Our Turn: Sunday Sales 1, Community Building 0

August 16, 2009
Robbie Coblentz

Let me just tell you up front, this isn’t a column about the joys - or evils - of the Sunday sale of beer and light wine. I believe it’s a forgone conclusion that it will pass 4-3.

I’m writing about the process.

During the election primary season, almost every candidate started their answer to the question with a phrase along the lines of “this election shouldn’t be about Sunday Sales.” A month into the new term, it looks like that is exactly what it was about.

One of their first significant actions was to start the process of holding public hearings on a subject that is deeply divisive and emotionally charged.

Was that the right course?

Ward 5 Alderman Jeremiah Dumas, who spearheaded the effort, said he sees the revised ordinance as one of the first steps to smartly grow Starkville. “Passage of Sunday sales needs to be in place before amending the comprehensive plan for growth and development (of Starkville),” Dumas said.

He cited Sunday Sales as just one component in the attempt to promote further growth in the city. He also mentioned the storm water ordinance, which affects new construction, and development along the bypass as some of the other factors that must be addressed.

Setting a chain of events in motion to facilitate planned growth is exactly what we need from our leaders. But the board could have looked to a community building cause — like a Justice Complex — before pushing for alcohol sales on Sundays.

One political school of thought says elected officials should attack the issue that has the most long-term baggage head-on to get it as much distance from re-election day as possible. Another approach says elected officials should build political goodwill by tackling a project that can unify the board and community. Sunday Sales obviously is a product of the former school of thought.

I question the wisdom of attacking this issue when the 900-pound gorilla of the justice complex is still in the room. Will the ill will on either side of the Sunday Sales debate be easily smoothed over?

To his credit, Mayor Parker Wiseman has maintained neutrality in the whole process. In a recent conversation, he pointed to his campaign promise of not hindering or pushing Sunday Sales. “This is an Alderman-led initiative,” Wiseman said. He said Chief Administrative Officer Lynn Spruill wrote the first revision, presented at the Aug. 4 Board of Alderman meeting, with input from several aldermen, especially Dumas.

Does that set up Dumas as the lighting rod for the opposition while freeing Wiseman to lead the Justice Complex campaign? Will the electorate recognize — or even care about — the subtle difference?

Come Tuesday, we’ll probably have booze on Sundays. Now can we move on to community building and start on a Justice Complex? Please?

My Turn: The end of the Camp era

Robbie Coblentz
Starkville-Now.com
Dan Camp has served this city as a community developer, a member of the Starkville School District Board of Education and mayor.

Camp’s vision that drives the Cotton District has rightly garnered national attention and acclaim.

His administration has had some high points. Sweep accounts, the smoking ban and the $3 million bond issue for infrastructure improvements are a few of several accomplishments. At times, he has governed effectively for the betterment of the city.

Camp also took an issue he was passionate about- the proposed bypass location of the police station- and rode it into City Hall. Anyone who walks into the public eye to run for office deserves respect, including Camp.

Asphalt and vetoes of Planning and Zoning commissioners will not be remembered as his term fades from memory. It is his failure to build the one structure that led him into public office that will stand out over the years.

At the end of the day, a brilliant and driven man was unable to transition from the private to public sector in time to build what could have been a long-lasting monument to his leadership. Hopefully, his successors will take note and learn from his mistake.

Our Turn: A microcosm of four years

Robbie Coblentz
Starkville-Now.com

Maybe they didn’t get the REM reference. Maybe I should have quoted “World Leader Pretend.”

Despite leaving their posts with less than 7 hours to go, the Board of Aldermen voted to wipe out the Parks Commission, turning it into an advisory board.

Here are a few things to ponder:

There have been two $5 million public buildings on the Starkville radar the past few years. The first- the belabored Justice Complex- hasn’t seen a shovel’s worth of dirt turned. The other- the recently opened Sportsplex- is completed and serving the city. Which group of public officials better served the city?

Part of the 2% tax money that the city collects is strictly designated for a Parks Commission. There are strict legal differences between a Parks Commission and an Advisory Parks Board. This board, in undertaking this action, may have jeopardized a much needed revenue source.

Earlier in the month Ward 6 Alderman Roy Perkins made a point in a meeting to protest the outgoing board’s doing anything long term during the remainder of their session. At the last meeting of the term, called on the last night, Perkins pushes this massive changes through.

Sadly, this is just a microcosm of the last four years of city leadership.

I hope that incoming Mayor Parker Wiseman will veto this measure as his first act in office. The outgoing board slapped their newly elected replacements in the face with this action. What a way to welcome them to City Hall.

Our Turn: It’s the end of Parks and Rec as we know it, and I don’t feel fine.

Robbie Coblentz
Starkville-Now.com

That’s great, it starts with an ordinance, lame ducks and snakes, a Sportsplex and Dan Moreland is not afraid.
Eye of a hurricane, listen to yourself churn - mayor serves his own needs…

….It’s the end of Parks and Rec as we know it, and I don’t feel fine.

( with apologies to REM)

Traditionally, elected officials lay low the last few weeks of their terms.  Those who were re-elected get to act on their agenda once the new term is underway.  Those not coming back typically have the decency to not try to fill their last few days with sweeping changes that could resonate for years.

Guess what our soon-to-be-former-mayor is doing?

Tuesday, less than a week before their term is up, the current Mayor and Board of Alderman will take up a motion to abolish the Parks and Recreation Commission and create an advisory board to replace it.

Did I mention this is less than a week before their term is up?

The proposed ordinance that would create the advisory board states that this is “necessary for the Mayor and Board of Aldermen to have sufficient oversight to insure (sic) the harmonious and efficient operation for all of the functions and employees of the City of Starkville.”

The mayor is trying to take one of the best-run municipal services and place it under the direct control of the Board of Alderman. The aldermen are already responsible for the oversight of day-to-day activities of many departments; why add another one, especially one that seems to be operating so well. If it aint’ broke …

Did I mention this is less than a week before their term is up?

The next proposed ordinance goes a step further and abolishes the existing parks and rec commission and ends the term of all commissioners, including chairman Dan Moreland .

Actual wording: “The City of Starkville Ordinance 2008-5 and the Code of Ordinances, Chapter 2,  Article VIII. Establishing a Park Commission of the City of Starkville are hereby abolished.”

The Parks Commission is one of the things we do right in Starkville. Thousands of kids and their parents pack the parks around the city to swim or play soccer, baseball or basketball. This department just opened a first-class facility for expanded programs at the Sportsplex.

That the aldermen are being asked to consider this is bad enough, but the fact that our out-going mayor has even brought it up less that a week before he leaves office is reprehensible.

If Parks and Rec is in such bad shape — which it is not — let the next Mayor and Board address it.

Why do this at all?  Why now?  What is the real reason?

Please contact your Alderman and let him or her know that the board has no business enacting such legislation when their term is this close to ending.

The city of Starkville deserves better.  So does the next Mayor and Board.

Robbie Coblentz is the managing editor of Starkville-Now.com  He can be reached at robbie@starkvillenow.com.

Our Turn: Are these the Supervisors we deserve?

June 24, 2009

Robbie Coblentz
Managing Editor, StarkvilleNow

The Supes are up to it again.

County resident James Williams appealed his donation of land to the Poorhouse Road project at Monday’s meeting.

According to the Starkville Daily News, Williams complained about his treatment in February by Board president John Young when he was told he would be public embarrassed if he didn’t donate land.

From the article:

District 5 Supervisor John Young told him that he would be embarrassed with his name in the newspaper if he did not donate his land.
“He told me I would be sued,” Williams said.

Without knowledge of state law that grants him the right to be compensated, Williams did what Young asked of him.

“I signed anyway, because I trusted him,” he said.

Williams was limited to only 3 minutes of public comment time, the minimum allowed even though, according to the SDN, others before him were allowed more time to address the board.

Is this the leadership we deserve in Oktibbeha County? Strong-armed tactics and disregard for the law? Anti-economic development (sorry Highlands, we are going back on our word)?

Starkville residents need to remember that the Board represents ALL who live in Oktibbeha County, not just those outside the city limits.

It is time to pressure the Board of Supervisors to do what is right and in the best interest of the county. Call, email or fax your elected official and tell him that you support a fair deal for Poorhouse Road residents that are giving up land for the road project. And tell him that you expect better leadership.

Carl Clardy

Supervisor District 1 of Oktibbeha County Mississippi

P. O. Box 80285
Starkville, MS 39759
(ph): 662.769.0070
(fax): 662.338.1065

Orlando Trainer

Supervisor District 2 of Oktibbeha County Mississippi

P. O. Box 80285
Starkville, MS 39759
(ph): 662.769.0071
(fax): 662.338.1065

OrlandoTrainer@HotMail.com

Marvel Howard

Supervisor District 3 of Oktibbeha County Mississippi

P. O. Box 80285
Starkville, MS 39759
(ph): 662.769.0072
(fax): 662.338.1065

Howard5@BellSouth.net

Daniel Jackson

Supervisor District 4 of Oktibbeha County Mississippi

P. O. Box 80285
Starkville, MS 39759
(ph): 662.418.1859
(fax): 662.338.1065

John L. Young, Sr.

Supervisor District 5 of Oktibbeha County Mississippi

P. O. Box 80285
Starkville, MS 39759
(ph): 662.769.0074
(fax): 662.338.1065

JYoung@GTPDD.com

SDN and Twitter

Thought I’d pass on this column from Paul Sims at the SDN. Paul does a good job. I really liked his Rush column from a few weeks ago.

This pull quote was interesting:

Locally, this newspaper first dove into the idea of using Twitter on the fly as a way to inform the public about results in the May primary election.

Can anybody find their Twitter feed on their website?

The landscape is really changing. Who would have thought a small website like StarkvilleNow could pull in over 7,000 pageviews that night in question? And over 10,000 for election night?

Wiseman redefined how to run a Starkville campaign

Jeffrey Rupp summed it up very well. He said that Wiseman ran one of the best local campaigns he had seen, at least as far as Starkville politics was concerned. And the ironic thing thing- Cox probably ran the second best one.

Keep in mind that I am using unofficial numbers. Regardless, they are pretty telling.

3221 voters turned out in a runoff, versus 3337 in the May 5th primary. That is 96.5% participation from primary to runoff. (Those numbers will change as everything is certified) I would have guessed 75% at the most if I had placed a bet yesterday.

A few other observations:

Cox lost the race in Wards 6 & 7. He carried Wards 1, 2 and 5 and held serve in 3. The gap of 79 votes in 6 and 86 votes in 7 pushed Wiseman over the top. The Ward 6 results is where I thought Wiseman might win it.

Alderman Roy Perkins has to wonder at his effectiveness this morning. After being firmly in the Cox camp from the beginning and writing a Cox-funded letter in the last few days, Perkins saw his man lose 38% to 62% in his ward. Is Perkins a lame duck now?

Wiseman’s ground game in 6 and 7 was unreal. Voter turnout was strong. May 5 had 330 votes cast in Ward 6. Yesterday saw 317 voters. That’s a return rate of 96%. Ward 7 had 390 two weeks ago and 346 votes in the runoff. That was a return of 89.6% of the voters. Mobilizing wards that traditionally don’t return for runoffs is what won it for Wiseman.

The attack strategy that the Wiseman camp used looked to have been a wash. Ward 3, where Dan Camp was the strongest in the primary, broke about evenly for the candidates. Cox gained 97 votes and Wiseman 156 putting them at a total of 505 (Cox) vs 514 (Wiseman). How many votes were decided by the tenor of the TV spot and mail pieces?

My thoughts? Cox got the wrong endorsement from Wards 6 & 7. Alderman Jannette Self lost two weeks ago and appeared to be a non-factor in 7. Perkins didn’t deliver his own ward. Wiseman hit both hard.

Wiseman seemed to pitch his “last week” ads at the demographics in Wards 3 and 5 (Cox’s home ward), counting on his ground game to deliver 6 & 7.

For maybe the first time in recent memory, Wards 6 & 7 might have elected the mayor last night (if Wiseman can hold serve in the general- that’s another story).

Regardless of where you fall on the Cox/Wiseman debate, you have to hand it to the Wiseman camp, especially Ben Needham and his team behind the scenes.

MY TURN: Politics and loathing in Starkvegas

This has been a fun election season.

Never before has it been this easy for voters to gather as much information on the candidates as they have this municipal election.

Traditional profile pieces in the Starkville Daily News and the Commercial Dispatch have been joined by forums hosted by Starkville Young Professionals, videos of which have been streamed by Troy DeRego of Longboat Studios.

StarkvilleNow has participated, and more than half the candidates have sat for podcast interviews and there has been a healthy dialog on the comment sections of posts. This site has seemed to play a part in the political discussions.

Candidates have embraced Twitter, Facebook and the Web like never before. Ads on YouTube appear alongside postcards as marketing tools.

I would venture to say that Starkville has seen the most Web-aware race of any town in Mississippi.

As proud as I have been to see this happen, I am also concerned — and somewhat disgusted — by the polarization the Cox-Wiseman contest has caused. Supporters on either side have hurled insults and innuendo at the other’s candidate. They have even started to attack each other.

It is likely that one of these men will be mayor for the next four years. (No disrespect at all to Marnita Henderson, whom I admire greatly for running.)

Can the Cox-ites get behind Parker Wednesday morning for the good of the city if their man loses? Can the Wiseman-iacs do the same if the tables are turned?

Do we want to become a polarized 52-48 populace with the losing side pouting while wanting their turn in four years? Does this serve our city’s best interests?

I will support to the best of my ability whichever candidate is elected mayor June 2. I will do everything possible to help the city make progress even if my guy (or gal) isn’t leading the charge.

I’m willing to say this in public and to the faces of all three candidates. How about you posters who hide behind faceless charges and rumors?

If you can’t, it will be a long four years.

The debate that didn’t happen

Starting mid-morning May 6, the movement began to organize a televised debate between Parker Wiseman and Matt Cox before the Democratic run-off. The idea was to hold a debate with a moderator and format that would produce unscripted answers. A candidate would be asked a question, get two minutes to answer, and then his opponent would get two minutes to answer. The candidate with the first answer would get a minute followup. Both sides would be allowed to submit two questions ahead of time to the moderator, who would provide the other two for a total of six questions debated.

Calls and emails went out to both candidates. Details were close to being hammered out with one exception - who would moderate.

WCBI assignment editor Steve Rogers agreed to the job. Steve is a political veteran who has been in Golden Triangle media for a few years — first at the Commercial Dispatch as an editor, then at WCBI.

The Cox campaign agreed with the choice. The Wiseman campaign did not.

Wiseman called it an “ambush.” Ben Needham, campaign manager for Wiseman, pointed to a column Rogers wrote in mid-January speculating about who was running in the Starkville municipal elections. Here’s the piece in question:

WATCHING THE RACES

The first week of qualifying for municipal elections produced one mild surprise in the region.

After being on-again, off-again for months about whether he was going to run, Dan Camp has qualified to seek a second term as mayor of Starkville. He can’t stand the thought of Ward 5 Alderman Matt Cox, the only other person to qualify so far, getting a free ride.

In recent weeks, the rumor was that Camp wasn’t going to run but that Parker Wiseman, a lawyer and the son of long-time Mississippi State University professor and noted political analyst Marty Wiseman, was. The younger Wiseman moved back to Starkville not too long ago and with the backing of Camp and his father’s name recognition, was thought to be a solid challenge for Cox, who has served one term on the Board of Aldermen.

But now that Camp has qualified, some say Wiseman still is considering a run. I doubt it; certainly his father will advise him against it.

Eric Parker, a Starkville home builder and another political newcomer, likely will make his first run for office against Ward 3 Alderman P.C. McLaurin. Parker has been considering the race for more than a year, especially since some of McLaurin’s supporters have become disenchanted with the long-time alderman.

The ward is the most conservative in the city and four years ago, McLaurin won by only about 50 votes against an unknown.

Lots of people have asked whether former Columbus Mayor Jeffrey Rupp is going to return to politics by running for alderman or even mayor in Starkville, where he works for MSU. I haven’t talked to him, but I wouldn’t bet on it.

He may have the political itch and his experience in Columbus could be an asset as an alderman, but I suspect he’ll sit this one out, opting instead to keep raising his two young daughters and working with the new MSU president to build the university.

Needham referred to this column as “disparaging” in a conversation I had with him late Wednesday afternoon.

Thursday morning was spent trying to salvage the debate. Rex Buffington from the Stennis Center for Public Service was mentioned as a possibility. The Cox campaign raised concerns because of personal affiliations Buffington has with both candidates.

Commercial Dispatch publisher and editor Birney Imes was contacted and agreed. The Cox campaign approved. The Wiseman campaign did not.

Needham pointed out Imes relationship with former Columbus mayor and Cox supporter Jeffrey Rupp. He said that Imes and Rupp were “college roommates and close friends.”

Wrong.

According to both Imes and Rupp, neither ever roomed together. In fact, Rupp never directly worked for Imes at any time. Rupp’s friendship was with Frank Imes, Birney’s brother. Those two roomed together for a few months more than 10 years ago. Rupp worked for Frank when he was general manager of WCBI.

Why doesn’t Wiseman want to debate Cox? He rejected Rogers based on a small comment made at the end of a column in mid-January. He rejected Imes based on an incorrect fact.

As an attorney, Wiseman is trained to logically state and defend his position. Would a moderator who could only control two of six question be that large of a handicap for him?

I, and several other people, lost almost two days trying to put this thing together. The voters of Starkville lost a whole lot more.

Political theory and John Deere

I have a fairly large yard. Almost two acres with a large “football/baseball/soccer” field taking up an acre of it.

I also have a 20-year-old John Deere yard tractor that isn’t the quickest of mowers. On a good day, the field takes about an hour to mow.

I’ve had plenty of time to decide who to endorse for mayor. I have debated this for weeks. Who is the best person to lead our city for the next four years?

But to decide who that is, I had to decide what I thought the mayor should do.

In the “weak” mayor/alderman system that we have, the mayor has limited executive power. The department heads are hired and fired by the board. The board sets the budget.

The only time the mayor can vote is in the case of a tie. That’s pretty rare with an odd number of aldermen.

But the mayor has the bully pulpit. She/He provides vision and leadership. That person is the elected official who represents the entire city and manages city hall.

The mayor needs to be a consensus builder. He/She needs to be a person who can communicate positively without resorting to dressing down aldermen in public. The mayor needs to be able to talk — and listen — to all parties in Starkville, and then try to advocate a course that benefits the city in the best possible way.

Dan Camp doesn’t fit that description for me. He is a brilliant and visionary man who has accomplished a lot as the architect of the Cotton District. I think he has had a hard time adjusting to the give-and-take that public service requires. A mayor blasting an alderman publicly like he did Richard Corey over his changed road bond vote in December is in pretty poor taste.

I’ve said it before and will repeat it again — if Dan Camp had learned to work and play well with others, he would have been a brilliant mayor who could have won re-election in a landslide.

So eliminating Camp as a contender was the easy part. Choosing between Parker Wiseman and Matt Cox is the hard part.

Both are smart. Both are nice guys. I believe both have Starkville’s best interests at heart.

How to chose? Not easy.

The Board of Alderman will have at least three new members — maybe five. The “throw the bums out” fever is running high. How healthy is it for a city to have to train the majority of its elected leaders from scratch every four years?

Parker is a smart guy who loves Starkville and has been preparing for this job for the past 10 years. He has some great ideas, but no publicly-elected experience beyond college.

The road from academic theory to practice is often difficult.

He has committed to working with the newly elected board and department heads. Parker has some interesting ideas to implement on a city level.

A friend told me over lunch recently that he was voting for Cox, but would campaign for Wiseman if he had experience as an alderman on the board. It wasn’t an age issue with him, but an experience one with a vastly revamped board.

Matt Cox has been a good alderman for my ward the past four years. He has acted quickly on requests and kept me updated on progress if it was not resolved immediately.

Matt has committed publicly to being a moderating presence on the board. He understands the city bureaucracy and budget. He represents four years of institutional memory. I think that is an important advantage at this point in our city’s growth.

That is where I am — weighing the experience factor of Matt as an alderman against the preparation of Parker to be mayor.

I might have to mow the grass again Monday to decide.