Noticing that y’all tend not to comment on individual items on my virtual front pages (which I confess is a disappointment to me), I thought I’d set up this separate post for this subject.
After a good bit of back-and-forth, and seeking legal opinions, etc., Columbia City Council voted unanimously to go ahead and choose E.W. Cromartie’s replacement on the same ballot as the mayoral election that is almost upon us.
This means, to me, that the likely winner will be either a) someone personally chosen by Cromartie himself whom he can shepherd to victory with a word here and there, or b) someone really prominent in his or her own right already who will not be hobbled by lack of name recognition. Because there’s not a heap of time left for an unknown to become known. And no time to raise money to spend on becoming known. On the other hand, there should be enough news coverage of this abbreviated race (“free media”) to make up for that.
Anything can happen, and it’s going to happen fast.
Any other thoughts.
I did post on the “front page” regarding this, but here are some more thoughts:
I am glad City Council did not flout the law and encourage a lawsuit. What Ken Gaines was thinking, I cannot fathom. That said, perhaps the state election laws also need some scrutiny.–but I guess the Legislature is too busy with nullification.
Nice editorial by Warren Bolton, I thought. He didn’t pull a whole lot of punches, unlike the fawning politicos. EW was a disgrace, and gave plenty of fuel to race-haters.
As far as not being a slumlord, I guess it has to do with how you define slumlord. The president of a neighborhood association for a neighborhood in which EW owns plenty of properties can show you evidence that would seem to support the claim.
Warren did miss the opportunity to run a parallel between EW on the front-loader for the Read ST homes and the bulldozers that bulldozed at least one of his rental shacks.
Thanks, Kathryn. And folks, here’s the Warren Bolton column she’s referring to.
Good job, Warren.
Seems like a good job for Mr. Brad Warthen.
Why not?
You should ask your ol’ buddy Coble why they ramrodded this through knowing exactly what you just wrote. Corruption is alive and well within city council even though the head just got cut off.
Coble, Devine and I’m sure there are more are nearly as shady as Cromartie… they just haven’t gotten caught yet. Any word on why the lie detector test? Word on the street is to discuss drugs being sold in his liquor store.
Thanks for the thought, Doug, but I have a big Why Not — I don’t live in the district.
For that matter, I don’t even live in the city. But I hope to remedy that if I can ever get my house sold…
So let me get this straight? You’re voluntarily leaving Lexington and Lexington County for Columbia and Richland County? So when did you come to the conclusion that you don’t pay enough in taxes and fees where you are now? I left that hell-hole 7 years ago and have never regretted it, I only go back there to work.
I really don’t miss the leafrakers who think it’s good business sense to ring doorbells at 7:00 on Sunday mornings. I also haven’t had anything stolen out of my yard since moving to Lexington, which is not what I can say about living in Shandon.
I know that I am commenting way outside my understanding of election laws; however, moving the entire City election to November (permanently) seemed to be the way to go here – for everyone in Columbia. But then my grasp of petty politics is a little sounder . . .