May 6, 2004
What a Difference a Day Makes
Wow! Two Months! That's a long time to hold your breath! Or ones tongue as the case may be. As a campaign consultant I am flat tired of commenting on local political matters, but since they were the reason given for my hiatus, I feel compelled to wrap the topic up with a final post-election comment or two . . . So heres a short overview of some of my thoughts since last we “spoke.” I promise, it’s back to business as usual next week!
Linda Wyatt: In mid-March lame duck Wyatt catches 94,350 Roanoke Citizens off guard and plants them on their questers by clearing her throat and saying (and I'm quoting here), You know, I've had this on my heart to say for a long time now, but I think we ought to put the new stadium-site on hold and give the next Council the chance to decide . . .
Excuse me? Talk about coming out of left field. Poor Brian Wishneff looked like he had swallowed an ostrich - much less a canary. He and Sherman Lea both glanced across the room at me as if to say, who is THAT imposter? But it was true. And if I hadn't been "sebatticalled" by the Times, my next column was going to be about the courage and leadership it took to do what she did. Sorry I wasn't available Linda - but something tells me we haven't seen the end of you yet.
Joe Kennedy: Writes a rambling wreck of a piece that concludes in his support of Victory Stadium. One has to wonder whether he's finally given up whatever's in that cup, or if stadium activist John Kepley has somehow breached security at the Times and substituted his own column. So my next piece at that point was going to have to do with miracles never ceasing and the fact that ol' Joe actually seems to be grasping the bigger picture. But a scant 14 days later Kennedy falls off the making-sense wagon and unleashes a diatribe against Brian Wishneff that has about as much basis in fact as a Courtney Love alibi.
The Roanoke Times Editorial Writers: It's also at about this point that the editorial staff for the Times begins to take some rather wild hay-makers at anyone and anything not in agreement with their pro new-stadium, pro sitting-council position. Perhaps the best example of this is an opinion piece that insists that Victory Stadium actually CAUSES flooding and therefore will wreak great damage upon the future biomedical park. Did you miss that one by Read Lunsford? I'm not kidding. He wrote it. They printed it.
Darlene Burcham: In her never-ending effort to appear to be the golden savior of this “one horse town when she found it,” Darlene spends $50,000.00 with a firm called “Partners for Livable Communities.” This tidy little sum (donated by the Newspaper mind you) provides for a report that will “help your community discover its competitive edge.” Except here's the reality - once you are a paying customer, “Partners” then shoots out a list later in the year of their “Most Livable Communities in America.” And guess who's names are on it? That's right! Everyone that has spent the $50K with them! And of course the press covers it like it's some kind of BIG AWARD our City Council and Manager has just won for us! (i.e. “See what a good job we’re doing!”)
Kind of disturbing, huh?
Yeah, maybe. But whatever you do, try to not recall that this is the same City Council that revised the City Zoning Code to stop a law-suit by a private landowner that threatened the Time’s new printing press expansion . . .Kind of makes your eye twitch doesn’t it? Heck, this is the kind of stuff that might have made Richard Daley blush.
Who knows whether there’s any connection between Council’s actions and the newspaper’s unfailing, dare I say almost manic support. (Not to mention the financial variety.) But if perception is everything, I think both organizations ought to reconsider how they interact and how they might compromise one another in carrying out their respective missions.
You The People: After a three-month barrage (three years if you're really counting) by Council Candidates and media hounds alike, you come together and express your desire for new and effective leadership by electing Bev Fitzpatrick, Sherman Lea, Brian Wishneff and Nelson Harris to represent you in local government. That’s a heck of a team. And Roanoke, especially relative to the struggles many city’s face in electing strong representatives, ought to count itself especially blessed.
But now it's time for these elected representatives to get together and get the job done, hopefully uniting people (to the degree that it's possible) and making the tough but necessary decisions to move Roanoke forward. This will take equal measures of vision, patience, common sense and certainly the kind of forgiveness that allows for a “long view” of the road ahead.
Gentlemen, the quality of life of a great many people will depend on your ability to do so.
We've given you our vote. Now you have our prayers. Godspeed.