Rocky 6 … Doug England 3?

It will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me or nobody is going to hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard you hit, it is about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward, how much can you take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done!
-- Noted prizefighter Rocky Balboa.

“I’ve had polls done before and they’re very reliable ... if the poll comes out a certain way, I’m going to say, ‘Adios, amigos,’ and continue on my present business.”
-- Former New Albany mayor Doug England.

News item: Former New Albany mayor England weighs return bid (News and Tribune).

After weeks of speculation, official certification has come that the political entertainment quotient might yet undergo a considerable upgrade in star value as we usher in a city election year.

Unfortunately, bluff and bluster aside, it remains that in the context of the year 2007, Mr. England puts the "old" back in "OLD school politics" … in the "good OLD boy network" … in observing “OLD ways” … and probably even in writing "OLD Days," the group Chicago's seventies smash hit, with lyrics about looking backward through rose-colored, nostalgic glasses.

Real life’s always more challenging than even the finest of pop songs, and Mr. England currently is polling voters to see whether his shtick still ticks, but what really needs to happen is for him to tell US how this time around might be different from the last, and specifically, what he is proposing NOW, in the current time, to improve upon the present situation in New Albany.

Lest we forget, Mr. England’s last exit from the political scene was messy and embarrassing. His high wire act had grown so stale by 1999 that he was blown away at the polls by Regina Overton, who both as a woman and a Republican did not possess the gender and political party indicators for success generally favored by New Albany’s clannish and primeval voters.

The notion of a strong Republican female in City Hall didn’t resonate with New Albany’s electorate – that is, until voters compared her prospects with the evidence of two previous and tumultuous terms with Mr. England at the helm. It was as decisive a mandate as this city is capable of offering.

It's true that times change, and yet neither bringing out the best in one’s opposition, nor engineering a sea change for the other party, may be the most bankable platform for a Democratic mayoral candidate in 2007, although in New Albany, one is best advised not to hold that breath for too long.

At the same time, and seeing as the city is utterly bereft of solid choices, I'd give due consideration to any reality-based, pro-active policy platform – any specific, coherent plan for the future – that the former mayor might choose to draft.

In like fashion, I'd give due consideration to any reality-based, pro-active policy platform – any specific, coherent plan for the future – that any mayoral candidate might choose to draft, including the incumbent or the half-dozen others in both parties whose names continue to circulate as possibilities.

I’m sorry to say that anything else, whether from the former mayor, the current mayor or any other candidate, qualifies as the same OLD song and dance ... and in New Albany, that's the very last thing we need.

Speaking personally, I find Mr. England to be an interesting fellow, and quite charming. He's a classic schmoozer, relishes the daily combat of leadership, and is a wonderful salesman. But lacking any firm answer as to exactly what he intends to sell us, there’s little reason to be excited about yet another self-aggrandizing political comeback.

At least until NAC receives one of the phone calls.

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A reminder: NAC "Meet 'n' Greet" is on Monday, January 8, and you're invited.