11 AUG 08: DOES PUGH STINK?

The primary season (including runoffs) is over. The local elections across Alabama are still two weeks away, along with the national conventions. So what's a politically active person in Columbus supposed to do for fun? That answer apparently is to start a community feud - and I'm not sure whether to blame Al Roker's game show for this or not.

BLOG EXCLUSIVE: Columbus Urban League President Reginald Pugh denied allegations Sunday night that he often uses the "N-word," and his organization is laying off workers because it's having trouble making payroll. I think those are two separate issues - since the phrase "N-word" usually isn't applied to a negative bank account.

A series of allegations against Reginald Pugh and a Columbus Councilor were made in a lengthy e-mail to this blog - allegations so serious that we felt compelled to get Pugh's side before posting them. Pugh says they reflect activists who "haven't done their homework." So this issue was perfectly timed for the opening day of school in Muscogee County.

The activists making the accusations divided their e-mail into two parts, so we'll take this one part at a time:

(Part I)

Richard,

While Reginald Pugh and Pops Barnes are using the Urban League as a power base to unseat or target incumbent democrats, namely Harbison, Symre, and Bishop, and to takeover politics in the African American community, as they view it, the word out is that they both have ran the Urban League in the ground financially.



Pugh and Barnes, when he ran against Nathan Suber, are backed by Republicans. They attended the Republican Convention in Columbus and Pugh attended an event in support of Sheriff Ralph Johnson. Pugh is no more a Democrat than Newt Gingrich, neither is Barnes.



If Josh McKoon would be honest with you he would admit that Barnes has attended fund raisers and strategy meetings to bump off Democrats. They don't want this to get out in the African American community because it won't come-off very well with Black voters. Mr. Mckoon was with Pugh the first time against Harbison and will be with him the next time too.



Pugh was running on the vendetta ticket, which was good for about 30% of the vote. He does not care about District 15. He simply has heartburn over Symre and Bishop not selling-out Harbison and them not backing him for the senate seat. Somehow he thought they owed him for taking a public stand in the media against Jesse Jackson and the local coalition after the Kenny Walker killing. It didn't work that way and he holds a big grudge against all of them.



He told them Harbison wasn't doing anything, but they were smart enough to realize Pugh would not know what to do and would be easily swayed by republicans. Pugh was hoping voters weren't smart enough to figure what he and Councilor Barnes were up to. He thought he could win on Barnes' coattails and Barnes needed a job.



Pugh plans to keep running until he gets elected, believing he will do a little better each time with Republican help. Barnes, Pugh, and McKoon were all in Atlanta at one of the ethics hearings against Senator Harbison, Barnes and Pugh probably were on the UL dime. Pops Barnes had not even been in the office himself a good 6 months and he was trying to get someone else kicked out office at the state level.

Both of these men joined the same church this year of the person that filed the ethics charges. Reportedly, after they joined the former pastor told the congregation Pugh was family now and they should vote for him. Pugh left 4th Street Baptist Church because he felt Reverend Flakes supported Harbison in the first election. Apparently, because he was a member of the church, he thought Reverend would endorse him. This again shows how Pugh, and Barnes, will use church and church membership and anything else to win an election.

Mr. Pugh and Councilor Barnes want to be the new king-makers in the Black community. They are willing to do or say anything to anyone in order to achieve their goal. Pugh even uses the Walker issue and tries to use the family to gain community recognition, all while he support Johnson for Sheriff.

GRASSROOTS UNITY MOVEMENT For CHANGE

For starters, Reginald Pugh assured me: "I've been a Democrat all my life." Admittedly, I didn't ask him for proof - like asking who was Jimmy Carter's Vice President.

Yet even though he's a Democrat, Reginald Pugh says, "I vote for the best person." And he admits that includes supporting Sheriff Ralph Johnson for re- election this fall, even though Pugh opposed Johnson in 2004. Talk about a step toward racial healing - helped by the fact that there's no African-American candidate for Sheriff.

Reginald Pugh's endorsement is personal, and NOT that of the Columbus Urban League. But he calls Sheriff Ralph Johnson an "excellent manager," and says he knows more about the Kenneth Walker case now than he did four years ago. Pugh no longer holds Johnson accountable for Walker's death. But come to think of it, a jury still hasn't done that with anybody.

Reginald Pugh lost the State Senate primary for a second time to Ed Harbison in July. He still maintains some Republicans have a better record than Harbison when it comes to issues for "minorities, seniors, ordinary people...." Take out those three groups, and I think the only people left in Columbus are the students at Brookstone School.

"Where I go to church is none of his business," Reginald Pugh answered when I asked about his change of congregations. Somehow I don't think Barack Obama could get away with that kind of statement these days....

But Reginald Pugh eventually told me he now attends Revelation Missionary Baptist Church on Bogart Drive. Yes, that's where Ed Harbison's accuser Ethalyn Kirby goes to church - but Pugh says her presence there is "irrelevant; it's not why I joined." So someone else must have picked up the free Bible for a referral fee.

(Pugh explained Revelation Missionary Baptist Church is a smaller congregation, and "where I feel most comfortable." At this time of year, working air conditioning in the sanctuary IS an important issue....)

Before we leave Part I, Reginald Pugh had some words to say about his accusers. He says Brother Love's Grassroots Unity Movement for Change consists of "no more than one or two people." And the Urban League President added his agency "helps 36,000 people. Who has he helped?" Hmmmm - Ed Harbison might count as one.

>> If you'd like to take a "halftime break" in this lengthy e-mail, we invite you to visit our new blog about poker and more -- "On the Flop!" <<

Have you had enough of this? Hopefully not, because we noted the accusing e-mail had two parts....

(Part II)



By some accounts, the dastardly duo of Pugh and Barnes have wrecked the UL, which needs to be investigated by the news media to see where all the money went and if the allegation or rumor is remotely true. While Pugh, aided by Barnes, is running around every 2 years trying to unseat Ed Harbison the League is suffering, and Mckoon is on the executive board.



Mr. Pugh and Pops Barnes teamed up right after Barnes was elected. When Barnes won against Nathan Suber, Pugh offered him a job with the League. Barnes sold out. He had told the voters in the district he would be a full-time councilor for them because he was retired. A few weeks after the run-off, he was working for the Urban League. What does that tell voters about Pops Barnes? What he says you shouldn't believe.

Pugh is quite partial to the N-word. At the church memorial for Kenneth Walker he said Black politicians want to be the HNIC in his speech. That spells out exactly what manner of man Reginald Pugh is and the manner of man he is not. Pops Barnes was in the same audience shouting to the top of his lungs "AMEN," and we know why as Councilor Barnes and a close friend or two of his have the same love affair with the N-word as is being spread about town nowadays. Senator Harbison was there at the service and the news media was present. Pugh was campaigning even on this solemn occasion.



A lot of insiders are distressed over what is going on in the UL. Some of them would be willing to talk, as there have been some alleged pay issues and cutbacks. Prior to Reginald Pugh and Pops Barnes Columbus had one of the top Urban Leagues around. Now contributions are off and still declining.

Harbison, Symre, and Bishop did not try to keep Pugh from running for SSD 15, they just warned him what the consequences could be to the Urban League since he was President/CEO. They were not afraid Reginald Pugh would defeat Harbison because Pugh lacks what it takes and he has too much baggage people know about in the senate district. They were right. Pugh's name is mud in the Black community. And Barnes is being outed and he doesn't even have a clue it's happening. People are not happy with Pugh, and Barnes is joined at the hip to him so they don't like Barnes now. When Barnes runs for re-election there is going to be blood in the streets and juicy tidbits in the paper, but probably not in the Columbus Times as they both write for it. Suber or Weaver or any unknown candidate could easily take Post 1 in 2010. Barnes, like Pugh, has made a lot of enemies with his arrogance and backstabbing.



Instead of ethics complaints being brought against Ed Harbison, someone needs to look into Pugh and Barnes at the Urban League and file ethics charges against them before they can finish destroying it all together.



Look out for a big shredding party at the Urban League soon. You might want to search for a second set of books too. You never know what you might find if you look hard enough and ask the right questions. Some of that UL money or resources probably found its way to the Pugh campaign and just might again in 2-years.

GRASSROOTS UNITY MOVEMENT For CHANGE

Reginald Pugh told me the Columbus Urban League simply is facing "austere times. These are tough times for all non-profits." So if the money "went" anywhere, potential donors used it at Piggly Wiggly to buy groceries for themselves.

Reginald Pugh says the Columbus Urban League depends on state and federal contracts for some of its money. But he noted many nonprofit agencies are having trouble raising money right now. Which reminds me: I'm almost due for another phone call about public television....

Reginald Pugh went on to say the local Urban League has NOT laid off any staff members, and is audited by the national office every year. He added the Columbus office has paid off all its own loans, and has NOT taken out any new ones. So that "shredding party" may be the modern version of burning the mortgage.

What about Muscogee County Republican Chair Josh McKoon's role with the Urban League? Reginald Pugh says it's common for the organization to have board members from across all political parties and racial lines. So who knows - before long, McKoon may be hosting a civil rights group's Sunday morning TV show.

(In fact, Pugh admits most of the contributions received by the Urban League come from Republicans. Isn't it curious - Democrats talk so much about "going green," while Republicans have more green in their wallets.)

Reginald Pugh admits Councilor Jerry Barnes has been working for the Urban League. But these days, Barnes is "cutting back on his hours" so he can spend more time working with individuals. Does the Guinness Book have a world record for most diabetes tests in one day?

I admitted to Reginald Pugh it was hard for me to ask about the "N-word." But Pugh knew what I meant: "There's nothing wrong with saying Negro." At least that's what HE meant by it. In my home state, we're entering the time of the year where the "N-word" is Nebraska.

So the "N-word" Reginald Pugh is claiming is NOT the slur that could get white politicians in trouble. He says he hears African-American "politicians, other speakers" use the word "Negro" often - and even some church pastors. And let's face it: there's no organized campaign to rename it the United Minority College Fund.

We should clarify something at this point, for people who may have moved to Columbus from up north. When someone uses the abbreviation HNIC in the South, it is NOT referring to Hockey Night in Canada....

Reginald Pugh explained in the South, that stands for politicians who want to be "Honorary Negro in Charge." Pugh says he stopped there, and Brother Love's hints to the contrary show he "hasn't done his homework." Either that, or maybe he needs to see a hearing aid specialist.

Reginald Pugh admitted to your blog he usually doesn't respond publicly to this sort of criticism. He did in this case because his accusers "at least.... need to be truthful." Aw c'mon - in an election year?! That would take too much time and research work....

Reginald Pugh went on to contend the Grassroots Unity Movement for Change has an agenda of its own. He suspects the group supports John Darr in the sheriff's race. That seems to make sense - especially since Pugh's wife is unopposed for another term on Columbus Council.

It strikes me as interesting that a "unity movement" is making accusations that could cause division in one of Columbus's best-known African-American organizations. Does dissent-fueling and doubt-raising really promote unity? I only recall that working when the New York Yankees won World Series in the late 1970s.

THE BIG BLOG QUESTION closed Sunday evening, with 77 percent of our voters saying Talkline should return to Columbus radio. The margin was ten votes to three - but we have no way of knowing whether the three no votes came from the Government Center, the school district office or the Aflac tower.

One supporter of Talkline's return suggested Ed Wilson return as the program's host. He was busy for 12 years assisting Mayors Bobby Peters and Bob Poydasheff - and after the outcome of the one-percent sales tax vote, Mr. Poydasheff needs all the help he can to get back into political office.

That commenter also hopes if Talkline returns, it will focus strictly on local issues. "We're swamped with national talk shows," that person wrote -- and they admittedly can be overwhelming. Over the weekend, I wondered if John Edwards might call Dr. Laura Schlessinger for relationship advice.

TODAY'S BLOG OLYMPIC MOMENT: Former Auburn University swimmer Kirsty Coventry set a world record Monday morning (Beijing time) in the 100-meter backstroke. Coventry swims for Zimbabwe - where you'd think she'd be more likely nowadays to train for the marathon, so she can flee across the border to South Africa.

(Please don't be confused as you watch the Olympics on television. The abbreviation RSA stands for Republic of South Africa. People are NOT swimming for the Retirement Systems of Alabama.)

Because of our exclusive main topic, we'll hold other e-mails for another day - and quickly review other weekend news:

+ METRA held a "bus roadeo" at South Commons, to find the most skillful drivers. Of course, last weekend we found two drivers who could qualify in the category of "lowest miles-per-gallon."

+ A check at the other end of South Commons found a sign has been posted: "SKATE PARK CLOSED." We told you in June about skateboarders sneaking onto the park site, even though it was still under construction. Now all they can do is 180's - to turn around and head for the Oglethorpe Bridge.

+ South Columbus United Methodist Church gave away free school supplies. So did American Legion Post 267 on Cusseta Road. In fact, so many organizations are giving away notebooks and pens that you almost wonder why we're bothering to hold a sales tax holiday.

+ Instant Message to Georgia Power: Take that! It was so dry and comfortable Sunday that I never had to turn on my air conditioner. If that approach can bring gasoline prices down, why can't you do the same thing?

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