One of my colleagues who attended the Columbia city candidates’ debate last week told me that Mayor Bob Coble got pretty passionate about the issues.
In fact, on one occasion, he said he "violently" disagreed with the idea that part of the old CCI should have been preserved as a tourist attraction. When I heard that, my eyebrows went up at the idea of our studiously self-effacing Mayor Bob losing control of his emotions to such an extent.
Perhaps the mayor saw eyebrows also go up in the live audience, because he quickly added:
"… not physically, but violently…"
I’m sure all eyebrows went back down at that. The world was still in its proper shape, and everyone felt safe.
Related Posts
Maybe this would be a more entertaining topic
Bill allows foreign prisons to house S.C. inmates
People are fascinated by crime, criminals, and ultimately their incarcerations and penalties. Reference the success of all the police and crime shows on TV and movies. Dublin, Ireland has made a real success with their “gaol” as a tourist attraction. So, it can be done and may add a real element of history and attraction to Columbia. Every little bit helps when promoting a city.
Kevin Fisher’s proposal to keep Cell Block One as a prison museum for tourists to be regaled with “the legends of Pee Wee Gaskins…” is a mistake for many reasons. First and foremost, Mr. Gaskins was a mass murderer who plead guilty to killing 12 people (including a 6 month old baby and a pregnant woman). His history should not be gloried by a museum in downtown Columbia to review his “legends” (Kevin’s word).
Mayor Bob, When you take a tour of Boston you will be routed to the apartment (above a pub) of the Boston Strangler. If you tour Dallas you will see the Texas School Book Depository. I could cite hundreds of examples of history, albeit ugly, that people are interested in paying to see. The Dublin prison I noted above has been used as the site for several movies. The first president of Ireland was imprisoned there pre-1919 along with famous murderers and IRA terrorists. Finally, if we wanted to demolish all the historical scenes of a crime, we would need to take down Williams-Bryce. I think there was at least one massacre there, 63 to 17 in 2003 committed by the Clemson Tigers.
I am more concerned about the current crime of the city funneling millions of taxpayer dollars into subsidies for private developers of CCI.
Competent and honest government would have been able to demolish the prison and redevelop the site without any tax money being spent.
But we have a government owned by real estate developers who mooch off the taxpayers through the puppets and cronies they have placed at all levels of government.
Wasn’t the prison built/used for prisoners during the civil war? If that’s true, maybe for that reason it might have made an interesting historic site for visitors.
The heritage of Columbia as the first planned city in the New World, and its role in the War Between the States are downplayed by the liberals who are ashamed of all of Western Civilization.
They want attract tourists with the same steak houses and bars that are in every other town. What a doomed marketing plan that is!
Thank you Mayor Bob for having emotions that are real. You are more of a real human being and an everyday person than any politian I have ever seen or heard of. It is ridiculous that anyone would slam you for being “passionate” about any issue. Please don’t change the people of Columbia believe in you.
What are the candidate’s positions on new city ordinances denying any government contracts to firms who use illegal immigrant labor?