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22 JUL 04: RUMOR MILL TOWNE
Instant Message to all Columbus church pastors: Would you please give sermons about gossip and rumor-mongering this weekend? There's still so much of it going around, and so many people needing to hear Bible verses against it....
Yet another rumor surfaced Wednesday about Bobby Peters, even though he's won the Superior Court Judge election. Maybe somebody already senses Peters is going to run for Congress two years from now.
Judge-Elect Bobby Peters told me Wednesday night: no - he did NOT get arrested in 1982 on disorderly conduct charges. In fact, it took him a moment to figure out how long ago 1982 was. Since he's not Mayor anymore, he doesn't have to worry as much about mathematics on things like budgets.
We must note this new (well, old) rumor about Bobby Peters did NOT come (we think) from someone in the Roxann Daniel campaign. It came from a man who likes to call news outlets and encourage them to investigate old political conspiracies. When WILL cable TV come up with a "Columbus History Channel?"
This man offered several details about Bobby Peters in 1982 - claiming the Judge-Elect was arrested on disorderly conduct charges, for punching his girlfriend in the face at the Chateau Apartments. The man left the impression he was there. But as usual, he left no name or phone number so we could track down HIS past.
The rumor spreader claimed Bobby Peters succeeded in getting the disorderly conduct charge removed in 1982 - and called it a move which saved Peters's political career. I'm not sure that would have been necessary. A DUI charge didn't stop George W. Bush from becoming President four years ago.
"Absolutely not true.... slanderous" was how Bobby Peters answered my question about a possible 1982 arrest. He told me such an arrest would be a matter of "public record." Perhaps at the Columbus Museum or on dingy microfilm, but it
would be public record....
The problem with trying to verify a rumor like this is that you'd have to look through all Columbus Police files for 1982. They're probably not computerized. They may well be disorganized. And reporters would like to use vacation weeks to get
AWAY from such things.
Bobby Peters openly hopes the rumors about his past will stop, now that the election is over. He'll leave private law to become Superior Court Judge next January - and then rumors will start about his present campaign backing, from so many
Columbus attorneys.
Judge-Elect Bobby Peters spent much of Wednesday taking congratulatory phone calls. But surprise, surprise - not one of them came from Judge Roxann Daniel. She apparently was back at work, trying not to rip angry gashes in legal papers with her pen.
"I haven't heard a word" from Roxann Daniel, Bobby Peters told me Wednesday evening. Now THIS shows how nasty the campaign for Judge was. After all, George W. Bush called John Kerry to congratulate him for winning Presidential primaries.
(Roxann Daniel apparently still hasn't conceded the race for Superior Court Judge, either. Maybe she's waiting on the "overseas votes" to come in - as if 10,000 people living outside the country will come to her rescue.)
If you think about it, it's easy to see why Roxann Daniel might be frustrated. Judgeships tend to be secure positions, where someone is appointed and then stays on the bench unchallenged for years and years. You know, kind of like being a TV news anchor....
By the way, Bobby Peters says he also spent time Wednesday taking down some of his campaign signs throughout Columbus. As many signs as he put up, this could take half his time before next January's oath-taking.
As the smoke cleared Wednesday from the Georgia Primary, we found these points to follow up:
+ Dylan Glenn did in fact get in a Republican runoff for U.S. House, against Lynn Westmoreland. The man who's billed as "Columbus's rising star" at least rose to second place - but for now, that just makes him a co-star.
+ Seth Harp upset Dan Lee, in a showdown of State Senators. Governor Perdue gave Lee a top position, after Lee switched parties two years ago. But you know how Republicans prefer old-timers, to those wet-behind-the-ears newcomers.
+ Reports from Americus indicated Sumter County Sheriff Bob Ingle actually is in a Democratic runoff, even though he finished second in the primary. I thought I heard 45 percent was enough to win a primary now. But then again, what were the CRCT math scores in Sumter County this year?
+ The Muscogee County School Board is about to add a member who may oppose Fort Benning's "Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation." A Google search for "South Columbus United Methodist" reveals Pastor Joseph Roberson has housed SOA Watch protesters at his church. Yet there's still no homeless shelter on the grounds?!
(WHINSEC and preachers like Joseph Roberson soon may have something in common. Neither one will be able to evangelize in public schools.)
BURKARD'S BEST BETS: Thirsty Thursday at Golden Park. Drinks are $1, and the Catfish game is televised on the CSS Cable Network! Let's see all those "Majette" and "Oxford" signs....
COMING FRIDAY: The doctor is out.... and we're trying to track down the reason why....
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