defeated incumbent J.D. Upshaw - which apparently means voters want a man with some principal on the commission. No wait....

It might be called the "Upshaw upset," but J.D. Upshaw didn't seem upset about his loss to school principal Larry Screws. He told reporters Wednesday he'll spend more time with his ministry at a Bullock County church. Hopefully someone will inform us, if Upshaw starts giving sermons on the evils of public education.

E-MAIL UPDATE: The only reader who really sent an election comment Wednesday was a minister we called about the State Senate race....

Mr. Burkard,

I must say you kept your word and, for the most part, made a "fair and balanced" blog concerning Kingdom Metropolitan Worship Centre [11 Jul]. Of course I am interested in the VIP skybox seats. It may sound idealistic but it would behoove any person running for office to request permission to leave fliers on the cars of people during worship services. You know, while they are in church?

Nevertheless, thanks for researching first and getting the facts. Your additional commentary is a bit droll and makes for some amusing reading.

Walter Rooks

Thank you, Mr. Rooks -- and I agree that candidates should seek permission first, before doing campaign business somewhere. Even President Bush has done that. He asked Congress for authorization, before invading Iraq.

(I hope Walter Rooks did a "spell-check" on his e-mail - and did NOT mean to write that our commentary is dull.)

By the way, Ed Harbison filed an amended campaign report with the state Wednesday -- and of all things, there's a $2,300 donation from the "Committee to Elect Seth Harp!" Isn't Harp a Republican? Which man is planning to switch parties first?

Our Wednesday blog entry/apology/vent also brought a reaction....

As a devoted blog reader,I forgive you for not covering the election and making the choice to make a little money...After all food and gas (or the other way around) are necessities. You can't live on once a week poker wins from the historic district.

No, I can't -- especially when the first prize is only 50 dollars, and I haven't finished in the top two places for prizes since April. Where I play on Thursday nights, place number four only gets you the door....

Now a quick check of other Wednesday news:

+ Phenix City's Colby Rasmus was named to the U.S. Olympic baseball team. We can't wait for him to come back from Beijing - to tell us if local Chinese restaurants really are as good as the original.

+ WRBL reported the Muscogee County School District is adjusting the "air" in its bus tires. They'll be filled with more nitrogen, which is supposed to save on fuel. Of course, the district could try filling them with helium - since buses floating above the traffic could save even more.

+ The Atlanta Journal-Constitution announced it will cut almost 200 jobs. If the Ledger-Enquirer made a cut like this right now, the weekly "Tidbits" might wind up with a larger staff.

+ The Birmingham City Council voted to rename the city airport after longtime civil rights activist Fred Shuttlesworth. This is a nice honor - but have officials really thought this through? Countless travelers will be joking about their trips to the "B.S. Airport."

COMING SOON: A couple of new local web sites seek our attention....

In the first half of 2008, our number of unique visitors jumped 23 percent from last year. To advertise to our readers, offer a story tip or comment on this blog, write me - but be warned, I may post your e-mail comment and offer a reply.

BURKARD BULK MAIL INDEX: 832 (+ 32, 4.0%)

The views expressed in this blog are solely those of the author -- not necessarily those of anyone else in Columbus living or dead, and perhaps not even you.

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