Warren's sad Board of Works social research meltdown: "Jeff Gahan’s appointees could use a refresher course in due process. After all, it is a tenet of representative government and basic justice."

Play some Skynyrd, won't ya?

Another day, another fresh angle on another Gahan administration scandal. Heavens, these guys are making Donald Trump look reasonable.

Warren's bored, hysterical and useless -- or, "Oops – NA BoW Messes Up."

Democratic Party stalwart Warren Nash: Heck, this board hasn't ever approved social research study requests. Besides, we already have a captive sociologist.

The Bookseller returns today with this update. You'll want to click through and read the complete dispatch. I'm very busy today with a writing assignment and a corresponding deadline, but will do my best to update you in this space. Tonight is a city council meeting, and the issue will be raised there.

As an aside, I wonder if Mayor Gahan has considered reassigning Warren Nash to help David Dugout with the public housing putsch? Mr. Nash might be the NAHA board member with the responsibility of saying "no" when HUD comes calling. After all, he has much practice as Gahan's BOW gatekeeper.

Board Needs, Wants Direction (NewAlbanist)

Jeff Gahan’s appointees could use a refresher course in due process. After all, it is a tenet of representative government and basic justice.

Yesterday we reported on a decision by the city’s Board of Public Works and Safety (BoW), appointed by Gahan and chaired by former mayor Warren Nash (1971-75) that appears to thwart the work of one of the nation’s most-respected social research institutions.

I believe that decision was misguided and does not comport with the relevant city ordinance. A strong case can be made that the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan (ISR) needn’t have even appeared before the board and I will try to make that case tonight at New Albany’s city council meeting and, if necessary, at next week’s BoW meeting (10 a.m., city hall).

Further, due process requires that a board with such broad public responsibility state its reason for withholding its approval. In the absence of a defensible rationale, that approval should be forthcoming. After all, the relevant city ordinance says nothing about prohibiting the requested activities – if it’s applicable in the case at all, it’s only about regulating them.

Witnesses report that even before the meeting on Tuesday, Mr. Nash showed sheer annoyance that the ISR notification letter had been placed on the agenda. He griped that “Kathy (Cousins) knows we never approve these.” He went on to reject the notification, saying, “Since I’ve been on the board, we’ve never approved anything like this.”

That’s a pretty sad state of affairs, isn’t it? The body charged with evaluating and approving solicitations (again, this is hardly applicable) has erected barriers to even be heard ...