Don't forget to cut the cards.

I’ve been away, so let me get the Demo reshuffle straight.

Marcey Wisman replaces the departing Randy Stumler as Floyd County Democratic Party chairman. That’s good … and even progressive.

Ted Heavrin is appointed to Stumler’s county council seat. That’s Neanderthal, and an indication that the party’s traditional Luddite instincts haven’t been purged entirely. In effect, the functionaries have reversed the will of the electorate in 2006.

The bummer in all this is that Suellen Wilkinson lost out, and with her loss, a chance to become something truly progressive is tossed out the party’s window in favor of the tried, true and unimaginative. A former high ranking state Demo chair in Wisconsin, or a previously rejected local lifer? Depressing, indeed.

And, finally, Brad Striegel will run for the at-large seat. He’s an unknown quantity, and so that one’s a wash.

In the end, the Demo’s game of musical chairs is an improvement over Dan Coffey’s platform of innuendo, fabrication and barbecued bologna. Now, all we need to be convinced is a stated party platform of progressive principles and ideals.

I’ll be hopeful, but not at all holding my breath. The local Democratic Party functions as Lucy Van Pelt, leading us to believe that we'll be kicking the football before yanking it away at the last moment.

Randy Stumler resigns as Democratic party chairman and will teach overseas.

Important morning news in local politics, and here's an extended excerpt from the Tribune. Feel free to discuss.

Stumler steps down as councilman, chairman of Democratic party, by Daniel Suddeath (News and Tribune)

Randy Stumler has stepped down from positions of Floyd County Councilman and chairman of the Floyd County Democratic Party.

Stumler will pursue a teaching opportunity with the U.S. Department of Defense, assisting with military personnel. He will move in August to the Azores Islands, which are located off the coast of Portugal, about a five-hour flight from the U.S. east coast ...

... Vice chairwoman Marcey Wisman will step-in for the time as head of the county’s Democratic party, a position held by Stumler for four years.

He said a caucus will be held to choose a permanent replacement, but he supports Wisman.

“Marcey is just a great person. She’ll run for the chairperson spot and she’ll do a great job,” Stumler said.

Stumler expects a successful year for the party in Floyd County. “This is a great team, and we’ve worked very hard to bring everyone into the party and keep this a big tent,” he said.

When in doubt, why not just ask?

In an effort to inform voters beyond a seemingly practiced silence, I sent the following email to local Democratic Chairperson Randy Stumler and his Republican counterpart, Dave Matthews, this morning.

Gentlemen,

As the primary approaches, voters throughout the county are actively engaged in the process of deciding for whom to cast their votes. In order to aid NA Confidential readers in that endeavor, I thought it might be helpful if the two of you, as county chairpersons, could provide an outline of your parties' respective platforms concerning local issues so that I might share them online in your own words.

Of particular interest are issues of code enforcement, smart growth, revitalization of our historic downtown business district and surrounding neighborhoods, and the attraction and retention of a creative, entrepreneurial community. If you could provide insight into the specific strategies your parties currently advocate in relation to those issues or any others you judge to be organizational priorities, I'm sure a large percentage of our roughly 1,500 weekly readers would be grateful.

Thank you,
Jeff Gillenwater
NA Confidential
http://cityofnewalbany.blogspot.com/

Responses will be shared as received.

CM Kochert declares intention of continued hubris in Tribune article; "Reign of Error" in 4th to be compounded?

You may have been led to believe that today is Mother’s Day, but apparently the greeting card industry erred, and we’re actually experiencing April Kochert’s Day. You simply must read this article in its entirety to believe it:

Calculating the Kochert factor, by Eric Scott Campbell (New Albany Tribune).

If (Democratic 4th district council nominee Pat) McLaughlin explains his platform and (current occupant Larry) Kochert finds it appealing, the councilman said he won’t enter the race. But if Kochert finds McLaughlin’s stances lacking or the newcomer doesn’t approach him at all, chances are “very high” that Kochert will launch an independent bid, he said.

“I’ll see if he comes and talks to me. If he doesn’t come, then I assume he feels he’s a shoo-in and doesn’t need any help,” Kochert said. “If he’s going after the issues, there’ll be no need [to run] ... He’s got to have something besides rhetoric.”

As if Kochert’s caterwauling, ward-heeling and underachieving tenure on the council haven’t been enough reason for change in the 4th district, the declining precinct boss now demands substance over rhetoric, when he's been completely unable to provide it for 23 years -- and what's more, threatens an insurgency that would most benefit the Republican challenger if not in receipt of sufficient buffing, polishing and all-around homage.

I chose the word "hubris" to describe Slippery Larry's most noticeable political quality, although now it appears to be understatement of criminal proportion on my part. It makes you wonder how reporter Campbell kept a straight face during the interview, but kudos to Democratic Party Chairman Randy Stumler for this statement of party principle:

“If he’s considering running as an independent outside of the Democratic Party, I assume he’s resigning from the Democratic Party,” Stumler said. “I don’t know what other assumption I could possibly make. If he had questions about Pat McLaughlin, he should have asked those questions in February.”

Powerful stuff, Randy.

One small step, two small spots

The Courier-Journal’s Dick Kaukas reports that current New Albany City Council President Larry Kochert decided not to run for re-election at least partially based on his realization that he doesn’t like “‘the way things are moving.’” While I ‘d amend that statement to something suggesting that he may not be too happy that things are, in fact, moving at all-- as in continuing the trip from the former poll in his garage out into the modern world-- I’ll not quibble with CM Kochert’s self-inflicted exile. That modern world can be wearisome to navigate and I’ll take a spot of free joy when I can get it.

What’s notable, however, is Democratic Chairman Randy Stumler’s wondering, “‘if some fresh faces isn't what the council needs anyway.’” Longtime readers will remember that NAC pointed out one of Stumler’s rare public utterances on the topic last year when, in reference to support for a Dan Coffey resolution to kill Scribner Place funding, he said, “‘It might be time for them to step back and think about why they’re Democrats and what being a Democrat stands for.’”

I’m not sure two published statements in nine months constitute a trend, but it's nonetheless some positive semblance of a raison d’être strikingly lacking in both parties and it's appreciated, particularly in direct comparison to Republican Chairman Hancock's "shredding" gamesmanship.

I can't help thinking, though, had Stumler taken a firmer stance over the past couple of years and made his feelings more clear, he may now be enjoying intensified support from a formidable group of mostly Democratically leaning activists instead of fretting over a potential Republican resurgence whose most impactful campaign tools thus far are the members of his own party currently inhabiting the right side of the council table.

New Albany is slowly getting over itself, rediscovering what it means to be “wonderfully and delightfully us”. As NAC’s senior editor mentioned before heading off to the high times of the Benelux Lowlands, the naysayers are losing and some of us are having fun. It’s free to join and, other than a few bucks for the occasional great local meal, membership dues are paid solely via a shared appreciation of possibilities.

Whether that means anything to either party is up to them. Whether either party means anything to us is up to us, but I'm guessing I'm not the only one who'll take a free spot of joy when I can get one.