16 JAN 09: Across the River, Over the Line

So whatever happened to the Phenix City NAACP, anyway? We found out Thursday the chapter IS still around. But its president may be a bit annoyed right now, because a potential high-profile member went next door for help -- and it couldn't possibly be because Columbus has a lower sales tax.

BLOG EXCLUSIVE: The President of the Phenix City NAACP chapter says Columbus President Bill Madison was "completely out of order" in addressing the Russell County Commission Wednesday. Wow - a civil rights leader that many white people in Columbus actually might like....

In fact, Alphonso Johnson told your blog Thursday he doesn't see what the fuss over a Ford Expedition owned by Russell County was all about. He claims there's NO discrimination in the rules for commissioners driving it -- to which Ronnie Reed probably would say Johnson lacks a "Ford focus."

"You have a white commissioner not using it, a black commissioner not using it...." Alphonso Johnson said of the county-owned Expedition. It sounds like equal opportunity ignorance to him.

Alphonso Johnson says if the Phenix City NAACP needs help from Bill Madison with civil rights issues, "I can call him." But Ronnie Reed ran to Madison on his own, and never contacted Johnson about the Ford fuss. Maybe it's a matter of "star power" - since Madison has made so many TV appearances in recent years.

Alphonso Johnson said he knew Bill Madison planned to address the Russell County Commission this week -- but he learned about it from "reading the newspaper." Perhaps we should blame the Columbus NAACP staff for that. It's been so busy promoting the February banquet....

So why did Ronnie Reed run to Bill Madison, over the use of that Ford Expedition? Alphonso Johnson gave me a simple answer -- Reed is a member of the Columbus NAACP, but NOT the Phenix City chapter. It's almost enough to make you wonder if any of last year's absentee voters came from Columbus as well.

Alphonso Johnson told me he's NOT angry with Ronnie Reed. But he admits he doesn't quite understand why a Russell County Commissioner would ignore his home NAACP chapter, and ask for help from across the river. Why, it's almost as wrong as Auburn University signing Columbus football players....

Perhaps it's because Bill Madison agreed with Ronnie Reed's point of view. But perhaps it's because Madison takes a different approach than Alphonso Johnson does. The Phenix City NAACP President admitted he tries to work for change behind the scenes, "not to get my name in the newspaper or the headlines." Madison tends to oppose cameras only when they're used in police surveillance.

So what about that "compliance issue" we found online about the Phenix City NAACP branch? Alphonso Johnson explained for awhile, the chapter fell below the minimum 50 members. He says it's now back up to about 75. Maybe if the chapter gave away more sets of Barack Obama commemorative plates....

Oh yes, that reminds me - Alphonso Johnson says the Phenix City NAACP will have its own membership banquet. It will be 27 February, and a member of the Alabama Senate will be the guest speaker. I suppose Bill Madison can buy a ticket and attend. But would he be satisfied simply with standing up, to be acknowledged with applause?

-> Did we have a hot time on a cold night at Thursday's poker tournament? Check what happened at our other blog, "On the Flop!" <--

E-MAIL UPDATE: Now to Columbus, and a local attorney/activist we've mentioned here several times in the last week....

Dear Richard,

I have attached in PDF format a series of documents representing the latest in my ongoing effort on behalf of Ms. Ethalyn Kirby to see her Ethics Complaint against Senator Harbison move to a final hearing.

I offered remarks to the State Ethics Commission for their December 2008 meeting regarding how long it was taking to move forward on the Complaint.

By way of reply, I received a letter dated December 10, 2008 from the Attorney General's office that responded in part to my concerns. You will next see my letter of December 16 (which I had to resend in January, hence the cover letter you see before the December 16 letter begins) responding to the December 10, 2008 letter.

Finally there is a sheet containing both the AG's office most recent e-mail to me and my last reply today.

I thought you might find them of some interest.

On another matter, I read your 12 January and 13 January 2009 blog entries that discussed in part the ongoing litigation regarding the land around the library. I want to just clear up a couple of things that I think the news coverage left a bit confused.

#1--The appeal is about whether or not taxpayers must first prove their case before being allowed to file a lawsuit. This would be much like requiring a District Attorney to have enough evidence for a conviction before filing criminal charges against someone. Oftentimes it is necessary to access legal tools for gathering evidence, often referred to as discovery, to prove the allegations of a civil case. The decision rendered in this case has the potential to affect taxpayer litigation all over the State of Georgia. The position taken by the City and the School Board would make it impossible for taxpayers to bring a lawsuit when they suspect, but cannot yet prove, that either entity is misappropriating funds.

#2--The idea that there is some great profusion of greenspace around the Library is absurd. As I think I mentioned in an earlier e-mail to you, there has been some minor landscaping around the front parking lot and yes I too have heard of the "children's plaza". To be clear, the children's plaza will occupy about 0.5 acres behind the Library. That will leave about 20 acres of cracked asphalt, broken fencing and associated debris on the remaining undeveloped site.

#3--Even after going on a spending spree upon discovery of the $6.1 million remaining in 1999 SPLOST funds, there is still over $1 million remaining unspent that could be used to grind up the asphalt, stabilize the soil and lay sod on the undeveloped portion of the property.

As always thank you for your blog, it is a real service to the citizens of Columbus and the Chattahoochee Valley.

Regards,

Josh McKoon

Mr. McKoon wonders in the documents when the Georgia Ethics Commission will hold a hearing on alleged campaign violations by State Senator Ed Harbison. But he's apparently had trouble communicating with the Attorney General's office, which handles ethics cases. This may be the clearest sign yet that Thurbert Baker still is a Democrat.

Josh McKoon claims he tried to contact the Georgia Attorney General's office more than a dozen times about the Ed Harbison ethics case. But a December reply from a Senior Assistant Attorney General said his office had NO "record of any such contacts." Do Georgia state e-mail addresses have "spam" folders?

As for the Education Park Coalition's legal case -- uh-oh, Josh McKoon is asking for it. If he can't find out vital information about the city without "discovery" motions, our readers will conclude he's as sloppy an investigator as I am with school principals.

So the greenspace issue around the Columbus Public Library may now be down to 20 acres of land. Some community groups would fix the fences, put up basketball goals and declare that asphalt a new playground.

Another reader is concerned about Georgia meeting its budget needs:

Money has to come from somewhere. The states and cities are going broke. The left and the right disagree as to the reasons, but that doesn't matter, when there really is no money. They are thinking of another tax on cigarettes. Funny, I remember when this cigarette thing got really serious; they said the new taxes were to go on helping citizens quit. Back then, I could buy nicotine gum for 1.89. Now the nicotine gum is behind the counter, along with all the other anti-nicotine and stop smoking gadgets. I sure can't afford them. They went up a lot from 1.89. What happened to the promise of using that tax money to help citizens stop smoking? Well, in Columbus, people will just buy their cigarettes in AL. So much for that. Columbus has always had a love/hate relationship with strip joints. These so-called poor girls, who have to make a living too, are now going to have to pay to strip. Does this say anything about the quality of men here in this town? I think so. This area has never been known for its great treatment of women. Cigarettes and strippers; what a shame. What happened to alcohol? I guess the powers that be have some sort of relationship with the alcohol folks. No new taxes being talked of for them. This can be one crazy city and even one crazy state. What really got me, was the talk of closing down the parks. Those parks bring in a lot of money. I have never understood the psychological impact they were trying to put on the citizens with this one. G*e, we are so poor, we can't afford to keep open money making parks. I don't think they closed them, but they had it on the news that they were going to. Well, all the congress got an automatic raise on New Years Day. It was made automatic a few years ago to save them the embarrassment of having to 'vote' on it. I don't think they are really worried about too much. Everything is going pretty well in their little corner of the world. The rest of us can 'eat cake'.

Ellen Horn

Columbus residents indeed might drive to Phenix City to buy cigarettes, if tobacco taxes go up. In fact, they might make it an all-around Sunday drive - and buy the six-packs of beer which are off-limits then as well.

As I understand the proposed Georgia "pole tax," the strippers wouldn't be paying the tax. The customers would pay an extra fee at the door. If you're going to call it The Gold Lounge, your admission price ought to reflect it.

A state park near Columbus actually was closed for two days this week - but for a different reason. F.D.R. State Park was open only to deer hunters. I haven't heard whether animal rights groups posted signs, trying to direct the deer to safety at Callaway Gardens.

We're still holding one e-mail until we can confirm it. So we'll move on to the Thursday news headlines:

+ Forecasters warned Columbus's overnight temperature would drop below 20 degrees F., for the first time in several years. You know it's cold when the high school cheerleaders wear jackets during games - and they're indoors at basketball games.

+ WRBL reported Russell County will move some of its offices to the new Government Center on Broad Street in the week of President's Day. That's exactly what Phenix City drivers need - Streetscape construction that's even more crowded than normal.

+ CBS announced the principal of Drake Middle School in Auburn is a contestant on the spring season of "Survivor." Not every Auburn resident could endure something like this. Tommy Tuberville might resign, before he's voted off the island.

(Did you see the "Survivor" video of middle school principal Debra Beebe wearing a tanktop? At some schools in Columbus and Troup County, that sort of video might come close to grounds for an arrest.)

+ Atlanta baseball player Jeff Francoeur spoke at a Columbus fundraiser for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. I'm not sure why they did this as a rally at Columbus State University's Lumpkin Center. Wouldn't a cookout with "franks" have been more appropriate?

+ The Georgia Legislature held its annual "Sportsmen's Day." Someday I'll understand why they never have this event on the same day as Agriculture Commissioner Tommy Irvin's Wild Hog Supper.

+ Instant Message to the survivors of that plane crash in New York: I'm thankful you're all alive and relatively well. And I recall an older woman telling me how she used to ice-skate on the Hudson River during the winter. It's hard to believe, but global warming may have saved you all.

SCHEDULED THIS WEEKEND: Is the "Y.P." OK?....

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