A fact-filled letter to the city council supporting a mask ordinance, authored by Mrs. Kate Caufield.

We've been talking about this for the last two days. Doing so by no means compromises my sabbatical; after all, the topic is health, medical science and public safety.

Politics is the seasoning, not the main course.

Pandemically speaking, a mask ordinance is NECESSARY in NA, rather than a non-binding resolution. Democrats can do it, if they choose.

Our position on last weekend's proms, COVID, and YOUR malignant narcissism.

Typically toothless city council mask resolution proves that even a pandemic can't compel New Albany’s Democrats to actually GOVERN.

Following is a letter written to city council members yesterday by Kate Caufield.

---

Good afternoon, New Albany city council members!

I'm writing today to urge you to adopt a mask ordinance for the City of New Albany, when indoors or in areas where social distancing cannot be observed.

We are in a pandemic.

There are some things we know for sure about COVID-19, regardless of our personal views as to the politics of a virus (viruses aren't political and don't much care whether you attribute their existence to US politics or not, and are just happy to have a host.) We know that there are several risk factors that cause citizens to become infected more easily, more severely, and with higher mortality rates than others.

These risk factors include:

• Age
• Obesity
• Heart Conditions
• Kidney Conditions
• Type 2 Diabetes
• COPD
• Anyone immuno-compromised (cancer, etc)
• Smoking
• Asthma
• Type 1 Diabetes
• Autoimmune disorders

Source: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/people-with-medical-conditions.html

There are many people that don't believe they are at increased risk, or that the higher risk only includes other people, but not them.

The truth is, those most at risk of the worst effects of COVID-19 aren't a small percentage of our city's residents.

34.8% of New Albanians are over 50. 
https://www.towncharts.com/Indiana/Demographics/New-Albany-city-IN-Demographics-data.html

31.4% of Hoosiers are obese, making us the 8th most obese state in the nation. https://www.newsandtribune.com/news/clark_county/indiana-s-obesity-ranking-is-8th-among-50-states/article_4eda5a8a-c816-5ca7-ba84-396cd34a2407.html

12.9% of Hoosiers have a diabetes diagnosis. 
http://main.diabetes.org/dorg/PDFs/Advocacy/burden-of-diabetes/indiana.pdf

35.2% of adults in Indiana have high blood pressure. 
https://thestacker.com/stories/4150/states-populations-most-vulnerable-covid-19

7% of the US population suffers from some autoimmune disorder. https://www.gene.com/stories/autoimmune-disease-101

21.8% of Hoosiers smoke. 
https://truthinitiative.org/research-resources/smoking-region/tobacco-use-indiana-2019

10% of Hoosiers have asthma.
https://www.cdc.gov/asthma/most_recent_data_states.htm

While I can't extrapolate the true percentage of Americans, Hoosiers, or New Albanians who are at risk, it is not a small amount and at the most cursory of glances is 30% plus.

30%+ plus of New Albanians are high risk for COVID-19.

Because of this, I am asking that we come together as a city and show empathy, compassion, and goodwill towards each other, by wearing a mask. I had certainly hoped that we could do so on our own. However, a walk through the grocery store, hardware store, or department store shows that selfishness abounds. 

Indeed, this past weekend, parents organized a social event for their children that brought in 160+ teenagers without masks and without social distancing, and with no regard to others' health- not to mention those of their families who may fall into that 30% plus with an increased risk from the virus.

Are masks effective in helping prevent COVID-19? The answer is YES. Please see this study from the University of California at San Francisco. This article provides links to several studies: https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2020/06/417906/still-confused-about-masks-heres-science-behind-how-face-masks-prevent

If a western institute of learning isn't worth your perusal, please consider this from the Mayo Clinic. MASKS ARE EFFECTIVE. 
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/in-depth/coronavirus-mask/art-20485449

In closing, I've provided evidence that the risk for New Albany residents is substantially higher than it appears, due to the enhanced risk factors above. 

Additionally, I've also provided evidence that masks DO WORK in the fight against COVID. Please do the right thing -- not the selfish or political thing, the RIGHT thing -- and pass a mandatory mask mandate for New Albany when one is inside or cannot social distance outside.

There's nothing wrong with adding language that calls for review at each City Council meeting, either, as we learn more.

Thank you.

Kate Caufield

Caufield makes the case for Canon for Congress.

Kate Caufield's name has appeared in the Tom May Compendium so often this year that she's almost as ubiquitous as, well, Tom May himself.

I had a letter to the editor in support of Dan Canon and Canon For Indiana printed in the News and Tribune today. If you live in IN-9, please consider casting your vote (if you haven’t already) for Dan. He is as real as real gets.

As of 9:00 p.m. Friday night, the "letters to the editor" section of the on-line Tom May Anthology hadn't been updated since April 24, so here's the letter in its entirety, as copied from her post on Facebook.

--

I’ve lived in the 9th district of Indiana since we moved here in 1988- when I was 12.

I’ve experienced middle school, high school, college, and now my career and child raising years here in this incredibly dynamic district of this beautiful state. I’ve seen candidates and politicians come and go: Some were elected, some were not; some made changes for the better; some did not.

I’m not a believer in negative campaigns. However, I AM a believer in true representation by an elected official. To that end, I’d like to raise a concern about Canon’s opponent, Liz Watson. While Liz may truly believe in what she thinks is best for this district, she hasn’t been here to experience all of the changes that IN-9 has gone through in the past 10-15 years.

Instead, she’s spent the past decade plus working and living in Washington, DC- most recently with the House Democrats, and including doing work lobbying with the National Women’s Law Center. To be clear, there’s nothing wrong with her career choices or her decision to move away from the 9th district. In doing so, however, she made her preferred choice known: DC over Indiana. When she chose to move home, it came with an ask: Send me back to DC with your money and your votes. As a constituent of IN-09, that troubles me greatly. How can you represent me, when you haven’t the faintest idea how the past decade has shaped the district?

That said, never have I been more excited to vote for a candidate than I am in this primary election. Dan Canon has chosen to live in IN-9 for most of his life, and knows the struggles of these past 30 years as the district has endured as our country has changed. He’s fought for the values that I believe wholeheartedly in: Equality for all, and human dignity. He didn’t just start fighting for them, though- he’s been doing it long before the thought of running for a political office crossed his mind.

Because of his passion and his commitment for living here, and knowing all of the unique things that make this district what it is, Dan Canon is who will have my vote ‪on May 8.‬

"Kate Caufield completes a year-long ‘buy local’ challenge."

It's about overlapping circles and a steady process of shifting.

Weird for a week? Scratch that… Kate Caufield completes a year-long ‘buy local’ challenge, by Melissa Chipman (Insider Louisville)

Just as I embarked on my “buy local” weeklong challenge, Kate Caufield was wrapping up hers.

On June 30, 2013, Caufield, president of New Albany First, finished up not a just a week, but a whole year of buying local.

Here was her mental checklist for every purchase: “Can I buy it at an independently owned store in New Albany? In Jeffersonville? Can I get it at a locally-owned franchise in New Albany? In Jeffersonville? Can I buy it at an independently-owned store in Louisville? Locally-owned franchise in Louisville?”

Plaid Friday 2: "Holidays test Indiana woman's 'buy local' strategy."

Seems like we were here just yesterday. We wuz ... we wuz here yesterday: "Buy thoughtfully and support our entrepreneurs and community businesses."

There's thoughtful, and then there's ...

But let's go back to thoughtful. Kate's in the newspaper.

Holidays test Indiana woman's 'buy local' strategy, by Jere Downs (Courier-Journal)

In June, Kate Caufield traded her routine of shopping at Kohl’s, Target and Kroger with meals at Subway or McDonald’s for a “buy local” habit. Christmas shopping, however, has tested that mission while she strives to find gifts first from homegrown sources in and around New Albany.

Locally owned food sources include Rainbow Blossom. Clothing has been purchased from Mariposa Fine Consignments on Pearl Street, while coffee comes from Quills on Market Street. Salon Strandz is nearby on Vincennes Street for hair care and makeup.

Then the holidays arrived, which has been an extra challenge with two children, ages 6 and 9, and family members not invested in the idea of meeting all their needs via local merchants.

Black is out: Indie shopping is in, and Plaid Friday is November 23.

NABC is a founding member of New Albany First, which is our city’s independent business association (IBA). It is the New Albany version of the Louisville Independent Business Alliance (LIBA), which encourages you to Keep Louisville Weird), and is dedicated to encouraging the public to support independently owned, small local businesses.

IBAs accomplish this through three primary focus areas:

1. Public education about the greater overall value local independents often can provide (even when they are not the cheapest) as well as the vital economic, social and cultural role independent businesses play in the community.

2. Facilitating cooperative promotion, advertising, purchasing, sharing of skills and resources and other activities to help local businesses gain economies of scale and compete more effectively.

3. Creating a strong and uncompromised voice to speak for local independents in the local government and media while engaging citizens in guiding the future of their community through democratic action.

NABC and our brethren sink or swim as locally oriented independents, and many of us have pledged support via New Albany First. Happily, the approaching holiday season provides a perfect opportunity to put principles into action.

We all know that “Black Friday” (November 23) is the biggest sales day of the year for big boxes and multinational chain stores -- the ones where the money flees town for corporate headquarters worldwide. In response to media hype and saturation advertising, which steer so much trade to the country's biggest, richest and largest companies on “Black Friday,” the American Independent Business Alliance (AMIBA), of which New Albany First is a member, promotes Shift Your Shopping, of which Plaid (as opposed to Black) Friday is a component.

Instead of Black Friday it’s PLAID FRIDAY! Shift Your Shopping and wear plaid as you shop on Friday to remind yourself and others to make the 10% Shift. The 10% Shift encourages you to shift 10% of your holiday purchases from non-local businesses to Local Independents (also called indies or locally owned and independent businesses). Making the shift to local independents is one way we can build sustainable economies and create jobs in our local community.

It’s simple. You're not being asked to go cold turkey -- just allocate a percentage to independent local businesses, and learn what they can do for you. New Albany First can help locate indies, and another good idea is to follow the "buy local" answer woman, Kate Caufield, whose blog is devoted precisely to this topic: New Albany 365. Local independent business thank you for your support.

Note: Plaid Friday is part of NABC's annual slate of activities around Thanksgiving. For more details, go here.

Caufield: "What makes a town livable, unique, and a place that one desires to reside?"

Here's the blog link: New Albany 365. My advice to Kate is to refrain from doing your civic duty and running for office. Columns can disappear when you do that.

CAUFIELD: The New Albany 365 experiment, by Kate Caufield (News and Tribune)

... What makes a town livable, unique, and a place that one desires to reside?

It’s the unique, independent businesses that locate there, and the residents who take their hard-earned money and spend it there. It’s the towns that recognize that though the ubiquitous chains bring temporary jobs and short lived cash injections, it is the small, independently owned, and local businesses that make them vibrant, thriving, and sustainable.

Recently, yet another study has emerged that shows the impact on a local economy of buying at an indie, local business is roughly four times the impact of shopping at a box store — depending on what type of establishment. The study can be found here: localfirst.org/think-local/slc-economic-study

One of the more interesting things to come from this study was the fact that local retailers return an average of 52 percent of their revenues back into the local economy, while chain retailers only return about 14 percent. Restaurants are even more remarkable. If you go out for date night to an indie local restaurant, they’ll recirculate approximately 79 percent back into your local economy, while chains average around 30 percent.

Both beginning: Independents Week and a 365-day journey.

Kate Caufield's 365 day journey starts today.

What journey? Well, I am going to attempt to make as many of my daily purchases, entertainment, food, groceries, etc for my family of four from independent, local businesses in New Albany, IN as I can for 365 days, and anyone that would like to follow along and encourage, comment, jeer, vex, pontificate, advise, admonish, make suggestions, or tease is welcome to share their thoughts.

She's blogging about it at New Albany 365.Not coincidentally, today also marks the start of Independents Week.

Independents Week is a time to recognize your community’s local independent businesses and the values they embody. It’s a celebration of their spirit of entrepreneurism and individuality, and an occasion to recognize their local contributions of time, talent, goods and services.

From AMIBA

Newspaper poll results indicate "slight" trend against Hibbard pay raise.

Ouch ... if this minor "nudge" continues, school board members who voted in favor of the superintendent's elevation in remuneration may have to enroll in the witless protection program.

Meanwhile, Kate Caufield's letter (viewed here last week) also made the News and Tribune today.

 ... If my household has a tough month, or year, I don’t get a bonus for being a good mom — and a working mom, who relocated back here because of the schools. No matter how much my husband and kids appreciate me, if we don’t have it, we don’t have it. Same for you and the school corporation.

A letter, from a parent to Dr. Hibbard.

Thanks to Kate Caufield for permitting me to reprint this letter, which originated as a Facebook posting. It is my understanding that she has submitted it to the News and Tribune. Let's hope it is published there.

---

My letter to Dr. Hibbard, to his FB account:

Dr. Hibbard,

I realize that you're the superintendent of this school corporation. I realize that you've earned that rank and deserve compensation.

But when I have a child in a 28 kid kindergarten class, and a second grader (being tested for the Excel program, no less) who are not being taught by certified art, music and PE teachers, I am absolutely stunned that you'd consider taking this raise and bonus.

As parents, we've been upset at the cuts that have come, but have accepted that they're necessary in order to keep the school corporation solvent. Yet, we have had new administrative positions created to the tune of 100K salaries. I had Louie Jensen in high school; he is no doubt top of the top - but a new position created just for him? That doubled with your raise and bonus is enough to put tears in my eyes, because of what my kids are missing out on- all for reasons that no matter how I turn it over in my mind, I can't justify.

Neither should you.

I don't believe in the voucher program. I'm very much against it. I'm very, very angry that my choices are voucher and the situation stated above. My kids deserve a quality education in what has always been a school district to be proud of; but that's not happening. Whatever issues you and the board have with unions are irrelevant here. Your actions are an extension of your character, and taking this raise and bonus lessens your character, no matter how you feel you can justify it.

If my household has a tough month, or year, I don't get a bonus for being a good mom (and a working mom, who relocated back here because of the schools). No matter how much my husband and kids appreciate me, if we don't have it, we don't have it. Same for you and the school corporation.

I know you have children in this system. Take a step back from superintendent, and stand completely- COMPLETELY- in the Dad role for a minute. Imagine that each year, your children have more and more cut in their classrooms, and fewer certified teachers. Now, imagine that the guy at the top gets $28K more per year, in addition to a $10K bonus...while your children continue to see less and less. Can you see it? Can you feel it? That's anger, Dr. Hibbard. That's unjust, and I know you feel it, when you completely stand back as solely- and most importantly- a dad.

Do the right thing. Don't accept this raise or bonus. When things turn around fully, THEN take it- but not until then.

Sincerely,
Kate Caufield