The forlorn symbolism of this orphaned "Vote Democrat" sign lying where it fell by Spring Street.

These photos are worth a thousand words, but in the end, does anyone care? It's only been two and a half months.

(Yes, I could do it; have before and will again, but not unlike Adam's Tattered Legion, I'm willing to score propaganda points now and again.)

The CJ's remarkably consistent terminal decline: No news in the Indiana Newsletter, and plenty of blue-bagged litter to clog the city's storm drains.

Friday was the 4th straight day of a Romeo Langford college choice story with top billing in the CJ's "Indiana Newsletter," finally supplanted today by the opioid crisis, another recurring chestnut that at least constitutes genuine news.

This vacuous irrelevance was accompanied by a fresh spate of unwanted blue-wrapped street spam.

Ah, but we have all been here before.

The Courier-Journal's "Indiana Newsletter": More Indiana coverage, perhaps, but is any of it really news?

When I think of all the possible news of the world, and all the conceivable news in Southern Indiana, and then this being a fairly typical "Indiana Newsletter" via e-mail ... the CJ's terminal decline gets even sadder.

It the best they can do: Sports, entertainment and celebrity hokum.

It's profoundly depressing.

And here:

Down with the Courier-Journal's blue-bag-recycling-hypocrisy. Fact is, it's litter.

Free speech my ass: The Courier-Journal can spin this any way it likes, but it's litter, plain and simple. Why do we allow representatives of the newspaper to trash the city? I'm not sure, but perhaps the city council's forthcoming litter ordinance will take this into consideration.

Neighborhood litter: "A dirty and dangerous environment can heighten stress levels and shrink individual aspirations."

The Courier-Journal is a chronic litterer.

New Albany isn't particularly clean in the best of times, and a litter-strewn city always seems worse in the dead of winter, without any overgrown vegetation to hide the mess. As the following article suggests, a number of interrelated factors probably explain it -- none of them particularly encouraging.

The Next Louisville: What Trash Cans Tell Us About Poverty In Louisville, by, Jacob Ryan (WFPL)

... City data show residents in Taylor Berry report instances of litter at one of the highest rates in the city. Though city officials have closed nearly all of the complaint cases, the trash remains.

A review of city trash bin locations shows that, in 91 percent of the 340 complaints in Taylor Berry, there’s no public trash can on the block.

This isn’t unique to Taylor Berry. Across the city, data show trash piles up in parts of town with the fewest public trash cans. In fact, 73 percent of all trash complaints reported to the city’s MetroCall 311 service are not within one block of a trash can, the data show. And 41 percent of those locations had no trash bin within two blocks.

(Neighborhood resident) Cissell said the absence of trash bins sends a message: her street just isn’t a priority like those in the growing downtown Central Business District, with 110 trash bins per mile — 101 more than her neighborhood.

The crappier things are, the crappier they'll become. That's encouraging. Has the SOTU started yet?

 ... (U of L professor) DeCaro also points out a 1990 study by psychologist Robert Cialdini in which paper handbills were placed on the windshield of vehicles in a parking garage. In one instance, the garage was cleaned of debris and trash. In another, the garage was heavily littered.

The results were just as Cialdini and his team anticipated. People were more likely to toss the handbills to the ground in the littered garage, as opposed to the clean garage.

DeCaro said people pay subtle attention to their social environment — “and then we infer assumptions about the people living there and our relationship with it.”

Haven Harrington, who lives in Russell, also points to the “broken window” theory when discussing the scourge of trash in the neighborhood.

“People tend to want to disrespect your neighborhood more when they see trash everywhere,” said Harrington, a past president of the Russell Neighborhood Association. “They think, well, if the people here don’t care, why should I?”

Our City Council Thursday: Budgets, littering, furnishing and futility -- thank Jeeebus for bourbon.

“Useless laws weaken necessary laws.”
-- Montesquieu

At last evening's surreal and occasionally disjointed city council meeting, we learned that Mayor Jeff Gahan has in fact signed the beefed-up anti-littering ordinance passed by the body earlier this summer.

On Thursday night, CM Bob Caesar was to have introduced a corollary revision of ordinances pertaining to littering, this time focusing on the alley dumping and tree-cutting waste that some believe to be a province of Eco-Tech's garbage collection contract, and others the street department's daily job.

Caesar didn't attend, but the ordinance was introduced and approved on 1st and 2nd readings, now to go back into committee at the stated request of the city's single highest paid employee, corporate attorney Shane Gibson, who dominated the proceedings in the continued absence of the mayor.

My uninformed guess is that Gahan's annoyance with the previous littering ordinance as being a presumed "victory" for the GOP's councilman Al Knable was mollified by further (and in this instance proper) back channel discussion, with the result being the "balancing" ordinance of Caesar's, allowing everyone to -- dare we suggest it -- cooperate in crafting a useful and far more importantly enforceable clean-up measure.

We've been conditioned to eschew hope, although perhaps this time will be different. Of course, absolutely none of it addresses underlying socio-economic conditions that always preface the perceptions and practice of "littering," but action on this front would be far too much to hope for.

The city's 2018 budget and salary proposals were approved on 1st and 2nd readings with little discussion apart from independent (read: thoroughly isolated) councilman Scott Blair's insistence that a $500K line item for furnishings in a new city hall, as yet still on the adaptive reuse drawing board, was reason enough to amend the budget by stipulating that Gahan's plans for the governmental transfer to the Reisz building must come before council for review.

CM Dan Coffey, apparently satisfied that his recent assaults on Knable's littering ordinance had been sufficient to repay the mayor for a "historic preservation" facade grant awarded to his favored Knights of Columbus, unexpectedly joined Blair in supporting the amendment.

With Caesar absent and the council's GOP bloc once again failing to coalesce as a unit, the amendment was defeated by a 4-4 vote (ties don't count, folks).

Interestingly, Republican council member David Barksdale sided with City Hall in this vote, indicating that historic preservation is a more pressing concern to him than public vetting of expenditures.

Straight up: The Reisz-Turned-City Hall transaction is a decent enough idea, but still murky enough to merit scrutiny. It includes two other "historic preservation" building improvements, embracing both Coffey's KoC payback and the luring of the Indiana Landmarks office to New Albany.

In addition, there is an obvious element of crony corporate welfare, in that the Schmitt family finally will be paid reasonable money for a building they've plainly neglected for too long.

Vacating the current City County Building also is a middle finger to the GOP-dominated county; Gahan will be praised for his progressive commitment to adaptive reuse, while the other arm of government remains stuck in a homely, outdated structure that in a parallel universe might have been Stasi headquarters in an East German provincial city.

Consequently, Blair was absolutely correct in pressing the amendment point, because last evening's budget vote might well have been the last chance for council to wield a seeming technicality of future furnishings in order to reclaim a semblance of control over mayoral planning and spending prerogatives currently being almost entirely exercised without the legislative branch's participation.

Barksdale apparently was more interested in historic preservation sans qualifiers, and that's hardly a surprise, but shouldn't council have some say in this, too?

As we approach the end of Gahan Year Six, the council's power balance remains Democratic, though just barely. The mayor has shown no compunction in bedding down with Coffey, the politically promiscuous former Democrat turned conservative culture warrior, and a steady stream of well-placed, cash-stuffed envelopes to the Wizard of Westside have provided the fifth vote when necessary, as well as periodic theatrical obstructions and consistent comic relief.

Monetization or principle? We already know which of these Gahan will choose, every single time.

Meanwhile, an ever more dismal Caesar carries the mayor's jockstrap for the presumed Democrats, hoping that someday he might be king, and the other three Democrats usually line up behind him without question.

Blair has tried his best to be a watchdog; however, as an independent he has no natural allies and just isn't very good at making them. Knable and Barksdale are omnipresent and responsive, while David Aebersold flails ineffectually.

Well, at least there wasn't a non-binding Dreamer resolution. CM Greg Phipps mentioned DACA while refraining from the gesture; he also upheld the veracity of the two-way street reversion.

It's going to be a very long two years in what for all intents and purposes is a one-party mediocracy. After these many long years of beer, it may at last be time to delve into hard liquor, and put the hammer down -- or smash something with it.

Council Thursday: Heads up, tree contractors, because Bob Caesar wants to enforce your asses.

Tonight's power poll winner already is obvious. It's the city attorney, charged with enforcement of a whole new and upwardly revised set of fines for not properly disposing of tree limbs, litter, trash and unsold Bicentennial books.

First, at 6:45 p.m. there'll be a public hearing where you can comment on budget items of which you're entirely unaware -- as is Dan Coffey, who skipped two budget hearings as well as the most recent council meeting.

Tonight's agenda is next.

We're not even sure Deaf Gahan signed the last littering ordinance update, seeing as though it smelled a bit too Republican for the anosmatic-in-chief, but this one should pass muster far more readily given Caesar's dual position as lickspittle polisher and unofficial mayor-in-waiting.

All right, tree contractors -- who forgot to make the campaign donations?

GREEN MOUSE SAYS: Is it true Deaf Gahan won't sign the littering ordinance?

The Green Mouse has been told that Mayor Jeff Gahan has refused to sign the littering ordinance recently approved by city council, which voted 9-0 in favor on the ordinance's first two readings, and 7-1 (Coffey against, Blair not present) on the third and final reading.

Coffey lands a role in Game of Drones as council passes littering ordinance, though not before an appearance by the ghost of James Stockdale.

If memory serves, the ordinance originated with council Republicans Al Knable and David Barksdale, with Democrat Matt Nash also appearing as "co-sponsor." In theory, this suggests bipartisan support (as well as a veto-proof majority).

City council déjà vu ... could this anti-littering ordinance be the dream that might come true?

Previously an insider suggested that after initially favoring the measure, Gahan had concluded that it would be associated with potential mayoral rival Knable, and therefore decided to go full frontal petty for fear of the positive association.

Deaf Gahan mulls bringing King Larry out of retirement to toss a spanner in council's littering ordinances.

Will Gahan divulge his reasons publicly, or trot out a minion's press release?

Stay tuned.

Coffey lands a role in Game of Drones as council passes littering ordinance, though not before an appearance by the ghost of James Stockdale.

Last Monday, less than 24 hours before the scandal-plagued Jeff Gahan's Super Tuesday vote-buying extravaganza allowed Dan "Tulips or Two Lips" Coffey to play-act as the face of historic preservation in New Albany, Coffey was doing the mayor's bidding in council, gleefully riding point in an effort to slow a litter ordinance that Gahan reasoned would make the mayor appear diminished in the face of activism from a Republican (in this instance, Al Knable).

The ordinance passed with only Coffey dissenting, but the debate had the curious effect of opening the James Stockdale Memorial Window of Existential Confusion, through which Knable's accidental colleague David Aebersold swan-dove.

Aebersold became bizarrely fixated on two questions, which he kept repeating aloud as though disoriented, referring constantly to "they," which remained undefined, although in this context it functions similarly to the cartoonist Bil Keane's famous "Not Me" and "Ida Know" phantoms:

1. How can we pass laws not knowing if "they" will enforce them?

2. I'd like to know what "they" think before we vote a third time on an ordinance we approved 9-0 the first two times.

Well, David, seeing as you're a Republican, one thing you might do to enhance enforcement is spend time every day making the point to New Albany voters that your legislative body has handed Team Gahan a clean-up tool, and consequently, it's up to Team Gahan's executive branch to use it -- and if "they" don't, there'll be electoral ramifications.

In the case of littering, you might find quite a few Democrats inclined to agree with you.

As for what "they" think about ordinances and enforcement, David, you had two and a half weeks following the first two readings to hoist your bulk from the chair and go ask them. If their answers don't measure up, then see my comments preceding; rally your own team, and hold Team Gahan's feet to the proverbial fire.

I know. It means you'll have to show some initiative and put forth a modicum of effort. Sorry about that, but ironically, had Jeff Gahan not placed a premium on kneecapping his fellow party member John Gonder (and dragging Shirley Baird down with him) in 2015, it's doubtful you'd have been elected to an at-large council seat in the first place.

Might as well make lemonade from these lemons, David. Independents like me might even help you. You have a bit of power, so use it.

New Albany City Council approves tougher litter law, by Erin Walden (Religion Columnists Multiply Like Rabbits)

Council debates completeness and feasibility of "core" bill before passing

NEW ALBANY — After debate among officials regarding the completeness and feasibility of a proposed litter ordinance, the New Albany City Council officially approved a new law that will impose harsher fines on litterbugs in the city.

The final reading of the ordinance passed 7-1 during Monday night's meeting, with councilman Dan Coffey voting against the ordinance. Councilman Scott Blair was absent during that portion of the meeting.

Deaf Gahan mulls bringing King Larry out of retirement to toss a spanner in council's littering ordinances.

You may not be aware of the vital information conveyed by Communications Spigot Anchor Wielder (Welder?) Mike Hall from Mayor Jeff Gahan to the assembled city council representatives on July 20.

Ooh ... aah.

Special thanks to local jazz legend Jamey Aebersold for this musical accompaniment.

Later during the July meeting, following Dan Coffey's vivid denunciation of sidewalk cafes, the Wizard of Westside used a DQ paper napkin to wipe his lips of barbecued bologna flecks and sauce, and voted "yea" with all eight colleagues on the first two readings of two ordinance amendments aimed at littering.

The newspaper's education correspondent (?) was there to record the meeting for posterity.

New Albany City Council approves stronger litter ordinance, by Erin Walden (Hanson People-Focused Advertising Accumulator)

NEW ALBANY — New Albany City Council took major strides to make the city, as one council member put it, an “overall cleaner city” Thursday night.

The governing body passed a litter ordinance that imposes much heavier fines for littering, structured to make citizens think twice before dropping a cigarette butt, ditching a bag of trash instead of paying for a trash service or dumping an appliance.

Tonight there'll be third readings of these bills, and one would imagine their passage is a foregone conclusion given unanimous 9-0 votes.

I've been to fewer council meetings in 2017 than previous years, but we must remember that back when separate votes were taken on all three readings (nowadays the first two are lumped together), Luminous Larry Kochert managed to vote yes, no and abstain during three readings of one piece of legislation over a span of two meetings.

This littering initiative also is ripe for chicanery, and when self-inflicted wounds are the objective, Gahan's your main man.

Gahan has talked his usual big game about "reform," while doing almost nothing to change those preconditions that might spur genuine change. The prime movers of these ordinances are Al Knable and David Barksdale, both Republicans. So is Gahan, although he likes to think of himself as a Democrat. Knable is mulling a mayoral run. If the ordinance passes, it will be Gahan's responsibility to enforce it.

Put all these ingredients in a blender, add some ice cubes and a double deuce of Bud Light Lime-A-Rita, and behold the ensuing frozen toadstool broth.

I predict Gahan will try to "uncredit" Knable by mounting a diversionary assault on the littering ordinance, using Lanky Gibson's lawyerly legerdemain as pretext -- and such is my commitment to quality entertainment that I'll actually attend the meeting tonight just in case amusing pyrotechnics break out.

Live tweeting? Maybe. Depends on that ol' devil martini.

City council déjà vu ... could this anti-littering ordinance be the dream that might come true?

Last evening's anti-littering ordinance is all well and good, but lest we forget, déjà vu is more than just a strip club in Louisville.

Definition of déjà vu

1
a : the illusion of remembering scenes and events when experienced for the first time
b : a feeling that one has seen or heard something before

Despite a blond, swept-back mane all his own, Fonda looks startlingly like his father, Henry … . He even moves like his father, only dispelling the eerie feeling of déjà vu when he opens his mouth. — Peter Biskind

2
: something overly or unpleasantly familiar: "The team's poor start to the season was déjà vu for its long-suffering fans."

Ah, the memories. Back in 2013, Greg Phipps heroically tackled porch fridges.

Panhandling in the middle of the street about to be abolished. That and porch furniture.

As for the ordinance ridding the city of "indoor" furniture and various appliances arranged tastefully (although usually otherwise) on porches, I'm mostly down with the notion, although (a) it's yet another aesthetic Band-Aid that addresses symptoms, rather than the fundamental rot of slumlordism, and (b) if there's any one thing we've learned during the past decade, such a Band-Aid is meaningless without concrete enforcement plans. I'm told the council discussed enforcement at its work session last week, and that's a positive sign.

Can anyone recall an instance of porch furniture ordinance enforcement?

Thursday's littering Band-Aid fits precisely the same pattern. It addresses symptoms, not fundamentals, and it will be meaningless without equitable, consistent enforcement ... and it's the latter that invariably stalls, if not every last time, then just about always.

Later this afternoon, I hope to link readers to a follow-up about this week's most compellingly New Gahanian story: 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."

New Albany City Council approves stronger litter ordinance, by Erin Walden (N and T)

NEW ALBANY — New Albany City Council took major strides to make the city, as one council member put it, an “overall cleaner city” Thursday night.

The governing body passed a litter ordinance that imposes much heavier fines for littering, structured to make citizens think twice before dropping a cigarette butt, ditching a bag of trash instead of paying for a trash service or dumping an appliance.

The new ordinance is structured around the type of litter, proximity to a natural water source or storm drain, amount of litter and if the individual is a repeat offender.

A styrofoam cup can carry a $100 fine, a hypodermic needle or obscene magazine up to a $1,000.

The heftiest possible fine is $8,000.

Council member Al Knable introduced the ordinance, explaining that he was told both the police department and mayor’s office were behind it.

Down with the Courier-Journal's blue-bag-recycling-hypocrisy. Fact is, it's litter.

Free speech my ass: The Courier-Journal can spin this any way it likes, but it's litter, plain and simple. Why do we allow representatives of the newspaper to trash the city? I'm not sure, but perhaps the city council's forthcoming litter ordinance will take this into consideration.

Council Monday: "If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'"

Title quote by Lydia Lunch.

It's been almost exactly four years (February 2013) since the 3rd district councilman Greg Phipps led the fight against porch furniture and appliances.

Panhandling in the middle of the street about to be abolished. That and porch furniture.

As for the ordinance ridding the city of "indoor" furniture and various appliances arranged tastefully (although usually otherwise) on porches, I'm mostly down with the notion, although (a) it's yet another aesthetic Band-Aid that addresses symptoms, rather than the fundamental rot of slumlordism, and (b) if there's any one thing we've learned during the past decade, such a Band-Aid is meaningless without concrete enforcement plans.

Don't ask me why this nearly forgotten memory occurred to me just now while reading tonight's anti-littering ordinance.

Insert your own weary sigh in this space.

Short-term spending to buy votes? How can Steve Bonifer be AGAINST this without threatening the tranquility of the next family picnic?

It's hard to read in this admittedly hurried photo, but here are the circled words, indicating a fact of Indiana governing life that the government teacher intends to change ...

Short term money is put toward infrastructure and other problems to secure votes in an election year. 

... just not in New Albany. I mean, bro-in-law is fairly enamored of the practice, isn't he?

Dear Shawnee Baptist Church: Want to do something for my neighborhood? Start by not littering it. Thank you.

12-foot high street spam? Not a problem, so piss off, spammer.

I enjoy parading the booty through the streets.

Nash: "Can we make our town a little cleaner than it was before?"

I couldn't agree more strongly. To me, it's a variation of the broken windows theory. Treat streets like interstate highways, and they'll just become dirtier. Refuse to consider relatively minor expenditures to upgrade properties under the theory that property owners have a "right" not to be held accountable ... same deal. People mimic their surroundings, don't they?

For so long as the DemoDisneyDixiecratic Party profits from slovenliness, I suppose we're stuck with it.

NASH: Time for spring cleaning, by Matthew Nash (News and Tribune)

... Just the other day I was at the drive-thru of a fast food restaurant. Right next to the speaker where you give your orders were two Styrofoam cups. One was for a different fast food restaurant and the other was from one of the local “convenience” stores that offers low cost fountain drinks. There was also a glass bottle of YooHoo! And several cigarette butts. Why do people treat our city like this?