28 SEP 10: The First Time Ever

Remember where you were the first time you saw that special someone or something? You might have been in a restaurant, in a school hallway - or perhaps the first time you saw this blog, it was two home computers ago.

As we continue our slowed-down vacation mode, today we do some CLASSIC BLOG reminiscing of our own - and remember the first time we mentioned the four candidates for mayor of Columbus. Think of it as an election forum mixed with a time tunnel....

18-21 JUL 04: Several well-known names have a brick in the [South Commons Olympic] display. I found one for "Wayne Bennett Anthony." Is this the TV news anchor, or the Columbus Councilor? Come to think of it, has anyone ever seen these two men together?

21 JUL 04: As I walk around outside the Dylan Glenn [primary campaign] party, I overhear a curious conversation. "Mayor Poydasheff can come sit my dog...." a man says. Well, this IS a bit more polite than "eat my shorts."

A closer look shows this man is venting to Columbus Councilor Wayne Anthony, apparently about the proposed animal ordinance which failed to get enough votes to pass Tuesday. "There's a difference between a yard dog and a house dog," Anthony is told. So which one can last longer in a hot car?

7-16 MAY 08: Speaking of the campaign, it appears State Rep. Calvin Smyre in Columbus will face a challenger in November after all. Zeph Baker plans to announce his campaign next week, apparently as an independent. Baker says he's a "proven community leader" in his church. Now will he please name his pastor, so we can review all those sermons?....

Zephaniah Baker officially announced he'll run as an independent, against State Rep. Calvin Smyre. WRBL reported Baker will be only the third election challenger Smyre has had in 32 years. Isn't this amazing - a House district in Georgia where only two or three Republicans live.

4-7 NOV 04: So what should Columbus do, to find the extra money it needs? There are several possibilities:

+ City employee cookbooks are on sale at the Government Center. Put them inside Barnes and Noble, and charge double the price.

+ Call Paul Olson, a main opponent of LOST [Local Option Sales Tax]. He opposed the city's "Plan A" - now it's his turn to show one....

A public hearing on widening part of Buena Vista Road brought a protest from Brooke's Florist owner Paul Olson, because his business would have to move. That'll teach him to oppose that one-cent sales tax question....

(On the other hand, Olson said the only place he could move his business is "north Columbus." Aw, c'mon - there are plenty of open spots on Victory Drive. And if Fort Benning's ban continues, a few strip clubs might come open soon.)

25 JUL 06: There was an overflow crowd at the Muscogee County School Board Monday night.... Teresa Tomlinson of Midtown, Inc. said based on four community forums, people want a "hybrid" approach taken to the area around the main library. That means a mix of parkland and residential development. That does NOT mean Jay Toyota should sell hybrid cars there....

Teresa Tomlinson told reporters after her school board presentation she was surprised by the response in the forums to making the entire area around the library a park. It had the most negative reaction of any option - which should prove Trees Columbus did NOT pack the meetings with its own members....

Teresa Tomlinson also reported on a smaller survey conducted by the Lindsey Creek Neighborhood Association. Most of the residents polled support the idea of a new school administration building being built near the library. But the current one is so well hidden, to guard against upset parents....

When Teresa Tomlinson's presentation was finished, I followed the TV reporters outside the meeting room for follow-up questions. With a note pad and pen in hand, she understandably thought I worked for the Ledger-Enquirer -- and she later explained to someone nearby a blog was "an Internet newspaper." I'll take that as a compliment, although some officials probably would compare it to Mad Magazine.

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BURKARD BULK MAIL INDEX: Suspended for vacation

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