We have a heavy schedule of programming in the next two weeks, starting with a special Sunday night show. The esteemed co-editor of NA Confidential, bluegill, aka Jeff Gillenwater, will join us as our special guest, to discuss the Ohio River Bridges project.
For the remaining schedule, please visit the show profile to see what's on tap.
We're lining up guest callers for Sunday night and we invite your questions. The show kicks off at 8 p.m.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Council in the Mirror
“When people are made to be self-aware, they are likelier to stop and think about what they are doing,” Dr. [Galen V.} Bodenhausen said. “A byproduct of that awareness may be a shift away from acting on autopilot toward more desirable ways of behaving.” as quoted in today's New York Times.
That's precisely what I hope to accomplish with our public affairs programming, including rebroadcasts of New Albany City Council meetings. In knowing that every person in the city (and beyond) can hear and interpret every word they say, every vote they cast, one would hope that "more desirable ways of behaving" will ensue. Stay tuned.
That's precisely what I hope to accomplish with our public affairs programming, including rebroadcasts of New Albany City Council meetings. In knowing that every person in the city (and beyond) can hear and interpret every word they say, every vote they cast, one would hope that "more desirable ways of behaving" will ensue. Stay tuned.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Resources and Results in the NA-FC Schools
At 6 p.m. we'll be discussing the state of our public schools system. Demographers say that the population of school-age children is shifting. Is that true? The NA-FC Consolidated School Corp. says they aren't prepared to deal with that unless they make dramatic changes, possibly closing one or more primary schools. We'll discuss the situation with our callers and welcome back the stakeholders from Friends of Silver Street Elementary (FOSSE).
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Commentary: A Diversion and a Digression
I don't intend for this to be either a partisan blog nor an "attack" blog. At root, it is a billboard for the radio show. In the past, I have been boisterous and opinionated and have often, by my vitriol, caused even friends to recoil. You can search around to find my mothballed blog to verify that for yourself.
Nowadays, I take keyboard in hand to comment on the blog postings of others with discretion, contributing to other blogs only when I feel it is truly needed.
That does not mean that I have retired from the field, though. On occasion, though, something demonstrably egregious arises, and this blog will not erect any fences prohibiting frank commentary. New Albany Now is and will continue to be a bright light shining on the issues in this city. That is our purpose. That does not mean i will arbitrarily muzzle myself when an injustice is done.
I posted an historic broadcast last evening. For the first time in many, many months, the deliberations and debate of the New Albany City Council were made available to the public. And for the first time ever, that record is continously and forever available ON-DEMAND. If you need to refer to it, it will always be there.
With that in mind, I'd like to point out that Thursday night's meeting was (as usual) degraded and tarnished by yet another vicious, venal, and veracity-challenged circus of horrors, orchestrated awkwardly by Dan Coffey, the embarrassment of a human being who reigns over the seat intended to represent the interests of constituents in the 1st District of New Albany on the City Council.
I imagine that Coffey once found himself bed-ridden and without batteries and thereby forced to watch a one-hour documentary on Wisconsin senator Joseph McCarthy. Apparently, he saw that as a "good thing," and decided that would be his model.
Late in Thursday's meeting (segment 6 - slide the show slider to the last 20 or so minutes), Mr. Coffey put on an abysmal dramatic performance. Co-star Diane McCartin Benedetti (D?-D5)played foil to Coffey in a feeble attempt to slime at-large council member John Gonder.
Simulating a great concern for "comity" and decorum, Mr. Coffey practically soiled himself while presenting a sham concern for an individual who was "concerned" about a "fax" that had been circulated declaring the "news" that Mr. Gonder had been one of the original people who believed that New Albany shouldn't be unique in the state of Indiana, unique in the roster of municipalities across this great land of ours, and that its legislative (city council) districts should be drawn to offer equal representation as guaranteed under The Constitution of the United States.
It was "brought to" his "attention" by this "fax" that Mr. Gonder was once a plaintiff seeking the deserved assistance of the U.S. Federal District Court to enforce the law.
Please show me ONE person who believes that a "fax" caused Mr. Coffey and Ms. McCartin Benedetti to become aware of Mr. Gonder's past status as an advocate for the law and The Constitution.
Over the previous 10, or 110 days, Coffey had plotted his ambush, his blatant attempt to smear Mr. Gonder with fecal matter and to attempt to intimidate him from casting a considered vote on whether the city should continue to be a rogue city or whether this city, New Albany on the Ohio, should conform to the requirements of the 14th Amendment.
During a serious, substantive portion of the council meeting, Coffey and city council attorney Jerry Ulrich conducted their own meeting, and Mr. Ulrich, knowing that Coffey stand fully prepared to lever him back into fully private practice, signed on to the smear attempt.
Ulrich, Coffey, and McCartin Benedetti struggled to appear sincere in their faux concern that, somehow, having stood up for the law, Mr. Gonder was thus unqualified to vote on G-08-05, the ordinance to, at long last, draw lawful districts for the first time since at least 1992. Ulrich went over the line in his attack by saying to Mr. Gonder that if his "conscience" were clear, he couldn't see why Mr. Gonder should recuse himself from voting.
I, for one, looked around to see if Karl Rove had entered the room, for this was a classic Swift-boat attack. That Gonder stood up for the law before he was elected and continues to stand up for the law now that he is in office became, with the full complicity of a majority of the City Council, a declared black mark on Gonder's reputation.
Without any fear of being disputed, I'll tell you that Coffey manufactured, fomented, and stoked a fake popular uprising, including a disingenuous "fax," to smear his colleague.
As would be expected by anyone who knows John Gonder, the enormously popular at-large council member handled the kneecapping with inordinate grace, willingly identifying himself as the member who Mr. Coffey pretended to be so concerned for, for whom Mr. Coffey shed crocodile tears over the fact that he simply had to step forward and pour a bucket of excrement on.
What has New Albany come to that an entire council (well, a majority of the council) would be complicit in trying to eviscerate a man who stands up for following the law?
What is, indubitably, a virtue, was treated as something to be ashamed of by the city council and its attorney. They, individually, and as a body, owe Mr. Gonder an abject apology.
I urge you, if you are reading this, to demand it. Write to your newspapers, call your council members, and tell all your neighbors about the atrocity that was committed at Thursday's meeting.
John Gonder is a ray of sunshine on this council. We couldn't do better to have eight more of him serving this city. Don't let this political crime go unpunished.
Coffey, who like a majority of his colleagues believes he "owns" his district, needs to realize that constituents pick their representatives, and not the other way around. Mr. Gonder, who received more votes in the last election than all but one other candidate, has more credibility in a single eyelash than the combined integrity of Gahan/Coffey/McLaughlin/Price/McCartinBenedetti.
Nowadays, I take keyboard in hand to comment on the blog postings of others with discretion, contributing to other blogs only when I feel it is truly needed.
That does not mean that I have retired from the field, though. On occasion, though, something demonstrably egregious arises, and this blog will not erect any fences prohibiting frank commentary. New Albany Now is and will continue to be a bright light shining on the issues in this city. That is our purpose. That does not mean i will arbitrarily muzzle myself when an injustice is done.
I posted an historic broadcast last evening. For the first time in many, many months, the deliberations and debate of the New Albany City Council were made available to the public. And for the first time ever, that record is continously and forever available ON-DEMAND. If you need to refer to it, it will always be there.
With that in mind, I'd like to point out that Thursday night's meeting was (as usual) degraded and tarnished by yet another vicious, venal, and veracity-challenged circus of horrors, orchestrated awkwardly by Dan Coffey, the embarrassment of a human being who reigns over the seat intended to represent the interests of constituents in the 1st District of New Albany on the City Council.
I imagine that Coffey once found himself bed-ridden and without batteries and thereby forced to watch a one-hour documentary on Wisconsin senator Joseph McCarthy. Apparently, he saw that as a "good thing," and decided that would be his model.
Late in Thursday's meeting (segment 6 - slide the show slider to the last 20 or so minutes), Mr. Coffey put on an abysmal dramatic performance. Co-star Diane McCartin Benedetti (D?-D5)played foil to Coffey in a feeble attempt to slime at-large council member John Gonder.
Simulating a great concern for "comity" and decorum, Mr. Coffey practically soiled himself while presenting a sham concern for an individual who was "concerned" about a "fax" that had been circulated declaring the "news" that Mr. Gonder had been one of the original people who believed that New Albany shouldn't be unique in the state of Indiana, unique in the roster of municipalities across this great land of ours, and that its legislative (city council) districts should be drawn to offer equal representation as guaranteed under The Constitution of the United States.
It was "brought to" his "attention" by this "fax" that Mr. Gonder was once a plaintiff seeking the deserved assistance of the U.S. Federal District Court to enforce the law.
Please show me ONE person who believes that a "fax" caused Mr. Coffey and Ms. McCartin Benedetti to become aware of Mr. Gonder's past status as an advocate for the law and The Constitution.
Over the previous 10, or 110 days, Coffey had plotted his ambush, his blatant attempt to smear Mr. Gonder with fecal matter and to attempt to intimidate him from casting a considered vote on whether the city should continue to be a rogue city or whether this city, New Albany on the Ohio, should conform to the requirements of the 14th Amendment.
During a serious, substantive portion of the council meeting, Coffey and city council attorney Jerry Ulrich conducted their own meeting, and Mr. Ulrich, knowing that Coffey stand fully prepared to lever him back into fully private practice, signed on to the smear attempt.
Ulrich, Coffey, and McCartin Benedetti struggled to appear sincere in their faux concern that, somehow, having stood up for the law, Mr. Gonder was thus unqualified to vote on G-08-05, the ordinance to, at long last, draw lawful districts for the first time since at least 1992. Ulrich went over the line in his attack by saying to Mr. Gonder that if his "conscience" were clear, he couldn't see why Mr. Gonder should recuse himself from voting.
I, for one, looked around to see if Karl Rove had entered the room, for this was a classic Swift-boat attack. That Gonder stood up for the law before he was elected and continues to stand up for the law now that he is in office became, with the full complicity of a majority of the City Council, a declared black mark on Gonder's reputation.
Without any fear of being disputed, I'll tell you that Coffey manufactured, fomented, and stoked a fake popular uprising, including a disingenuous "fax," to smear his colleague.
As would be expected by anyone who knows John Gonder, the enormously popular at-large council member handled the kneecapping with inordinate grace, willingly identifying himself as the member who Mr. Coffey pretended to be so concerned for, for whom Mr. Coffey shed crocodile tears over the fact that he simply had to step forward and pour a bucket of excrement on.
What has New Albany come to that an entire council (well, a majority of the council) would be complicit in trying to eviscerate a man who stands up for following the law?
What is, indubitably, a virtue, was treated as something to be ashamed of by the city council and its attorney. They, individually, and as a body, owe Mr. Gonder an abject apology.
I urge you, if you are reading this, to demand it. Write to your newspapers, call your council members, and tell all your neighbors about the atrocity that was committed at Thursday's meeting.
John Gonder is a ray of sunshine on this council. We couldn't do better to have eight more of him serving this city. Don't let this political crime go unpunished.
Coffey, who like a majority of his colleagues believes he "owns" his district, needs to realize that constituents pick their representatives, and not the other way around. Mr. Gonder, who received more votes in the last election than all but one other candidate, has more credibility in a single eyelash than the combined integrity of Gahan/Coffey/McLaughlin/Price/McCartinBenedetti.
Historic Broadcast of New Albany City Council
The link below contains all of the substantive session of the New Albany City Council meeting for July 17, 2008. It is my intention to make these meetings available as downloadable mp3 podcasts for the forseeable future, subject to obtaining appropriate commercial sponsorship to underwrite the costs.
If you listen to the show and find it useful, but unsatisfactory auditorily, please join us in urging the city to cooperate in making these broadcasts available at higher broadcast quality.
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/randy-smith/2008/07/20/new-albany-city-council-recorded-71708
If you listen to the show and find it useful, but unsatisfactory auditorily, please join us in urging the city to cooperate in making these broadcasts available at higher broadcast quality.
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/randy-smith/2008/07/20/new-albany-city-council-recorded-71708
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Thursday Show Rescheduled for Friday Night
The segment of New Albany Now scheduled for this evening has been postponed. Server problems at blogtalkradio prevented us from airing the show, but we'll be back on Friday night with commentary on Thursday night's meeting of the New Albany City Council.
Our apologies to listeners and callers. Please e-mail us at newalbanynow@gmail.com with your contributions and plan to join us for a 90-minute segment beginning at 11 p.m. on Friday.
For our scheduled guests, we invite you to join us then, too.
I'll do some limited blog commentary during the morning, but we'll try to supplement the coverage from the other media with everyone having 12-24 hours to cogitate on matters.
I will leave you with this. The City Council voted to reject the redistricting plan handed up by the special committee on legislative districts. But there was plenty more news from tonight's session, and we'll cover it all Friday night.
Thanks for your patience.
Our apologies to listeners and callers. Please e-mail us at newalbanynow@gmail.com with your contributions and plan to join us for a 90-minute segment beginning at 11 p.m. on Friday.
For our scheduled guests, we invite you to join us then, too.
I'll do some limited blog commentary during the morning, but we'll try to supplement the coverage from the other media with everyone having 12-24 hours to cogitate on matters.
I will leave you with this. The City Council voted to reject the redistricting plan handed up by the special committee on legislative districts. But there was plenty more news from tonight's session, and we'll cover it all Friday night.
Thanks for your patience.
Council preview now, recap at 11 p.m.
Did you know you can rate the show? Look low on the player page. There you can chat with other listeners or just leave a comment. And you can always e-mail us at newalbanynow @ gmail.com.
And you can call free from your computer by clicking to talk. You do need to spend about 60 seconds registering and you really ought to have a headphone/mic if you want to participate as a caller, so as to avoid a feedback loop. Or just call (347) 539-5928 to listen and/or participate.
And you can listen to any of our past shows by subscribing directly or through iTunes(get your own .mp3 of the show), or just clicking "Play" in our archives on the main page. That's where you'll see our entire schedule of upcoming and past shows.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Clarity of Thought
I'm partial to shadow5's "Twelve Questions," but there's more to be said, and we'll say it today at 2 p.m. We're calling the show The Truth About Equal Representation, and we welcome callers with opposing viewpoints...although who in their right mind would be opposed to equal representation in this day and age?
Discredited and outmoded ideas from the 1950s are no substitute for established law and it's an embarrassment that the blatant contempt for the law shown by New Albany's powers has gone on for as long as it has.
It has to be nothing more than inattention, the congenital forgetfulness of Indianapolis that "Southern Indiana" doesn't begin and end at the Columbus exit on I-65. Steve Carter is seemingly unaware of the failure of New Albany to redraw districts after the 2000 Census. Mitch Daniels is seemingly unaware, too, despite the fact that his wife hails from good ol' N.A. And they're Republicans. What incentive do they have to protect a corrupt Democratic regime?
Did you know that Indiana has one of the highest standards for equal representation for city legislative districts? That's right. The U.S. Supreme Court gives some leeway to the states - "as equal as practicable" and "substantially equal." But Hoosier lawmakers imposed a much higher standard - "as equal as possible," a standard applied nationwide to Congressional districts.
Connie Sipes, New Albany's senator, and Bill Cochran, New Albany's state representative, know the situation, but they seem to be participating in the coverup instead of stepping up and demanding that New Albany follow the law.
There seems to be a meme, on the Internet and elsewhere, that the idea of equal representation is some kind of "furrin'" idea. I likened the redistricting conversation hereabouts to another likely one between Bert and Gertie.
"Cain't believe they let that guy off. Whoever heard of needing probable cause, a search warrant, Miranda rights, and due process. They wuz guilty. 'Nuff sed."
Ayuuhh. That kind of stuff did go on, and still goes on, and cave-dwellers still say such things. They use words like "uppity" and "outsider" and appeal to "the way we've always done things."
Fortunately, we live in a nation of laws and not a city of lies.
Perhaps the most disappointing aspect of my time observing city government has been watching Jeff Gahan deteriorate before my eyes from a voice of reason to a champion of corruption. It is entirely fair to say that Jeff Gahan represents complete unaccountability to the law. And his ignorance and animus is so far gone that it's clear he is the definitive exhibition of a politician who believes his position grants him immunity from being responsible. I've said it before: there are only two choices - he's either totally corrupt or totally ignorant.
Pick 'em.
Discredited and outmoded ideas from the 1950s are no substitute for established law and it's an embarrassment that the blatant contempt for the law shown by New Albany's powers has gone on for as long as it has.
It has to be nothing more than inattention, the congenital forgetfulness of Indianapolis that "Southern Indiana" doesn't begin and end at the Columbus exit on I-65. Steve Carter is seemingly unaware of the failure of New Albany to redraw districts after the 2000 Census. Mitch Daniels is seemingly unaware, too, despite the fact that his wife hails from good ol' N.A. And they're Republicans. What incentive do they have to protect a corrupt Democratic regime?
Did you know that Indiana has one of the highest standards for equal representation for city legislative districts? That's right. The U.S. Supreme Court gives some leeway to the states - "as equal as practicable" and "substantially equal." But Hoosier lawmakers imposed a much higher standard - "as equal as possible," a standard applied nationwide to Congressional districts.
Connie Sipes, New Albany's senator, and Bill Cochran, New Albany's state representative, know the situation, but they seem to be participating in the coverup instead of stepping up and demanding that New Albany follow the law.
There seems to be a meme, on the Internet and elsewhere, that the idea of equal representation is some kind of "furrin'" idea. I likened the redistricting conversation hereabouts to another likely one between Bert and Gertie.
"Cain't believe they let that guy off. Whoever heard of needing probable cause, a search warrant, Miranda rights, and due process. They wuz guilty. 'Nuff sed."
Ayuuhh. That kind of stuff did go on, and still goes on, and cave-dwellers still say such things. They use words like "uppity" and "outsider" and appeal to "the way we've always done things."
Fortunately, we live in a nation of laws and not a city of lies.
Perhaps the most disappointing aspect of my time observing city government has been watching Jeff Gahan deteriorate before my eyes from a voice of reason to a champion of corruption. It is entirely fair to say that Jeff Gahan represents complete unaccountability to the law. And his ignorance and animus is so far gone that it's clear he is the definitive exhibition of a politician who believes his position grants him immunity from being responsible. I've said it before: there are only two choices - he's either totally corrupt or totally ignorant.
Pick 'em.
On the Schedule This Week
As of Saturday morning, we have a light schedule of programming for the coming week. Again, the schedule is heavy with public affairs programming, but with no pre-arranged guests.
Wednesday's show is an afternoon segment at 3 p.m. We invite people who have questions about the imminent redrawing of city council district boundaries to call in. Apparently, a great number of people don't understand why this has become an issue and don't know what some citizens are demanding be done. We will discuss it, and if anyone wishes to debate it or discuss "concerns" and other aspects of the situation, we'll be happy to talk about the law or the politics. Fair warning: our view is that the council must redraw the boundaries and they must redraw them lawfully and promptly
Thursday should be more relaxed and without a predesigned format. At this moment, the agenda hasn't been published, although it will have been made available to the council in hardcopy. Rumor has it that the ineffective ordinance that endured a first reading on 7/7 will not be placed on the agenda for additional readings. That remains to be seen.
We'll concentrate on the debate, the actions, and the inactions of the council that night, with the added bonus of attention to the contributions from non-elected petitioners.
Wednesday's show is an afternoon segment at 3 p.m. We invite people who have questions about the imminent redrawing of city council district boundaries to call in. Apparently, a great number of people don't understand why this has become an issue and don't know what some citizens are demanding be done. We will discuss it, and if anyone wishes to debate it or discuss "concerns" and other aspects of the situation, we'll be happy to talk about the law or the politics. Fair warning: our view is that the council must redraw the boundaries and they must redraw them lawfully and promptly
Thursday should be more relaxed and without a predesigned format. At this moment, the agenda hasn't been published, although it will have been made available to the council in hardcopy. Rumor has it that the ineffective ordinance that endured a first reading on 7/7 will not be placed on the agenda for additional readings. That remains to be seen.
We'll concentrate on the debate, the actions, and the inactions of the council that night, with the added bonus of attention to the contributions from non-elected petitioners.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
BULLETIN: 10:45 p.m. Monday
Randy Stumler has stepped down from positions of Floyd County Councilman and chairman of the Floyd County Democratic Party. (reported by Daniel Suddeath in The Tribune)
Consequences
The integrity of government is our topic today.
Representative government depends on each resident being able to count on equal representation.
In New Albany, Indiana, that is most definitely not the case. And a majority of the current city council couldn't care any less.
First, let's talk about the law.
IC 36-4-6-3 is the controlling statute. It requires the legislative body (the city council) to redraw its district boundaries every ten years.
After each decennial census - 1990, 2000, 2010 - local and state governments are provided with their official census numbers, their populations.
The population numbers for New Albany were reported in 2002.
In that year, the council was required to create six districts with populations that are equal, as nearly as possible.
That they did not do. A council that included Maury Goldberg, Dick Bliss, Larry Kochert, Bill Schmidt, and Dan Coffey could not or would not redraw the existing 1992 boundaries. Since 1992, populations have shifted significantly and New Albany has added a significant number of new residents by annexation.
As the story is reported, none of the council members elected from districts was willing to pick up new constituents or give up old ones.
That council was still arguing over districts in November of 2002 when state law kicked in, stopping in its tracks any efforts to redraw the districts. You see, council cannot redraw districts within one year of a city election. Since 2003 was an election year,waiting until mid-November to redraw was a fatal error.
What that meant was that all six of the members elected from districts in 2003 were elected from unequal districts, and they knew that. Democrat Beverly Crump defeated Republican Dick Bliss and was elected from the smallest district, District 5, with a population of approximately 5,300.
Meanwhile, in District 2, incumbent Democrat Bill Schmidt was elected to his final term, representing a district with a population of approximately 8,800.
Those are the extremes, but all six districts were either too large or too small, based on the 2000 U.S. Census.
That council was replaced in the 2007 elections, so those clearly illegitimate 2003 elections are a moot point.
But what is not moot is the legitimacy of the 2007 elections. We've now had two consecutive elections that were patently illegal.
Perhaps, PERHAPS, the 2003 election was understandable. The relevant statute both REQUIRED that sitting council to redistrict and PROHIBITED them from doing so after mid-November. No one challenged it, by the way, but it was nonetheless unlawful.
Which brings us to 2004, 2005, and 2006. No matter what happened in 2002, by 2004 the city council knew its districts did not comply with the law. The disproportionate populations were a matter of common knowledge and frequent conversation in the city. Many informal discussions of the situation took place. Though some council members today claim they "did not know," the truth is they DID.
In May of 2006, 20 residents filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, New Albany Branch, to compel the council to comply with the statute. The suit was filed at that time so that the council would have plenty of time to follow the law and not to repeat the willful disobedience seen in 2002.
Instead of moving immediately to comply with the law, the city council fought tooth and nail to continue to violate IC 36-4-6-3. As a consequence, ANOTHER election was held under an illegal district scheme. To date, the city council districts are severely out of balance, severely unequal, and clearly in violation of the law.
And for all six of the council members elected from districts, their right to continue to hold office is questionable.
Now, as I read the law, declaring those seats vacant might make no difference. Unless a court ordered it, no new elections would be held when those seats are declared vacant. On petition of a resident with standing (you, me, some other guy), a court will absolutely order the council to immediately redraw the districts to comply with the statute. There is zero chance that the city can win on that issue.
New districts that are equal WILL BE DRAWN and will be drawn THIS YEAR.
Additional remedies are up to the petitioners and the judge. If petitioners ask that the illegal seats be declared vacant, and I predict that will be part of a suit, the judge is more likely than not to grant that remedy.
What would likely happen then is that the Democratic Central Committee will scramble to appoint six council members. The Republicans won't be involved, because they have no party members elected from districts. In fact, the only Republican on the council is Kevin Zurschmiede, elected at-large. Since none of the at-large members were elected illegally, they would stay in office.
BUT WAIT.
The Democrats could not appoint replacements unless a legal district plan were in place. If there are only three legal council members,they could not act.
What a mess! All of this could have been avoided if the last council had acted in accordance with the law. And it probably wouldn't be necessary now if Jeff Gahan and a council majority would draw lawful districts now.
Instead, the council majority, and most particularly council president Gahan, are digging in. They say that they are no longer under any obligation to draw new districts.
THEY ARE WRONG!
Mr. Gahan has revealed his plan. Want to know what it is?
The Gahan plan is to conduct a THIRD election under the illegal districts, and I think he believes he can get away with it.
So. New Albany is in a pickle. The legitimacy of the city council, our legislative body, the people who authorize all spending of city funds, the people who decide where this city goes and how it gets there, the people who authorize us to borrow money, is at stake. Under the law, not one of the six members from the districts was elected legally.
Call it a gerrymander, call it an incumbent protection racket, call it whatever you want to call it. That's in the past, though.
What's at stake right now is the next election. Whether you are completely happy with your current council member, or totally appalled and embarrassed at who purports to represent you, you deserve to know three things.
One: Will the next election be fair if the districts are unequal? Two: Which of my neighbors will share the district with me? Three: Who is running or should be running?
You deserve certainty. The incumbents deserve certainty. New Albany deserves certainty and fairness.
Why is Jeff Gahan opposed to that? Why is Mr. Gahan saying we should let a third election be conducted under unequal districts that will be 19 years out of date?
Now, I've been talking about what you deserve. A lot of people who don't know me, don't understand me, and have no intention of getting to know me, everything I've said is being filtered through rumor and hatred.
But you know what? It doesn't matter.
It doesn't matter if you believe I favor redistricting because I want to "get" somebody, to take someone out. Maybe I do, maybe I don't. It doesn't matter. It makes no damn difference whether I or anyone else has a political agenda. It makes no difference if I or anyone else wants to replace a council member with someone else.
It's the law, completely and fully settled, that says the districts MUST be redrawn.
Shadow5, a blogger, put up a posting called "Twelve Questions." It deserves to be reposted here.
FIRST: Is the council obligated to redistrict? Yes. Indiana state law requires it.
SECOND: Has the council redrawn the boundaries? No. The districts today are the same as they were in 1992.
THIRD: What does the County Commission have to do with this? Nothing. They are not empowered to say or do anything with regard to the legislative districts of a city of the second class.
FOURTH: How about the County Clerk? Nope. The council does have to give the clerk ten days notice in certain instances and does have to implement elections based on the districts, but the clerk otherwise has nothing to say about it.
FIFTH: Who can redraw the districts? The council, and the council alone.
SIXTH: What if they don't? Or what if they draw illegal districts? Someone must ask a court to order it done.
SEVENTH: Does it matter? According to the U.S. Supreme Court, it does.
EIGHTH: What will happen if someone sues? The court will order the council to draw legal districts.
NINTH: What if the council refuses to draw legal districts? They could appeal the order, and lose, and appeal the order, and lose. Then they could be fined or jailed if they continue to refuse.
TENTH: Who would pay the fine? Probably the taxpayers.
ELEVENTH: If they go to jail, how would they get out? They wouldn't until they agree to draw legal districts.
TWELFTH: What if they agree to do it, but don't? They will go to jail again. See ELEVENTH question.
Wow.
But why would they even consider NOT redrawing the lines? Are they that dumb?
It appears that they might be. With Gahan taking the lead to propose doing nothing until 2012, he's lost all credibility as a legislator.
For a lawmaker, and make no mistake about it, that's precisely what a council member is, to advocate willful violation of the law, should be a disqualifying event. Whether you like Gahan or not, how could you vote for him when he admittedly is leading his colleagues to violate a law so fundamental to representative government?
Isn't that official misconduct? Is willful violation of the law a felony? As it stands right now, Mr. Gahan wouldn't deny his intention to continue to flout the law. I can't redraw the districts. You can't redraw the districts. Only the council can redraw the districts, and Mr. Gahan and his cohort have no intention of doing so.
Over the course of the last 26 months, a lot of crap has been put out by the council, their lawyer, their supporters, and frankly, by people who have been fed a big lie, who've been told that this is an ANTI-DEMOCRATIC attempt to subvert democratic government, that the residents of New Albany who want to see the law followed could only be asking for it because they don't like the players.
Listen to me. IT IS WELL SETTLED LAW THAT LEGISLATIVE DISTRICTS MUST BE EQUAL IN POPULATION, or at least as equal as possible.
Now, it might once have been a little unsettled. Heck, there was a time when state legislative districts, and even congressional districts, were allowed to be unequal. But around 1960, the U.S. Supreme Court declared that state districts must be equal. The case is Baker v. Carr. EVERY LAWYER knows it. Since that time, the case law has been refined and since at least 1994 there has been absolutely no question that states and cities could not draw unequal districts.
Equal representation is a right. For every degree that districts are unequal, somebody is getting the shaft. Somebody is being over-represented at the expense of somebody in another, larger district.
That's not permitted. The Constitution of the United States requires equality.
But even if that weren't the case, the Indiana Code demands it. It's beyond belief that any council member or any lawyer could say that the law and the Constitution don't apply to New Albany.
We live in a strange place, but the last time I looked we were in Indiana and in The United States.
If Mr. Gahan and his, I have to say it, partners in crime, wish to operate under a different set of laws, they had better take it up with the legislature. I don't know how they can figure out how to secede from the United States, but maybe they can get Bill Cochran and Connie Sipes to push a special law exempting them from the law statute.
Even then, the U.S. Constitution will apply, so start figuring out which side you are on.
Are you on Jeff Gahan's side or the side of the law?
Are you on Diane McCartin-Benedetti's side or the side of the law?
Are you on Dan Coffey's side or the side of the law?
Are you on Steve Price's side or the side of the law?
Now, Steve Price (now) says "let's redraw the districts." Maybe he's sincere. ummhmm. Has he called for a special meeting of the council yet?
Side with the criminals or side with the law.
Side with the criminals or side with equal representation.
Side with the criminals or side with fair elections.
Side with the criminals or side with the rights of the people.
No individual OWNS a legislative seat. Mr. Gahan and his pals can't violate the law without paying the price.
Dismiss everything I've written here, if you will. But neither you nor Mr. Gahan will be able to dismiss the very same analysis when it is delivered from the bench of the U.S. Federal District Court.
And it will be. Soon.
Then, will you still be siding with the criminals? Or will you realize that YOU are being betrayed, that you are being treated like a tool, that you are being used to do someone else's dirty work and helping them steal democracy from New Albany?
I imagine some of you actually won't realize it. Happy lawbreaking!
P.S. Mayor England and his staff make a big deal about how they are "glad" they don't have to deal with this. Is that the kind of leadership that was expected? Should the mayor and his staff be "warning" people to "lay off?" Should Carl Malysz be wielding the power of his appointed office to intimidate residents. Should Mayor England be allowing that? It looks pretty fishy to me when the mayor and the council president are together working to foster such blatant lawbreaking.
But that's just my opinion. Just ask Steve Price if I'm entitled to it. Or better yet, ask Prosecutor Keith Henderson.
Representative government depends on each resident being able to count on equal representation.
In New Albany, Indiana, that is most definitely not the case. And a majority of the current city council couldn't care any less.
First, let's talk about the law.
IC 36-4-6-3 is the controlling statute. It requires the legislative body (the city council) to redraw its district boundaries every ten years.
After each decennial census - 1990, 2000, 2010 - local and state governments are provided with their official census numbers, their populations.
The population numbers for New Albany were reported in 2002.
In that year, the council was required to create six districts with populations that are equal, as nearly as possible.
That they did not do. A council that included Maury Goldberg, Dick Bliss, Larry Kochert, Bill Schmidt, and Dan Coffey could not or would not redraw the existing 1992 boundaries. Since 1992, populations have shifted significantly and New Albany has added a significant number of new residents by annexation.
As the story is reported, none of the council members elected from districts was willing to pick up new constituents or give up old ones.
That council was still arguing over districts in November of 2002 when state law kicked in, stopping in its tracks any efforts to redraw the districts. You see, council cannot redraw districts within one year of a city election. Since 2003 was an election year,waiting until mid-November to redraw was a fatal error.
What that meant was that all six of the members elected from districts in 2003 were elected from unequal districts, and they knew that. Democrat Beverly Crump defeated Republican Dick Bliss and was elected from the smallest district, District 5, with a population of approximately 5,300.
Meanwhile, in District 2, incumbent Democrat Bill Schmidt was elected to his final term, representing a district with a population of approximately 8,800.
Those are the extremes, but all six districts were either too large or too small, based on the 2000 U.S. Census.
That council was replaced in the 2007 elections, so those clearly illegitimate 2003 elections are a moot point.
But what is not moot is the legitimacy of the 2007 elections. We've now had two consecutive elections that were patently illegal.
Perhaps, PERHAPS, the 2003 election was understandable. The relevant statute both REQUIRED that sitting council to redistrict and PROHIBITED them from doing so after mid-November. No one challenged it, by the way, but it was nonetheless unlawful.
Which brings us to 2004, 2005, and 2006. No matter what happened in 2002, by 2004 the city council knew its districts did not comply with the law. The disproportionate populations were a matter of common knowledge and frequent conversation in the city. Many informal discussions of the situation took place. Though some council members today claim they "did not know," the truth is they DID.
In May of 2006, 20 residents filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, New Albany Branch, to compel the council to comply with the statute. The suit was filed at that time so that the council would have plenty of time to follow the law and not to repeat the willful disobedience seen in 2002.
Instead of moving immediately to comply with the law, the city council fought tooth and nail to continue to violate IC 36-4-6-3. As a consequence, ANOTHER election was held under an illegal district scheme. To date, the city council districts are severely out of balance, severely unequal, and clearly in violation of the law.
And for all six of the council members elected from districts, their right to continue to hold office is questionable.
Now, as I read the law, declaring those seats vacant might make no difference. Unless a court ordered it, no new elections would be held when those seats are declared vacant. On petition of a resident with standing (you, me, some other guy), a court will absolutely order the council to immediately redraw the districts to comply with the statute. There is zero chance that the city can win on that issue.
New districts that are equal WILL BE DRAWN and will be drawn THIS YEAR.
Additional remedies are up to the petitioners and the judge. If petitioners ask that the illegal seats be declared vacant, and I predict that will be part of a suit, the judge is more likely than not to grant that remedy.
What would likely happen then is that the Democratic Central Committee will scramble to appoint six council members. The Republicans won't be involved, because they have no party members elected from districts. In fact, the only Republican on the council is Kevin Zurschmiede, elected at-large. Since none of the at-large members were elected illegally, they would stay in office.
BUT WAIT.
The Democrats could not appoint replacements unless a legal district plan were in place. If there are only three legal council members,they could not act.
What a mess! All of this could have been avoided if the last council had acted in accordance with the law. And it probably wouldn't be necessary now if Jeff Gahan and a council majority would draw lawful districts now.
Instead, the council majority, and most particularly council president Gahan, are digging in. They say that they are no longer under any obligation to draw new districts.
THEY ARE WRONG!
Mr. Gahan has revealed his plan. Want to know what it is?
The Gahan plan is to conduct a THIRD election under the illegal districts, and I think he believes he can get away with it.
So. New Albany is in a pickle. The legitimacy of the city council, our legislative body, the people who authorize all spending of city funds, the people who decide where this city goes and how it gets there, the people who authorize us to borrow money, is at stake. Under the law, not one of the six members from the districts was elected legally.
Call it a gerrymander, call it an incumbent protection racket, call it whatever you want to call it. That's in the past, though.
What's at stake right now is the next election. Whether you are completely happy with your current council member, or totally appalled and embarrassed at who purports to represent you, you deserve to know three things.
One: Will the next election be fair if the districts are unequal? Two: Which of my neighbors will share the district with me? Three: Who is running or should be running?
You deserve certainty. The incumbents deserve certainty. New Albany deserves certainty and fairness.
Why is Jeff Gahan opposed to that? Why is Mr. Gahan saying we should let a third election be conducted under unequal districts that will be 19 years out of date?
Now, I've been talking about what you deserve. A lot of people who don't know me, don't understand me, and have no intention of getting to know me, everything I've said is being filtered through rumor and hatred.
But you know what? It doesn't matter.
It doesn't matter if you believe I favor redistricting because I want to "get" somebody, to take someone out. Maybe I do, maybe I don't. It doesn't matter. It makes no damn difference whether I or anyone else has a political agenda. It makes no difference if I or anyone else wants to replace a council member with someone else.
It's the law, completely and fully settled, that says the districts MUST be redrawn.
Shadow5, a blogger, put up a posting called "Twelve Questions." It deserves to be reposted here.
FIRST: Is the council obligated to redistrict? Yes. Indiana state law requires it.
SECOND: Has the council redrawn the boundaries? No. The districts today are the same as they were in 1992.
THIRD: What does the County Commission have to do with this? Nothing. They are not empowered to say or do anything with regard to the legislative districts of a city of the second class.
FOURTH: How about the County Clerk? Nope. The council does have to give the clerk ten days notice in certain instances and does have to implement elections based on the districts, but the clerk otherwise has nothing to say about it.
FIFTH: Who can redraw the districts? The council, and the council alone.
SIXTH: What if they don't? Or what if they draw illegal districts? Someone must ask a court to order it done.
SEVENTH: Does it matter? According to the U.S. Supreme Court, it does.
EIGHTH: What will happen if someone sues? The court will order the council to draw legal districts.
NINTH: What if the council refuses to draw legal districts? They could appeal the order, and lose, and appeal the order, and lose. Then they could be fined or jailed if they continue to refuse.
TENTH: Who would pay the fine? Probably the taxpayers.
ELEVENTH: If they go to jail, how would they get out? They wouldn't until they agree to draw legal districts.
TWELFTH: What if they agree to do it, but don't? They will go to jail again. See ELEVENTH question.
Wow.
But why would they even consider NOT redrawing the lines? Are they that dumb?
It appears that they might be. With Gahan taking the lead to propose doing nothing until 2012, he's lost all credibility as a legislator.
For a lawmaker, and make no mistake about it, that's precisely what a council member is, to advocate willful violation of the law, should be a disqualifying event. Whether you like Gahan or not, how could you vote for him when he admittedly is leading his colleagues to violate a law so fundamental to representative government?
Isn't that official misconduct? Is willful violation of the law a felony? As it stands right now, Mr. Gahan wouldn't deny his intention to continue to flout the law. I can't redraw the districts. You can't redraw the districts. Only the council can redraw the districts, and Mr. Gahan and his cohort have no intention of doing so.
Over the course of the last 26 months, a lot of crap has been put out by the council, their lawyer, their supporters, and frankly, by people who have been fed a big lie, who've been told that this is an ANTI-DEMOCRATIC attempt to subvert democratic government, that the residents of New Albany who want to see the law followed could only be asking for it because they don't like the players.
Listen to me. IT IS WELL SETTLED LAW THAT LEGISLATIVE DISTRICTS MUST BE EQUAL IN POPULATION, or at least as equal as possible.
Now, it might once have been a little unsettled. Heck, there was a time when state legislative districts, and even congressional districts, were allowed to be unequal. But around 1960, the U.S. Supreme Court declared that state districts must be equal. The case is Baker v. Carr. EVERY LAWYER knows it. Since that time, the case law has been refined and since at least 1994 there has been absolutely no question that states and cities could not draw unequal districts.
Equal representation is a right. For every degree that districts are unequal, somebody is getting the shaft. Somebody is being over-represented at the expense of somebody in another, larger district.
That's not permitted. The Constitution of the United States requires equality.
But even if that weren't the case, the Indiana Code demands it. It's beyond belief that any council member or any lawyer could say that the law and the Constitution don't apply to New Albany.
We live in a strange place, but the last time I looked we were in Indiana and in The United States.
If Mr. Gahan and his, I have to say it, partners in crime, wish to operate under a different set of laws, they had better take it up with the legislature. I don't know how they can figure out how to secede from the United States, but maybe they can get Bill Cochran and Connie Sipes to push a special law exempting them from the law statute.
Even then, the U.S. Constitution will apply, so start figuring out which side you are on.
Are you on Jeff Gahan's side or the side of the law?
Are you on Diane McCartin-Benedetti's side or the side of the law?
Are you on Dan Coffey's side or the side of the law?
Are you on Steve Price's side or the side of the law?
Now, Steve Price (now) says "let's redraw the districts." Maybe he's sincere. ummhmm. Has he called for a special meeting of the council yet?
Side with the criminals or side with the law.
Side with the criminals or side with equal representation.
Side with the criminals or side with fair elections.
Side with the criminals or side with the rights of the people.
No individual OWNS a legislative seat. Mr. Gahan and his pals can't violate the law without paying the price.
Dismiss everything I've written here, if you will. But neither you nor Mr. Gahan will be able to dismiss the very same analysis when it is delivered from the bench of the U.S. Federal District Court.
And it will be. Soon.
Then, will you still be siding with the criminals? Or will you realize that YOU are being betrayed, that you are being treated like a tool, that you are being used to do someone else's dirty work and helping them steal democracy from New Albany?
I imagine some of you actually won't realize it. Happy lawbreaking!
P.S. Mayor England and his staff make a big deal about how they are "glad" they don't have to deal with this. Is that the kind of leadership that was expected? Should the mayor and his staff be "warning" people to "lay off?" Should Carl Malysz be wielding the power of his appointed office to intimidate residents. Should Mayor England be allowing that? It looks pretty fishy to me when the mayor and the council president are together working to foster such blatant lawbreaking.
But that's just my opinion. Just ask Steve Price if I'm entitled to it. Or better yet, ask Prosecutor Keith Henderson.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
In the vault
Click to listen and learn!We have a few shows under our belt now. It's all public affairs programming so far, and it's all live. Thanks to all of you for making our launch a great success.
Like you, I'm always suspicious of people offering me "toolbars." Why would I hand a piece of my browser window to someone else?
But the community toolbar we're offering here might just be your ticket to the connections you need. Here's the current news ticker : "DNA Sells White House Center; Mayor Says City Will Throw End-of Summer Concert; Carroll to Stay On With City; Cassidy Challenges CM Price Over Slanders, Price Claims Entitlement to His "Opinion," Though He May Be Wrong; Council Disses Constitution; County Exploring New Income Tax; Heard on New Albany Now."
If you've listened to our most recent shows, you knew that. If you missed them, you can still listen to them in our archives.
The toolbar also includes a direct link to New Albany Now, always available anytime your browser is open. We don't even begin to try to change your home page (although we have a few suggestions). But, for example, if you want to know if NA Confidential, NA Girl, Shadow5, or the Highwaymen have a new blog post, the toolbar alerts you. It also gives you a dedicated pull-down menu to access this blog and others. The Tribune has its own feed, although they seem to be neglecting it. And we have your local weather available at a glance.
What I'm using most on this new community toolbar is a subtle reminder of which of my several e-mails have unread content. I don't have to open my e-mail program - I just glance up at the toolbar to see if there is anything new. There's even a subtle tone that sounds when a new one arrives. Of course, you would insert your e-mail accounts.
And every search (Google) puts a fraction of a penny toward keeping New Albany Now alive and growing. Download it. If you don't find it keeps you in touch with the New Albany communities, tell us what you'd like it to include. Or remove it if it doesn't deliver on its promise.
Our next scheduled and confirmed show is July 22 at 6 p.m. But I'm certain we'll be on the air before then, so check back with us. You can always check our schedule (and listen to the latest or on-the-air show) at our blogtalkradio hosting site.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
You've noticed that banner above, right? It's an easy way for you to support the show at no cost to you. The toolbar you download, if you use it, is a branded community toolbar that reminds you about the show. Using that toolbar to do your searches provides New Albany Now with a micropayment. The site links allow you to browse your usual Web sites, but easily find the show and this blog.
Our RSS feeds will tell you when your favorite New Albany interest sites, including the most influential blogs, are updated with new content. That includes The Tribune, although it seems their RSS feed site is being ignored. Let us know if we're overlooking an important local source of information that provides RSS feeds.
The ticker is our place to offer you news without filling your inbox with e-mails. We'll scroll important information, show announcements, and community news alerts there. The toolbar also has an easy way for you to be online and notice when new e-mail is received. Local weather is available any time you have your browser window open.
And we'll be customizing it further to make it truly a local resource. We welcome your suggestions for links.
Our RSS feeds will tell you when your favorite New Albany interest sites, including the most influential blogs, are updated with new content. That includes The Tribune, although it seems their RSS feed site is being ignored. Let us know if we're overlooking an important local source of information that provides RSS feeds.
The ticker is our place to offer you news without filling your inbox with e-mails. We'll scroll important information, show announcements, and community news alerts there. The toolbar also has an easy way for you to be online and notice when new e-mail is received. Local weather is available any time you have your browser window open.
And we'll be customizing it further to make it truly a local resource. We welcome your suggestions for links.
Friday, July 4, 2008
Questions Answered
You can check out our schedule any time at New Albany Now.
We've had more than a few questions about New Albany Now, so let's get right to them.
Your best and fastest way to keep up with the show is to subscribe using the RSS feeds in the column to the right. This page is your best portal to get the latest show, all our archived shows, or the live show during broadcast.
If you're at your computer and you have a microphone and speakers (or a mic/speaker headphone set), you can join the show as a caller by simply clicking to talk while the show is on the air. If you want to contribute or listen when you are away from your computer, call our New York switchboard at (347) 539-5928. Listen online until we bring you on live. If we have open lines, you can ask to listen live. There is no call screener.
We secure scheduled time slots, which are limited. But a show that is scheduled for one hour can go as long as two, if needed. The show is archived in its entirety, so if you miss a show you can listen later, usually within just a few minutes after we go off the air.
Our time (and our time slots) are limited, and we have any number of topics and guests to cover, but if you have a suggestion for us, please e-mail us at newalbanynow@gmail.com or just call in with your suggestion during our live shows. If you have an issue that you believe is being undercovered, and particularly if you'd like to be a guest, let us know. We can move quickly when events are breaking, and we can put a show on the air pretty quickly unless we already have a show scheduled that day.
We'll be happy to work with community groups who want to get the word out about events. We have purchased time opportunities, newsmaker guest interviews, and single-show sponsorships available.
Our commercial sponsors are elated to have a medium to reach our very motivated and local listeners. To be able to reach listeners motivated enough to log in live or later for news and information about our local community is a rare opportunity.
The show would be pretty dull if it were just me, your host, doing all the talking, so we encourage you to call us when you have something to say. Agree or disagree, we promise to treat you with the same courtesy you show us and our guests.
We have a great deal of flexibility, and this example of citizen broadcasting may be an answer to rebuilding that shared sense of community that many of us have missed in an era of media consolidation.
We plan to feature guests from the community, from businesses, and from our neighborhoods. Since it is a campaign season, we'll do our best to have all the candidates on for one-on-one discussions, and we'll expect them to take your calls. That means all candidates. If a candidate declines to speak to you potential voters, we'll just double the time for the candidate who wants to communicate to and with the people.
Later, we'll be setting up additional programming as requested by sponsors. Those may or may not be exclusively of local interest. For example, Destinations Booksellers has already committed to sponsoring six hour-long author interviews. Those should be of national interest.
Expect to see me around town with a digital recorder. If you have something to say, New Albany Now is the place to say it.
Let's hope we look back on this summer as a watershed moment for public participation in setting the agenda by sharing our collective views widely. Whether you call it broadcasting, Webcasting, or narrowcasting, no one can deny that we've needed this kind of forum for a long time.
We've had more than a few questions about New Albany Now, so let's get right to them.
Your best and fastest way to keep up with the show is to subscribe using the RSS feeds in the column to the right. This page is your best portal to get the latest show, all our archived shows, or the live show during broadcast.
If you're at your computer and you have a microphone and speakers (or a mic/speaker headphone set), you can join the show as a caller by simply clicking to talk while the show is on the air. If you want to contribute or listen when you are away from your computer, call our New York switchboard at (347) 539-5928. Listen online until we bring you on live. If we have open lines, you can ask to listen live. There is no call screener.
We secure scheduled time slots, which are limited. But a show that is scheduled for one hour can go as long as two, if needed. The show is archived in its entirety, so if you miss a show you can listen later, usually within just a few minutes after we go off the air.
Our time (and our time slots) are limited, and we have any number of topics and guests to cover, but if you have a suggestion for us, please e-mail us at newalbanynow@gmail.com or just call in with your suggestion during our live shows. If you have an issue that you believe is being undercovered, and particularly if you'd like to be a guest, let us know. We can move quickly when events are breaking, and we can put a show on the air pretty quickly unless we already have a show scheduled that day.
We'll be happy to work with community groups who want to get the word out about events. We have purchased time opportunities, newsmaker guest interviews, and single-show sponsorships available.
Our commercial sponsors are elated to have a medium to reach our very motivated and local listeners. To be able to reach listeners motivated enough to log in live or later for news and information about our local community is a rare opportunity.
The show would be pretty dull if it were just me, your host, doing all the talking, so we encourage you to call us when you have something to say. Agree or disagree, we promise to treat you with the same courtesy you show us and our guests.
We have a great deal of flexibility, and this example of citizen broadcasting may be an answer to rebuilding that shared sense of community that many of us have missed in an era of media consolidation.
We plan to feature guests from the community, from businesses, and from our neighborhoods. Since it is a campaign season, we'll do our best to have all the candidates on for one-on-one discussions, and we'll expect them to take your calls. That means all candidates. If a candidate declines to speak to you potential voters, we'll just double the time for the candidate who wants to communicate to and with the people.
Later, we'll be setting up additional programming as requested by sponsors. Those may or may not be exclusively of local interest. For example, Destinations Booksellers has already committed to sponsoring six hour-long author interviews. Those should be of national interest.
Expect to see me around town with a digital recorder. If you have something to say, New Albany Now is the place to say it.
Let's hope we look back on this summer as a watershed moment for public participation in setting the agenda by sharing our collective views widely. Whether you call it broadcasting, Webcasting, or narrowcasting, no one can deny that we've needed this kind of forum for a long time.
Help Make the Show Go
You can check out our schedule any time at New Albany Now.
Two shows are already scheduled early in the next week. First up is our recap (post-game?) coverage of the New Albany City Council actions on Monday night, July 7. We go live at 9 p.m in our first remote broadcast. Ron Campbell will be serving as your host-engineer, handling the switchboard, while I'll be broadcasting live from Studio's Restaurant and Pub, the new gathering place in the Bader building, 207 E. Main St. That's the former site of Connor's Place. There's a lot to discuss. The council will hold a hearing earlier in the evening to solicit public comment on the idea of banning smoking in New Albany workplaces. I'd expect a few callers on that topic. And the official action of the city's legislative body is always fuel for lively discussions.
The next evening, July 8, at 6 p.m., we'll have the Hon. Douglas B. England on for the scheduled hour. The mayor has been in office for six months now, and I know you have lots of questions for him. We'll take callers for as long as the mayor can stay with us and continue the discussion until you're all talked out.
Welcome to New Albany Now. Where else are you going to find a broadcast whose reason for being is to give New Albanians a way to communicate their views?
You know, this country has suffered over the past 25 years from unfettered media consolidation. Within our lifetimes you could find at least one local radio station focused on your city. But no more. Well, New Albany Now is here to tell you, local radio is back - oriented to local needs, local issues, and local interests.
We’ll also be talking about books on occasion, with local, national, and international figures from the publishing world – authors, editors, publishers, and publicists. We’ll be talking about the media, local, regional, and national. And we’ll be talking politics, too, especially in this pivotal election year.
Here’s how its going to work, though. We’ll do shows that you want to hear, that you want to contribute to with your calls and letters.
We created New Albany Now on http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ because we believe New Albany needs it.
Listen to us live, or listen any time from our archives. From your computer, just click to talk; the call is free via our VoIP phone lines. And when you can’t be at your computer, call us live at (347) 539-5928.
We’ll take your calls in sequence, so go ahead and call in and we’ll bring you on when we can.
When you’re at your computer listening to the live broadcast, we invite you to take advantage of our live chat tools. That’s just one more way you can contribute to New Albany Now AND it lets you continue the conversation with other listeners off the air.
Also, we invite you to e-mail us at newalbanynow@gmail.com, either during the show or at any time afterward. If you hear something on the show that you’d like to respond to, go ahead. We might just supplement the show archive by using your comment on the show blog at http://newalbanynow.blogspot.com/. Please understand that unless you specifically ask us to keep your comments anonymous, we’ll attribute it to you.
Finally, we're pouring a lot of resources into this venture, so when you hear our sponsors mentioned on the air, please consider giving them your patronage. And please tell them you heard their spot on New Albany Now.
Two shows are already scheduled early in the next week. First up is our recap (post-game?) coverage of the New Albany City Council actions on Monday night, July 7. We go live at 9 p.m in our first remote broadcast. Ron Campbell will be serving as your host-engineer, handling the switchboard, while I'll be broadcasting live from Studio's Restaurant and Pub, the new gathering place in the Bader building, 207 E. Main St. That's the former site of Connor's Place. There's a lot to discuss. The council will hold a hearing earlier in the evening to solicit public comment on the idea of banning smoking in New Albany workplaces. I'd expect a few callers on that topic. And the official action of the city's legislative body is always fuel for lively discussions.
The next evening, July 8, at 6 p.m., we'll have the Hon. Douglas B. England on for the scheduled hour. The mayor has been in office for six months now, and I know you have lots of questions for him. We'll take callers for as long as the mayor can stay with us and continue the discussion until you're all talked out.
Welcome to New Albany Now. Where else are you going to find a broadcast whose reason for being is to give New Albanians a way to communicate their views?
You know, this country has suffered over the past 25 years from unfettered media consolidation. Within our lifetimes you could find at least one local radio station focused on your city. But no more. Well, New Albany Now is here to tell you, local radio is back - oriented to local needs, local issues, and local interests.
We’ll also be talking about books on occasion, with local, national, and international figures from the publishing world – authors, editors, publishers, and publicists. We’ll be talking about the media, local, regional, and national. And we’ll be talking politics, too, especially in this pivotal election year.
Here’s how its going to work, though. We’ll do shows that you want to hear, that you want to contribute to with your calls and letters.
We created New Albany Now on http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ because we believe New Albany needs it.
Listen to us live, or listen any time from our archives. From your computer, just click to talk; the call is free via our VoIP phone lines. And when you can’t be at your computer, call us live at (347) 539-5928.
We’ll take your calls in sequence, so go ahead and call in and we’ll bring you on when we can.
When you’re at your computer listening to the live broadcast, we invite you to take advantage of our live chat tools. That’s just one more way you can contribute to New Albany Now AND it lets you continue the conversation with other listeners off the air.
Also, we invite you to e-mail us at newalbanynow@gmail.com, either during the show or at any time afterward. If you hear something on the show that you’d like to respond to, go ahead. We might just supplement the show archive by using your comment on the show blog at http://newalbanynow.blogspot.com/. Please understand that unless you specifically ask us to keep your comments anonymous, we’ll attribute it to you.
Finally, we're pouring a lot of resources into this venture, so when you hear our sponsors mentioned on the air, please consider giving them your patronage. And please tell them you heard their spot on New Albany Now.
Randy Smith, Show Host
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Upcoming Shows: Mayor England on Tuesday at 6 p.m.
You can check out our schedule any time at New Albany Now.
On Monday, July 7, we've scheduled a call-in show to follow the meeting of the New Albany City Council. We'll go live at 9 p.m. and start taking callers shortly after that.
The next evening at 6 p.m. we're pleased to have the Hon. Douglas B. England as a call-in guest. Mayor England will be with us for the entire hour and has agreed to take questions and comments from callers.
You can join the conversation by calling New Albany Now's New York switchboard at (347) 539-5928, or by "Clicking" the talk button on your computer screen if you have a built-in or plug-in microphone. Click-to-talk calls are free over our VOIP network.
Allow me to remind you that while New Albany Now is a volunteer effort, we are seeking sponsors to defray the costs of production. When you patronize a business or other concern that deigns to sponsor our show, please tell them you heard their messages on our show.
If you're not yet comfortable with commenting on blogs, or if you'd prefer to communicate with the show privately, we can be reached by e-mail at newalbanynow@gmail.com.
On Monday, July 7, we've scheduled a call-in show to follow the meeting of the New Albany City Council. We'll go live at 9 p.m. and start taking callers shortly after that.
The next evening at 6 p.m. we're pleased to have the Hon. Douglas B. England as a call-in guest. Mayor England will be with us for the entire hour and has agreed to take questions and comments from callers.
You can join the conversation by calling New Albany Now's New York switchboard at (347) 539-5928, or by "Clicking" the talk button on your computer screen if you have a built-in or plug-in microphone. Click-to-talk calls are free over our VOIP network.
Allow me to remind you that while New Albany Now is a volunteer effort, we are seeking sponsors to defray the costs of production. When you patronize a business or other concern that deigns to sponsor our show, please tell them you heard their messages on our show.
If you're not yet comfortable with commenting on blogs, or if you'd prefer to communicate with the show privately, we can be reached by e-mail at newalbanynow@gmail.com.
Re: The Importance of Neighborhood Schools
The first show for New Albany Now is in the archives now, and we'll use this blog to clarify and comment on the show. The blog will be show related and we'll try to separate it from our other Web logs as much as we can.
Thank you to the members of F.O.S.S.E., the Friends of Silver Street Elementary, who so warmly embraced the opportunity to talk on our first show. Our guests included Jeremy Finn of Beeler Street and the Silver Grove Neighborhood Association. My apologies to Jeremy if I cut you off prematurely. I recall that your wife had an outstanding suggestion for the school board and I probably dumped on your opportunity to share that with a wider public.
Kathy Ayres, chairman of F.O.S.S.E. and a resident member of the new Glenwood Place Neighborhood Association joined us for the entire show. Norma Condra, the incoming co-president of the Silver Street Elementary School PTO and a resident member of the Depauw Avenue Neighborhood Association joined us later.
As we write this, our statistics indicate that almost 100 Netizen locations have listened to the show in archive format, joining 15 live listeners and 5 call-in listeners or callers. I'm content with that for a first show.
During the show, a chat line was available to listeners. Unfortunately, I assumed that no one would be using it, so I minimized my screen. Perhaps I should have kept it on the desktop, because a number of listeners were able to amplify, clarify, and correct some of the things we discussed or said on the Webcast.
By e-mail at newalbanynow@gmail.com, B corrected a slip. Depauw Avenue has not been designated as a "historic district," which triggers certain covenants and protections for historic properties. Instead, with the assistance of the Historic Preservation Commission of the City of New Albany, the Depauw Avenue area was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. There is a difference, just to be accurate.
On in-show chat (and you can chat after the show, too), we received these corrections:
Silver Street Elementary School was named an "Exemplary" school in 2006 and 2008, not, as a caller asserted, for the second year in a row.
BG reminded us that FOSSE has a blog of their own, http://savesilverstreet.blogspot.com/, where you can keep up-to-date with the effort to persuade the powers that be that SSE is too valuable to shut down.
Kathy Ayres, our on-air guest, wanted to make sure to invite the parents and stakeholders from the Pine View Elementary are to attend the FOSSE meetings. I think we all agree that the current process isn't served by "taking sides" and letting the decision come down to "which" school to close instead of whether any school should be sacrificed in the name of efficiency.
And Kathy also tells us that SSE has had full-day kindergarten for at least five years, not the one year that Jeremy and I agreed sounded right. I did not know that. I thought the only full-day kindergarten program was at Mt. Tabor Elementary before the 2007-2008 school year.
Disappointing, to a certain degree, was the lack of participation from the folks from the Pine View district. I had expected calls. Wonder what happened there?
Thank you to the members of F.O.S.S.E., the Friends of Silver Street Elementary, who so warmly embraced the opportunity to talk on our first show. Our guests included Jeremy Finn of Beeler Street and the Silver Grove Neighborhood Association. My apologies to Jeremy if I cut you off prematurely. I recall that your wife had an outstanding suggestion for the school board and I probably dumped on your opportunity to share that with a wider public.
Kathy Ayres, chairman of F.O.S.S.E. and a resident member of the new Glenwood Place Neighborhood Association joined us for the entire show. Norma Condra, the incoming co-president of the Silver Street Elementary School PTO and a resident member of the Depauw Avenue Neighborhood Association joined us later.
As we write this, our statistics indicate that almost 100 Netizen locations have listened to the show in archive format, joining 15 live listeners and 5 call-in listeners or callers. I'm content with that for a first show.
During the show, a chat line was available to listeners. Unfortunately, I assumed that no one would be using it, so I minimized my screen. Perhaps I should have kept it on the desktop, because a number of listeners were able to amplify, clarify, and correct some of the things we discussed or said on the Webcast.
By e-mail at newalbanynow@gmail.com, B corrected a slip. Depauw Avenue has not been designated as a "historic district," which triggers certain covenants and protections for historic properties. Instead, with the assistance of the Historic Preservation Commission of the City of New Albany, the Depauw Avenue area was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. There is a difference, just to be accurate.
On in-show chat (and you can chat after the show, too), we received these corrections:
Silver Street Elementary School was named an "Exemplary" school in 2006 and 2008, not, as a caller asserted, for the second year in a row.
BG reminded us that FOSSE has a blog of their own, http://savesilverstreet.blogspot.com/, where you can keep up-to-date with the effort to persuade the powers that be that SSE is too valuable to shut down.
Kathy Ayres, our on-air guest, wanted to make sure to invite the parents and stakeholders from the Pine View Elementary are to attend the FOSSE meetings. I think we all agree that the current process isn't served by "taking sides" and letting the decision come down to "which" school to close instead of whether any school should be sacrificed in the name of efficiency.
And Kathy also tells us that SSE has had full-day kindergarten for at least five years, not the one year that Jeremy and I agreed sounded right. I did not know that. I thought the only full-day kindergarten program was at Mt. Tabor Elementary before the 2007-2008 school year.
Disappointing, to a certain degree, was the lack of participation from the folks from the Pine View district. I had expected calls. Wonder what happened there?
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