My frustrations with local media's coddling, in a nutshell.
New Albany City Council adjusts some parking fines, by Chris Morris (Sweet Home Alabama)
Haven House receives $50,000 appropriation
NEW ALBANY — The New Albany City Council made some amendments to parking violations Monday night. Motorists can expect higher fines and to be towed for parking in an intersection, blocking a fire hydrant or crosswalk, parking on a sidewalk and parking illegally in a handicap space.
It's the usual by-the-numbers council coverage, and that's just lovely -- until someone who was present volunteers to fill in the missing bits.
By the way, Mark Cassidy attended last evening.
"At city council mtg. Pat making excuses for David Duggins. Al and David A. both had strong statements condemning such comments by an official."
Making excuses for Duggins' TASER misbehavior?
Cluelessly normalizing ugliness of this magnitude might be the default reaction of almost any ranking Democrat in town, but in this instance, it's 4th district's Pat "Methodical" McLaughlin, formerly the council president, now as ever joined to Mayor Jeff Gahan's swiveling hip in a surely forlorn hope that (a) Dear Leader might opt for the monastery some sweet day, and (b) McLaughlin then could become the biggest fish in this painfully small pond.
(Interestingly, Gahan didn't fight at all for Bob Caesar's bid to become council president in 2018; Caesar lost, and now his sinecure on the Redevelopment Commission has ended, too. Perhaps this is Gahan's pleasant way of saying "sorry, Bob, but your own mayoral ambitions just ain't happening.")
I asked Mark to elaborate on the public vetting of Duggins on Monday night.
Al (Knable) brought it up at the beginning of the meeting. He said he'd talked to the Mayor about it, and also talked to Duggins. Knable thought it was totally inappropriate, but the person harmed is the only one who can accept Duggins' apology or not. He didn't think anyone should lose their job over it. David Aebersold wanted to know if Duggins now was on a short leash (paraphrased), suggesting that Duggins can't screw up again and still represent New Albany. Knable said yes. Next Aebersold stated that he's received far more e-mails and calls about this (TASER hilarity) episode than anything else since he's been on the council, and he didn't want to go through any of it again. I believe that if it had been up to Aebersold, he would've fired Duggins. After that is when Pat made his milquetoast defense.
And exactly how spineless was it, Mark?
Pat said "familiarity" probably was the reason Duggins said what he did, and that we all make comments that we shouldn't.
Mark concludes with a concise thought, one that every DemoDisneyDixiecrat should read, reread and read again.
True, but that doesn't excuse it, especially not coming from an official with control over peoples' lives.
On second thought, it might interest a newspaper's editorial board, too. That is, if the newspaper ever gets around to taking its Fourth Estate obligations seriously.
Cue the inevitable Valentine's Day poll and chocolate pairing.
Here's where a newspaper reporter might start -- because see, there was a discussion at a council meeting about a tawdry lapse by a public official, at which it was divulged that the council's current president has discussed the issue with the mayor, who as yet has had nothing to say about it.
Here's an idea, Chris.
Shouldn't you go talk to the mayor, too?
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