Category Archives: Midlands

Get ready to read a book, y’all — One Book

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Belinda Gergel called me — and 150 or so other people — a week or two ago and asked me to be part of the effort to get Columbia to read a book together.

She called me because I’d been there before. Way back at the end of the last century, I read something about the Seattle librarian who came up with this idea to get everybody in the city to read a book together. The idea caught on, and other cities started doing thesame. I asked why not Columbia as well (or did I ask why not South Carolina? I forget, and can’t find my columns about it)? The idea appealed to my communitarianism. I’m all about reading, and books, and ideas, and when I’m reading a book I like to talk about it, and I could think of few things cooler than reading a really good book, and wanting to talk about it, and then having the satisfaction of everybody else I ran into having read it, too. Y’all are familiar with my frustration that it’s hard to find anyone other than Mike Fitts who is as into the Aubrey/Maturin universe as I am — Tolkien fanatics have their support groups, but what about those of us who want to read O’Brian over and over? Confession here — I’m now progressing (if one can call such “Groundhog Day” repetition progress) through my fifth reading of Desolation Island. Anyone want to talk about the charms of Mrs. Wogan, or the horror of seeing the Waakzaamheid go down with all hands in the Roaring Forties? Anyone? Anyone? That’s what I thought.

But I digress, as usual.

Claudia Brinson and I, with the help of some nice folks over at the SC Arts Commission, then launched an effort to get everyone to read Fahrenheit 451. My choice, of course. And it was moderately successful — I spoke to some book clubs that joined in the effort. Then we were going to do it again, but we couldn’t agree on a book (the committee wanted to go in one direction, I wanted to go in another), and it just sort of petered out.

But now Belinda, and the Richland County Public Library, are launching the effort on a grander scale. The above picture is from a reception at the library Thursday night, where Belinda addressed the core group she had assembled so she could send us out as book missionaries. We got buttons to wear and everything (I still have a bag full of buttons with the numbers “451” in flames, which I ran across when I was cleaning out my office at The State.) The reception was nice, although I didn’t see any beer. Just wine. Belinda urged us to enjoy ourselves but to be in by 2 a.m. That got a good laugh, as everyone imagined this bookish crowd running riot in the streets into the wee hours.

Here’s some info Belinda sent out after the reception:

What is One Book, One Columbia?

The City of Columbia and Richland County Public Library (RCPL) have joined forces to launch their first citywide reading adventure, One Book, One Columbia, and all residents of Columbia and Richland County are invited to read the book between April 1 and May 15 then share their experiences with friends and neighbors. Numerous discussions and programs centered around the book will take place during the reading period.

What book has been selected?

The first selection for this annual occurrence is Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters’ First 100 Years by AmyHill Hearth, Elizabeth Delany and Sarah Delany. This best-selling book tells the story of two remarkable sisters, career trailblazers, who charted their own path in the world, guided by the strength they gained from faith and family. The incredible stories of “Queen Bess” and “Sweet Sadie,” as they were known to their family, were captured by one-time Columbia resident and author Amy Hill Hearth. Upon its publication in 1993, The New York Times said of Having Our Say: “The Delany sisters were taught to participate in history, not just witness it, and they have the wit to shape their history with style… they make each memory vivid…they are literature’s living kin.”

How can I participate?

Read the book

The book is available at RCPL locations, or is available for purchase at Barnes and Noble and other retailers.

Talk to your family, friends, and neighbors about the book

Get your friends and family in on the act! An important aspect of the One Book experience is talking about what you read with others. Be on the lookout for residents wearing a One Book, One Columbia button around town – these Reading Advocates will definitely be ready to talk Having Our Say!

Participate in a One Book, One Columbia book club or event

RCPL will have special One Book, One Columbia book club meetings and events throughout April and early May at their branches. Other community organizations are getting creative with their plans: discussions, art, historic tours, and activities for kids are just a few of the ways the community has embraced the One Book, One Columbia effort. Visit www.myrcpl.com/onebook for full details.

Get connected

Visit the One Book, One Columbia page on Facebook and “like” to get all of the latest news.

I invite all of y’all to get involved, especially if you’re in a book club or something.

Now, before you say, “But that book doesn’t interest me,” allow me to be brutally honest, or perversely contrarian, or whatever: I wouldn’t have picked this book, either. It’s the kind that most modern book-clubby people would pick. It’s definitely the kind Belinda would pick — hey, it’s the kind of book Belinda would write. But it’s not exactly the first thing I’d grab off the shelf.

How should I put this? There’s a cultural divide here, perhaps effectively symbolized by the fact that there was wine at the reception, but no beer. I’m not saying that to be critical, far from it. I’m just… well, I’ll get to my point in a minute. I’m just saying, different strokes and all that.

This is related to the trouble we had coming up with a second book back when I tried to start a movement like this. I wanted to read another book like the Bradbury one. I wanted something else from the modern canon, the kinds of books that were required reading when I was in high school: 1984, The Sun Also Rises, Brave New World, Crime and Punishment if we wanted to get heavy, Catch-22, Steppenwolf, Stranger in a Strange Land, or if we wanted to be more modern, High Fidelity. I definitely would have been up for Huck Finn. The rest of the committee wanted … something by a contemporary author, someone one could invite to come speak and participate, preferably Southern, probably a woman. Hey, I was willing to read a book by a woman — but the committee rejected To Kill a Mockingbird, probably because they thought it too obvious or trite or whatever.

Thing is, there aren’t many books by living authors that interest me enough to want to read them with a group and discuss them. And I’ve also got this thing of wanting to read books I like over and over. (How about that Mrs. Wogan, huh? Anyone?) But there’s also the problem that I’m not that interested in the kinds of books that book clubs read. The last time I knew of a book club reading a book I wanted to read (aside from the Bradbury book, and I instigated that), it was James Fallows’ Breaking The News: How the Media Undermine American Democracy, which I had reviewed in the paper and a Heathwood book club asked me to address them about. That was 1996. Mostly, book clubs want to read, well, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother or some such.

This book that Columbia is going to read isn’t exactly that, but it isn’t exactly the sort of thing I usually read, either. It’s… social history, judging it by its cover. I’m an old-school Great Men Fighting Wars kind of history buff, and that’s what I tend to read when I read nonfiction.

Which is why — and this is where I come to my point (remember, I promised I would) — it’s probably a good idea for me to read this book. And why you probably should, too. Broaden our horizons.

Also, I’ve promised I would. I’ve been wearing the button and everything. I’d best go get a copy. I’ll keep you posted — and we can discuss it. Which will be cool.

The kind of biographies I USUALLY read...

Good luck with that, Mayor Steve

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When you make yourself available, you never know who's gonna show up. Like, check out the geek with the bow tie. You know HE'S trouble.../2010 photo by Bob Ford

Just read this in Steve Benjamin’s monthly newsletter:

Mondays with the Mayor

Ensuring the City of Columbia is open and accountable to all of the people has been a priority of mine from day one because, for me, government transparency is about living up to that most fundamental commitment: the people deserve the truth.

From moving council to evening meetings, working to limit executive session, and streaming every city council meeting live online; we are working live up to that responsibility and today I am pleased to announce a new initiative to further that cause: “Mondays with the Mayor.”

Kicking off on March 7th, “Mondays with the Mayor” is a monthly open session where citizens can schedule a 5 minute meeting here at City Hall to discuss the issues they care about with me personally.

WHAT: Mondays with the Mayor
WHEN: Monday, March 7, 2011
5:00pm to 7:00pm
WHERE: City Hall
1737 Main Street

To schedule a meeting, please call 803.545.3073 or email[email protected] on Friday, March 4th between 9:00am and 11:00am. The message should include your name, address, phone number, and issue to be discussed.

I believe that, by working together as One Columbia, we can raise the standard for citizen driven good government not just in South Carolina, but across the nation.

I believe we can make a difference.

First, hats off to the mayor for his commitment to openness and transparency. He’s acted quickly on several front to demonstrated that commitment, and praise is due to the council for its part in implementing such steps.

As for this one-at-a-time levee he plans — I hope it is everything a true lower-case-d democrat could wish for. But I also cringe a bit.

Admittedly, this may be partly because I just watched “Taxi Driver” all the way through last night for the first time, and that scene in which Travis Bickle has presidential candidate Charles Palantine in his cab. The candidate oozes transparently bogus mutterings about how he loves to hear the wisdom of cabbies like Travis, to which Travis responds with a skin-crawling diatribe on how the city is nothing but filth, and the next president should “flush” it all away — making the candidate very eager to get the heck outta that cab.

I’m sure it won’t be like that. And I’m sure it will be far better managed than the time that Andy Jackson threw open the doors of the White House for an inaugural backwoods kegger.

But… if you’ve spent as many hundreds of ours of your life in public meetings as I have, you know that there are certain people, who are not representative of the people overall, who love to show up and monopolize such affairs. Perhaps the 5-minute limit will take care of that.

But still… Again, I’m proud of the mayor for this fine gesture of openness. Lord knows we need more of that in South Carolina. And at the same time, I’m glad it’s him and not me spending two hours a month in the political equivalent of speed-dating.

The inside tale of the curfew/closings deal

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As y’all may or may not know, Kathryn Fenner — who is very involved in the community in divers ways — was in the middle of a group of citizens who helped work out the compromise on Columbia’s efforts to get some modicum of control over the less savory facets of its nightlife.

We’ve had discussions here about the proposed youth curfew, and the proposal that bars close at 2 a.m., but as the discussion has progressed, I’ve sort of fallen behind on what was happening. Kathryn has not, and she has sent me all sorts of documents (which I have not found time to read) and great sources (whom I have not found time to interview), and I was feeling all guilty about it, and then it occurred to me to fall back on my default mode, after all those years as an assigning editor: Get somebody else to do it.

And since Kathryn already knew all of this stuff, why not her? Yeah, I know; it’s unconventional, and single-source, and she’s too involved, yadda-yadda. But this is NEW media, people. And I figure, this is just like an op-ed from an involved party, which gives readers deeper understanding of an issue from at least one viewpoint. I will be very glad to consider contributions from other viewpoints, but I make no promises. This is an experiment. We’ll see how it goes.

Anyway, here’s Kathryn’s version of events. (FYI, I have NOT edited it, because, well, that would be too much work and defeat the purpose of foisting it off on someone else. So this is her authentic voice, you might say. Yeah, that’s what it is…):

Making Hospitality Districts Hospitable

By Kathryn B. Fenner
Special Correspondent
Less than a year ago, police, patrons and the public at large began to notice an increase in unpleasantness in the hospitality districts, particularly Five Points, but the Vista and the area around Club Dreams across from City Hall also had issues. People were drunker; bands of teenagers too young to even enter a bar were crowding the sidewalks, intimidating people and even brandishing weapons. Bars were severely overcrowded—some holding three times more than their safe occupancy. Street crime was rampant. There were several shootings that appeared to involve minors, some of whom ran into the surrounding residential areas, and severe assaults, including one that resulted in permanent eye damage and reconstructive plastic surgery, on random bystanders that seemed to be some sort of gang initiation.
The police started a discussion to try to solve these problems. By midsummer, a task force of stakeholders was formed including bar owners; representatives from the merchants’, neighborhood and industry associations; the University of South Carolina police and student life heads; law enforcement (Columbia police and the Richland County Sheriff’s Department) and fire marshals; and city staffers, and chaired by Tom Sponseller, head of both the Midlands and state hospitality organizations. Everyone (and his brother or sister) was heard from, including the police chief from Greenville, who reported that the city’s curfew ordinance,
which applies only to the Reedy River area, had been implemented without a hitch—all parents came and got their kids, and there were few incidents because it was implemented after an extensive publicity campaign, a Myrtle Beach police representative, and former Fire Chief Bradley Anderson who did extensive research into practices employed across the country to calm hospitality districts.
The original push was to close all bars at 2 a.m. While bars could not serve liquor after 2 a.m., they could serve beer, wine and the malt beverages—including the notorious sweet, caffeinated alcoholic “energy drinks” like Four Loko (“a six-pack in a can”) that seemed to be major fuel to the drunkenness of younger patrons—until 4 a.m., except for Sundays. They never needed to actually close their doors. The bars countered that the problems were caused by the kids who had no business, literally, in the districts, and proposed a curfew. Additional issues included a toothless loitering law that had been used to stifle civil rights protests, an open container law that required the cops to establish the grain alcohol content of said open container, an over-occupancy penalty that was laughably light and applied only to whoever happened to be on the door that night, and virtually no enforcement of state liquor laws, because of a reduction in SLED agents statewide from 46 to 1.5, the nonparticipation of the Columbia police in the training that would have enabled them to enforce liquor laws, and overworked administrative law judges who perhaps did not appreciate the seriousness of the issues facing denser districts.
Police and fire marshals were often pulling double duty to work the “party nights” and were exhausted. The city courts were doing the best they could with a system of logging violations that relied on a huge book of dot-matrix paper and many handwritten entries. A record number of students at USC were transported to emergency rooms with alcohol poisoning.
A compromise was proposed that drew from the Myrtle Beach statute (bars in other South Carolina cities with dense hospitality districts tended to close at 2 a.m.). Myrtle Beach also had a blanket 2 a.m. closing unless bars obtained a permit to stay open until 4. These bars were required to show proof of liquor liability insurance, to have specified numbers of security personnel, to train staff in safe-serving practices and compliance with applicable laws and, famously, not to have wet T-shirt contests or drinking games. Failure to abide by the rules resulted in swift and certain punishment, and the bars largely policed themselves and one another. The compromise also included a curfew for children 17 and under, at 11 p.m. year round, based on police desires to be able to deal with the bulk of violators before the onslaught of bar patrons began at around 12:30. A special team of law enforcement, fire marshals, code enforcement, zoning and business license staff would be trained in the particulars of hospitality zone issues. Finally, a quality public relations campaign would be implemented regarding the curfew, sensible alcohol consumption and good personal safety practices. Additional, “optional” recommendations included a tighter open container law and stiffer penalties for over-occupancy.
The compromise package was unanimously approved by the task force and presented to City Council for approval. At this writing, the bifurcated closing ordinance has been enacted, the hospitality enforcement team is being formed and the curfew has received the first of two required readings. City Attorney Ken Gaines has raised concerns about the constitutionality of the curfew ordinance, and after City Council waived its attorney-client confidentiality rights, he opined that a federal court decision in Dallas required that certain findings of harm caused to or by juveniles be made, which findings could not be made by the Columbia police
because the data had not been collected. The American Civil Liberties Union has threatened a lawsuit if a curfew is enacted, although it has not sued Greenville.

WHO is the city attorney’s client?

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I’d like to add my agreement to this morning’s editorial in The State, and elaborate on it:

IT HAS BECOME almost routine that when Columbia city attorney Ken Gaines speaks, the City Council listens — behind closed doors….

With citizens across Columbia following City Council’s deliberations over a possible curfew for teens, Mr. Gaines refused to discuss concerns he had in the open, saying that if he did so, he would violate attorney-client privilege. City officials were concerned about such questions as who would retain custody and whether the city would be liable for the safety of children who were taken into custody for breaking the curfew if their parents refused to pick them up.

Likewise, during a recent work session on a proposed ban on texting while driving, Mr. Gaines said he wanted to meet with City Council members in a closed-door session to discuss “legal issues” about potential problems with the restriction.

Mr. Gaines’ thoughts undoubtedly could affect the council’s actions. It does the public a disservice when policy is being shaped behind closed doors instead of in full public view.

We understand that the council will sometimes go into executive session to receive advice on active lawsuits — or even pending ones. What’s problematic is when closed-door meetings are held to receive information from the city’s lawyer about whether to approve or change a policy or ordinance the public must adhere to….

But we don’t believe for a second that this [the council’s interpretation] is what the Legislature had in mind when it wrote this law. After all, legislators routinely receive legal advice in open meetings about bills they are debating — because they understand that the advice is first and foremost part of the debate, which needs to be public. Apparently local officials need some help understanding this. The Legislature should change the law to make it clear that local bodies can lock out the public to talk to their attorneys only to discuss an actual legal challenge — not one that they or their lawyer imagine might someday be brought if they adopt a certain ordinance.

In the meantime, Columbia City Council and other local governments would do well to remember that while the law allows public bodies to go behind closed doors to discuss legal matters, it doesn’t require them to. City Council members should direct Mr. Gaines to share information affecting public policy in the open.

Amen. Now, here’s a thought I’d like to see further developed…

Who is the city attorney’s client? I would say it is the citizenry. I’m simply basing this assertion on reason and my understanding of representative democracy, not on a technical legal reading. But I’d love to see someone test it in court.

And even if what I’m saying is not the way it is, I’m quite sure that’s the way it should be.

As I see it, council members are the citizens’ agents, and not the principals, in this attorney-client relationship. Under this interpretation, the only way there would be attorney-client privilege allowing for closed doors (under the canons of the profession, not the FOI statute specifically) would be when the attorney is representing council members as individuals, because they have been specifically named in a lawsuit. (And then we could have a separate debate about whether the city attorney should be representing them, as opposed to their engaging private counsel. I’d be inclined to say that we the people should extend them that help when they are sued for actions performed as part of their official duties, but depending on the case, I could see debating the point.)

Bottom line, there is no justification for privilege in these policy discussions (the specific cases cited in the editorial), either under FOI law or the rules of professional responsibility.

Would any lawyers like to jump in on this? Perhaps not, after the scary warnings I heard the other day from Barbara Seymour about the dangers to attorneys’ engaging in social media, but I can always hope…

I say it again: City doing what it has to do on buses

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As we saw yesterday:

Columbia residents — homeowners and renters, churches and nonprofits, businesses and schools — will pay for the area’s struggling bus system through an increase on their power bills

City Council approved the increase Tuesday night with a 5-2 vote after a contentious, two-hour public hearing that included a retired Detroit cop calling council members “enlightened despots” and a retired federal prosecutor asking council members to slap him if he got too excited “because I promised my wife I would behave up here.”

The city charges SCE&G a 3 percent franchise fee for the right to run power lines in the public right of way. SCE&G passes that fee along to its customers. Tuesday night, City Council members increased the fee to 5 percent. The amount of the fee varies by customer, depending on the size of a customer’s bill. A charge of $100, for example, would be assessed a $5 franchise fee.

Hey, at least the ex-cop called them “enlightened,” huh? She thinks the city’s leaders don’t get it, saying, “Voters told you ‘no’ to a tax hike. You lost.” What she doesn’t get is that the city has a responsibility to provide this service, and if one way of paying for it doesn’t pan out, the council has to find another way. Besides, as Tameika Devine explained, voters in the city voted for the referendum.

Anyway, as I said before, the slight majority of Richland County voters who turned down a perfectly workable, practical way of paying for the service left city council with little choice. No, I take that back: The city could have chosen to be irresponsible, and let county council continue to carry the burden with its unpopular vehicle tax. But that would not have been a long-term solution. And by “long-term,” I mean a solution that lasts until the referendum is placed on the ballot again, and passes.

Thanks for the input; here’s what I said today

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Thanks so much for y’all’s last-minute help with my Health & Happiness routine today. I used a lot of it, as you will see if you peruse my script I threw together… Note that the parts that I struck through were the bits that I cut when President Robin said I needed to keep it short. She’s always telling me to keep it short; don’t know why.

Anyway, here you go:

HEALTH AND HAPPINESS, 2/14/2011

OK, so now it’s time for my prepared material…

I use “prepared” loosely. I’m a last-minute replacement for Ann Marie Stieritz. Yeah, I know, I’m sorry – this is what you get. Not the same, I know.Ann Marie found out over the weekend that she was doing double-duty at Rotary today, and asked if I’d swap with her at the last minute. And I just couldn’t say no to her. Well, INITIALLY I DID say no to her, but then she threatened to beat me up…

What? You don’t think she’d do that? Well, she convinced ME, so here I am…

So I cheated. I appealed to folks on my blog – that’s BRADWARTHEN.COM – begging them for some material. And they came through with stuff like this:

A PORK CHOP goes into a bar. The bartender takes one look and says, “Sorry, we don’t serve food here.”

You don’t like that? Well, it could be worse. I did come up with one REALLY SHORT joke on my own. Here goes:

“State Senator Robert Ford…”

… what? Do I need to get a drummer to go BA-DA-BOOMP-CHICK! so you’ll know when the joke’s over?

Did you see that news story? Quoting from The Associated Press:

An African-American lawmaker in South Carolina said Tuesday that stricter illegal immigration laws would hurt the state because blacks and whites don’t work as hard as Hispanics.

State Sen. Robert Ford made his remarks during a Senate committee debate over an Arizona-style immigration law, eliciting a smattering of nervous laughter in the chamber after he said “brothers” don’t work as hard as Mexicans. He continued that his “blue-eyed brothers” don’t either.

Way I look at it, illegal immigrants already have enough political enemies in South Carolina. They really don’t need any friends like Senator Ford.

But enough about Democrats. I want to take a moment to stick up for Sarah Palin.

Do you remember all the trouble she got into when misused the term “blood libel,” a phrase describing one of the nastiest lies invented by antiSemites? The former Alaska governor defended herself by pleading ignorance about the significance of what she said.

Hey, when Sarah Palin pleads ignorance, I believer her. Absolutely.

OK, here’s another one from my blog readers:

What did the cow say to the near-sighted farmer?

You’re pulling my leg.

These, I must attribute to my regular reader Doug, because they do NOT reflect my views. At least, not all of them:

— Well, it’s Valentines Day today and that’s a special day for most couples. But for Nikki and Michael Haley, it’s even more special. It’s the day they pay their income taxes for 2009.

–When Mick Zais took over as Secretary of Education, he called Jim Rex to get some information. “How many people work at the Department of Education, Jim?” Rex thought for a moment and replied, “About half of them.”

–Ken Ard would have liked to have been here this morning but he is busy at his office with a bag full of receipts and a “Dummy’s Guide to Photoshop”.

— What’s the difference between Hosni Mubarek and Mark Sanford? One of them ruled over a bunch of wild eyed zealots who want to tear down the government and the other one was President of Egypt.

OK, that’s meaner than MY political gags. So let me take a moment to say something nice. Really. It’s about Joe Wilson.

There was a movement to get Democrats and Republicans to sit together at the State of the Union. Some members of the SC delegation reacted negatively. Newly minted congressman Mick Mulvaney said: “If you’re looking for empty symbolism, where one sits at the State of the Union (address) might be at the top of the list.”

You know what tops MY list of the most pointless, negative symbolism that Congress engages in, the thing that’s most insulting to the American people? The fact that the REST of the time, they only SIT  with, and TALK to, and LISTEN to, members of their own party. They act like they think they’re there to serve a party instead of this country.

And that’s why I appreciate Joe Wilson for sitting with Democrats Susan Davis from California and Madeleine Bordallo from Guam. Both are HASC members. Yes, it’s a silly little gesture that doesn’t accomplish much by itself. But a few thousand more such little gestures of common courtesy could to a long way toward reducing the pointless nastiness of politics in Washington.

So thank you, Joe Wilson.

I’ll finish up with some stuff from my old friend Burl Burlingame. Burl, I should explain, is a newspaperman out in Hawaii, where he and I graduated from high school together. That helps explain his attitude. Here are Burl’s WORDS TO LIVE BY:

— Eagles may soar high, but weasels don’t get sucked into jet engines.

— There may be no ‘I’ in team, but there’s a ‘ME’ if you look hard enough.

— Never do today that which will become someone else’s responsibility tomorrow.

Put the key of despair into the lock of apathy. Turn the knob of mediocrity slowly and open the gates of despondency – welcome to a day in the average office.

— If your boss is getting you down, look at him through the prongs of a fork and imagine him in jail.

— If you’re gonna be late, then BE late and not just 2 minutes – make it an hour and enjoy your breakfast.

— If you can keep your head when all around you have lost theirs, then you probably haven’t understood the seriousness of the situation.

I killed — with the stuff y’all contributed. My own stuff I threw in… not so much. I think they liked Doug’s and Burl’s material the best.

Biggest laugh? The one about the Haleys and their taxes. I think the extra laughter was prompted by relief. The setup made a lot of people cringe, expecting an entirely different sort of punchline.

By contrast… I had thrown in the bit about Ann Marie Stieritz (for whom I was substituting) threatening to beat me up because I thought it would be an easy laugh that would get them in the mood to keep laughing. (You see, Ann Marie is a very bright, classy, charming and delightful lady of the sort that no one could possibly imagine uttering harsh words, much less taking a swing at anybody. Also, I’m WAY bigger than she is, so the idea of  my being physically intimidated is totally… oh, never mind.) But it totally failed. Not even a suppressed snort from anybody. At that point, I began to worry that the audience wanted to beat me up.

Then, the “pork chop goes into a bar” gag ALSO failed, to the point that I blamed it on Kathryn Fenner by name, and pointed her out in the crowd.

Fortunately, the line, “State Senator Robert Ford…,” spoken in a tone as though those were the opening lines of a broadcast news report, broke them up so successfully that I got back on track. Thank you, senator…

When people came up to me after, I was fully prepared with an all-purpose response that either deflected criticism (if they DIDN’T like it) or made for a becoming display of false modesty (if they DID): “Hey, I just get up there and use the stuff the writers give me…”

More encouraging evidence that local leaders GET the need for regional approach

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Mayors Bailey, Benjamin, Halfacre and Partin.

To me, the most memorable thing about Columbia Regional Business Report’s “Power Breakfast” this morning at Embassy Suites, where a cross-section of the business community heard a panel of Midlands mayors (Columbia’s Steve Benjamin, Lexington’s Randy Halfacre, Cayce’s Elise Partin, and Blythewood’s Keith Bailey) talk about our community’s future, was this tidbit:

Steve Benjamin said a study has determined that the city of Columbia has 400 more employees than it should have for its size and what it does. Maybe this has been widely reported (perhaps while I was in England) and everyone but me knew it. Anyway, the mayor said the city is trying to reduce payroll by carefully examining every open position, and not filling any that it can possibly do without. The exceptions to this reduction strategy are police, fire and economic development, where he envisions the city spending more, not less.

Of course, that wasn’t the only important thing said, by far. A wide range of critical issues were covered. But the one overall impression I came away with was this: Local elected leadership is more committed to regional approaches — to growth, services, and everything else of importance — than ever. I didn’t just gain that impression this morning, of course. It’s been forming for some time, and it’s very encouraging. Its what the actual economic community of Columbia (as opposed to the much smaller political entity of that name) has needed, more than anything else, for at least a generation. As I was telling restaurateur Bill Dukes afterward, that’s why, the whole time I was heading The State‘s editorial board, we always grilled candidates for local office about their commitment to regional cooperation. With the kind of governmental fragmentation that afflicts us, bridge-building is essential to community improvement. So this trend we’re seeing is extremely gratifying, and bodes well.

What reinforced that impression today? Not so much any one thing they said, but the way they said almost everything, combined with their confident ease in each other’s company (a small thing, but something you might not have seen very often in the past).

Now rather than try to tell you everything else that was said, I’m going to share this excerpt from Mike Fitts’ report. Why should I do all the reporting myself? I have a long-established habit of delegating things to Mike, who once served on my quarterdeck as ably as Tom Pullings or anyone else you care to name (and I can’t say fairer than that), and I see no reason to stop now:

… Two other mayors emphasized that handling current growth is among their current concerns. Lexington Mayor Randy Halfacre said the town is launching a major program to deal with “a huge problem with traffic congestion” downtown. Phase 1 of the project will cost $12 million, more than half of which will be spent to buy right of way easements, Halfacre said.

Blythewood has prepared a master plan to handle what looks like major growth in the next 20 years, Mayor Keith Bailey said. That includes beautification of the main exit off Interstate 77, which he called “a front door” for the Midlands.

This kind of growth needs to be planned for, Halfacre said.

“If we don’t get a handle on it now, it’s going to slip away from us,” he said.

Cayce Mayor Elise Partin said her town has a different challenge: getting the word out about the community and its opportunities. Its many longtime residents love it, she said, but others don’t know about amenities such as the riverwalk, she said.

“Pride in our area and our city is strong,” she said.

The loss of Southwest Airlines to two other in-state markets showed the need for regionalism, Halfacre said. At a recent meeting with Southwest, Columbia Metro Airport Executive Director Dan Mann was told, “We did not see your region, your area, working together.”

Two new groups are seeking to remedy that, Halfacre said. He has helped put together an alliance of midstate chambers of commerce, and West Columbia Mayor Bobby Horton is chairman of a new group of Midlands mayors. These groups should help build teamwork and draw legislative attention when necessary, Halfacre said.

Benjamin said the community needs to work on the big picture — a regional master plan. He recounted some of the area’s assets but said that the vision to tie all these things together has been lacking.

“We need to start moving aggressively forward,” Benjamin said.

Overall, it was a good session, like the others I’ve attended under CRBR’s auspices.

The irony in the Lexington Medical/Duke deal

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Something about this development perplexes me:

Now after a 10-year struggle to receive a certificate of need from the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control to provide heart surgeries, Lexington Medical has signed an agreement with Duke Medicine to provide cardiovascular services at the hospital.

Lexington Medical Center will affiliate with Duke’s internationally recognized heart program to begin procedures including open heart surgery and elective angioplasty at Lexington Medical Center in 2011.

Through its affiliation, Lexington Medical will benefit from Duke’s clinical expertise and services to build a comprehensive heart program. Duke University Hospital, recognized as one of the top 10 heart hospitals in the nation by U.S. News and World Report, will help recruit cardiovascular surgeons and cardiac anesthesiologists to work at Lexington Medical Center.

Duke will assist with the recruitment and training of nurses and staff, design of the open heart surgery operating room, implementation of policies and procedures as well as comprehensive oversight of quality and development for all cardiovascular services at Lexington Medical.

Marti Taylor, associate vice president of cardiovascular serviced at Duke University Health System, said Duke had been in discussions with Lexington for about six months. It currently has affiliations with 11 other hospitals from Florida to Virginia.

She said Duke comes into a collaboration with three objectives: to expand its cardiovascular services; expand the Duke brand; and to provide patients access to tertiary services available at university hospitals.

Dr. Peter Smith, professor and chief of cardiothoracic surgery at Duke University, is charged with getting the heart program up and running. He has been involved with opening six other heart surgery programs, he said…

That sounds great and all, and I wish everyone concerned the best, but I can’t help remembering… all those years that LexMed was arguing, fussing and fighting with Providence, Palmetto Health, DHEC and the editorial board of The State over whether it would be allowed to do open-heart, there was a consistent refrain we heard from folks in Lexington County, which went something like this:

Lexington Medical is a great hospital. We have the expertise to do open-heart. We’re ready to do open-heart. You people on the other side of the river are acting like we in Lexington County aren’t good enough, or smart enough, to run a heart hospital. You’re dissing us, and we’ve had enough of it.

This sentiment, oft expressed, packed the full weight of the painful identity divide that runs down the middle of our community.

Of course, we were doing nothing of the kind. We (at the newspaper, anyway, and I had no indications anyone else thought anything different) that LexMed was indeed a wonderful hospital. It wasn’t about good enough or smart enough or being ready. It was about the fact that with such procedures, a team needs to be able to do a certain number of them to be and stay proficient, and if open-heart got spread and scattered across THREE local hospitals (when it really shouldn’t even have been spread across two), NONE of those facilities are likely to be doing enough procedures to be as good as they should be.

So now that Providence quit fighting this, now that LexMed is poised to move forward… it has to call in the Pros from Dover to take the next steps?

Very ironic, it seems to me.

Whether CAE succeeds depends on all of us

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Columbia Metropolitan Airport Executive Director Dan Mann introduces Bill Maloney of Vision Airlines Wednesday at CAE.

You may have heard that discount carrier Vision Airlines will soon offer flights out of Columbia to its home in the Destin, Florida, area. Yesterday, Bill Maloney, Vision’s director of business development, introduced himself to local media.

He didn’t offer a lot of new details beyond what had been reported previously, so I pass on this from Columbia Regional Business Report, which provides the basics:

A charter airline that got its start in 1994 offering aerial tours of the Grand Canyon, Vision is expanding the scheduled commercial service it started just two years ago. The company announced today that it will launch service in 20 Southeastern cities this spring. In addition to Columbia, the Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport is on the list.

Vision, headquartered outside Atlanta, will fly to the Northwest Florida Regional Airport, providing a gateway to the coastal towns in the Florida panhandle.

The company operates a mixed fleet of Boeing 767, Boeing 737 and Dornier 328 aircraft. At Columbia, Vision will fly a 148-seat Boeing 737-400 aircraft….

Vision is offering introductory fares of $49 one-way if booked Jan. 18-23. After that, rates start at $89 one-way.

The other cities where Vision is launching service include Atlanta; Little Rock, Ark.; Hunstville, Ala.; Punta Gorda, Fla.; Baton Rouge, La.; Knoxville, Tenn.; Macon, Ga.; Savannah, Ga.; Birmingham, Ala.; St. Petersburg, Fla.; Louisville, Ky.; Orlando, Fla.; Chattanooga, Tenn.; Asheville, N.C. and Shreveport, La.

Will Vision make it where others have not? Will it grow here, and add destinations to its modest initial offering? Will it help broaden the menu of destinations from CAE and lower fares?

Well, that depends on us. Of everything said at the press conference Wednesday, the most pertinent to me was this, from CMA Executive Director Dan Mann:

The key is going to be community support, and getting on the aircraft.

It’s all up to us. Either Columbia — and by “Columbia” I mean the economic community that sprawls across Richland and Lexington counties and beyond — gets in the habit of flying out of its own airport when feasible (and cost-effective), or it doesn’t. We all want lower fares (the lack of which is the biggest reason many folks drive to other cities to catch flights), but we’ll never get them unless we fill up the flights we have here, so the airlines can make money flying bigger planes, with more seats, out of CAE.

As consultant Michael Boyd made clear last year, airlines aren’t going to do that out of sympathy for our plight. We, the community, have to change the math for them. And for the airlines to schedule more flights out of here, with bigger planes – thereby lowering fares – we have to provide them with more passengers wanting to fly from HERE to those destinations.

Too many of us don’t fly out of Columbia because of the fares. And we can’t lower the fares without more of us flying out of here. It’s kind of a chicken-and-egg thing. Or a tomato thing.

I liked what airport commission vice chair Anne Sinclair said in my hearing recently:

People used to not care where their tomato comes from. Now they do. That didn’t happen by magic… I honestly think people take this airport for granted.

Columbia needs an aviation version of the locavore movement. Increasingly, consumers care that their tomato is homegrown. That’s what Emile DeFelice played on so effectively when he ran for state commissioner of agriculture on the slogan, “Put Your State on Your Plate.” He didn’t get elected, but his campaign spurred the agriculture department to step up its own program to promote local products, “Certified South Carolina.” Not quite as catchy or engaging to the imagination, but now you see those stickers in every supermarket, and they are increasingly part of the consciousness of the shopping public.

For CAE, the challenge is to get its friends and neighbors to Think Columbia First. Without a united community that sees Columbia Metropolitan as OUR airport, the airport can’t grow. And without a growing, dynamic airport, our community can’t grow.

More people in the Midlands need to think of Columbia Metropolitan Airport as their airport, the one in which they have a stake, the one they want to see succeed (and want to be a part of bringing about that success). Of course, that also involves having a more positive attitude toward their own community. There are people who turn up their noses at things because they are local, the function of a collective inferiority complex. That needs to change (and fortunately, I think that on a number of fronts it IS changing). As I’ve said before — stand in the place where you live.

Dan Mann — the guy who won my admiration when he introduced himself to Columbia Rotary by showing a Louis C.K. video making fun of people who gripe about air travel — understands this. The challenge for him, and for all who want to grow this community, is to make sure the rest of us get it.

Bobby Hitt “having fun” in new job

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That’s all. I just ran into Bobby at breakfast this morning, and I didn’t want to pester him with questions about his new job — besides, I was busy eating.

So when he got up to leave after gazing at his PDA, I said “Have fun!” and he said he would, that he wouldn’t be doing this if he didn’t have fun at it. Which I can fully believe, Bobby being himself.

That’s it. That’s my report.

Heckuvan interview, huh? Well, you know what — my experience in the blogosphere is that much of what folks read avidly is just about that deep and substantial.

Just watch — I’ll post a link to this on Twitter, one that says it all (as so many do), and people will actually follow it to this post.

Suckers. I mean, Welcome, suckers. Nice to have you here.

OK, OK, next time I’ll ask him how the job’s going. Work, work, work, work, work, work, work.

Getting the glory that is my due (or so I’m told)

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Walking into Seawell’s yesterday for Rotary, I ran into Hal Stevenson, who was complimenting me on my newfound marketing savvy as I have transitioned into a new career, and I was modestly brushing the praise aside, saying “Tut-tut,” or “My dear fellow, how you do go on…” or some such (between my recent trip to England, too much BBC-America, episodes of “Inspector Lewis” on Netflix and the fact that I’m reading Three Men in a Boat, a copy of which I bought at Blackwell’s, my diction has been somewhat altered lately).

At that moment, we stepped up to the sign-in table, and there was a hard copy of this picture from my blog, blown up, mounted, and standing in front of a display urging Rotarians to sign up for the upcoming Red Cross blood drive. This, of course, only impressed Hal the more. I shrugged — whaddyagonnado?

So we went in, and the meeting began, and then Lanier Jones (president of ADCO, former president of Rotary) got up to urge folks to give in the upcoming Columbia Lifesavers Blood Drive.

And then he called on me to come up to be recognized as the club’s ideal, the very model of the heroic donor, the Single Combat Warrior whom all should emulate, the guy who willingly laid down his life’s blood (some of it, anyway) even before the actual drive — sort of like those heroic aviators who went to Canada to join the RAF before Pearl Harbor. OK, so some of those analogies are mine, but Lanier was pretty laudatory. He even, at Kathryn Fenner’s urging (in preparing these “effects,” I carefully place allies in key positions — Kathryn was at the head table because she had given the invocation, and a fine blessing it was, and didn’t cool the food off none the way I seen some of them interruptions do), mentioned the blog: “that’s bradwarthen.com…”

And then the lovely Kelly Moore from Red Cross came up and gave me a T-shirt — not one of those cheap white ones, either, but a nice deep blue with “LIFESAVER” on it in big letters, a play on the shirt being designed like a lifeguard’s, and Kelly told me that’s what I was, a real lifesaver, and I grinned maniacally, and Bob Ford took our picture.

Just tons of glory.

Now, I’m not saying that all this will happen to YOU if you give, but you never know. And here’s one chance to be a hero like Brad. See the details below, or at this link. Of course, you can make an appointment at the Red Cross ANY time.

Iron Man 3, that’s me: At the Red Cross, giving blood

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Here I am trying to look casual while I do something that used to terrify me. See the snacks on the table in the background? They're free, to donors.

There’s always a bit of suspense for me when I go to give blood. My otherwise stunningly magnificent body has a problem storing iron, and you have to have a certain iron level to give double red cells (higher than the requirement for whole blood), and once or twice my levels haven’t been up to snuff. So I toss back iron pills daily, especially when I’ve got a date to donate coming up.

But today, I blew the socks off that iron-measuring device. Or would have, had it been wearing socks. I had to have a score of 13.3, and my blood hit 15.5. Yeah, baby! That’s what I’m talking ’bout! Just call me Iron Man 3. Somebody call Jon Favreau; I’m ready for my close-up.

As always, this experience fills me with cocky self-righteousness, seeing as how I used to be so terrified to give (I once described it as my “Room 101” in a column). So I tend to show off. Just before this picture was taken, I Tweeted this with my left hand:

I’m @ Red Cross, typing w/ left hand while I give blood. Double red cells. Feeling self-righteous: You should be here, too, you know. #adco

Then, I asked the tech to take my picture. I’m just insufferable when filled with the idea that I’m bravely doing the right thing.

More people should feel this way. Especially in the Midlands, where we have a constant challenge meeting the demand for blood, and have to import it.

You, too, can be an insufferably smug, self-promoting prig. Give blood.

A couple of fine-looking fellas at Yesterday’s

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For months, I’ve been hearing that there’s another guy, who is also a regular at Yesterday’s, who looks just like me. I’ve heard he’s my Doppelgänger, that the resemblance is uncanny.

I’ve heard this from friends; I’ve even heard it from a couple of my own daughters. Several people who know me well have started talking to this handsome gentleman in the mistaken impression that he IS me, only to realize their mistake a moment after. There have been so many incidents of this, which have gotten back to me, that I was both in a sweat to meet this guy, but also sort of dreading it. You know how it is — people will say you look just like somebody, and then you see that somebody, and you realize that’s how people see me, and then you’re depressed all day.

But faint hearts never solve mysteries, so today, when I got a tip he was there — being hungry, and in the mood for a Yuengling, anyway — I grabbed my camera and went over to Yesterday’s. And accosted him, and introduced myself.

His first name is Donald, and so is mine, but let’s not make too much of that. At some point, a coincidence is no more than that.

I have to say that I don’t think the resemblance is all THAT great. I, for one, would not mistake him for me. I know me when I see me. But there is no doubt that there is a fine, manly strength in his features, which radiate intelligence and excellence of character. So I can understand casual observers making the mistake.

Such as the young woman I had never met who was sitting at the bar as we got out picture taken together. She asked, incredulously, “You mean, they’re NOT brothers?”

Benjamin’s successful State of the City address

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Well, I was going to do a full-blown post on Steve Benjamin’s first State of the City address, but right when I got home, my daughter called and he car had conked out — in a bad location, where Huger runs into I-126 — and I had to run out and deal with that. Quite an adventure. A Columbia police officer came to park his car, blue light flashing, to protect us until the tow truck driver got there. And I was able to tell him he had a new boss.

That was one of several pieces of news the mayor broke during his speech — he rather dramatically turned to interim Chief Randy Scott, told him the council had decided they wanted him to have the job permanently, and offered it to him on the spot. It was a good effect, as Twain’s Hank Morgan would have said.

The mayor, speaking to a huge, supportive crowd at the convention center, broke other news as well. For instance, noting that this speech was streaming live on the Web, he said all city councils would be as well, starting next week.

Other than that, he cited a number of accomplishments, but said he wasn’t satisfied and didn’t think anyone else should be either. But on the whole, I think what he was trying to do tonight is paint a picture of a city that was moving forward, a place where there was a lot going on. And he succeeded.

I’d go into more detail, but I haven’t had dinner, thanks to our automotive emergency. So, compliments of Mike Wukela, here’s the text of the full speech:

State of the City Address

As Delivered by Mayor Steve Benjamin

Coble Ballroom

Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center

Columbia, SC

January 18, 2011

(WELCOME AND THANK YOU)

IF EVERY CITY OF COLUMBIA EMPLOYEE WHO IS HERE WOULD PLEASE STAND BRIEFLY, I WOULD LIKE TO BEGIN MY REMARKS BY TAKING A MOMENT TO SPEAK DIRECTLY TO YOU.

TOO OFTEN IT SEEMS AS IF YOU ONLY EVER HEAR FROM US WHEN SOMETHING IS WRONG. IF THE WATER ISN’T WORKING OR THE TRASH NEEDS TO BE PICKED UP, IF THE POT-HOLE ISN’T FILLED OR THE WORK CREW FILLING IT INCONVENIENCES THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC.

TOO OFTEN IT SEEMS YOU ONLY EVER CATCH OUR CRITICISMS AND NOT OFTEN ENOUGH OUR CONGRATULATIONS.

LET ME FIX THAT RIGHT NOW. NOT ONE OF THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS YOU HEAR TONIGHT WOULD HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE WITHOUT YOUR HARD WORK, YOUR ENTERPRISING SPIRIT, AND YOUR TIRELESS DEVOTION TO SERVING THIS FINE CITY AND ALL OF HER CITIZENS.

WHILE OTHER CITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY STRUGGLED TO DIG THEMSELVES OUT OF THE SNOW LAST WEEK, YOU HAD OUR STREETS CLEAR AND COLUMBIA READY TO HOST AN HISTORIC GUBERNATORIAL INAUGURATION.

THE STATE OF OUR CITY IS STRONG BECAUSE YOU ARE THE GREAT CITY OF COLUMBIA, THE CAPITAL OF SOUTH CAROLINA AND I AM SO PROUD TO BE YOUR MAYOR.

THANK YOU.

I ALSO WANT TO THANK THE MAYOR’S FELLOWS FOR PARTICIPATING IN TONIGHT’S PROGRAM SERVING AS OUR USHERS. I WANT YOU TO KNOW HOW HAPPY WE ARE TO HAVE YOU HERE AND HOW PROUD WE ARE TO HAVE YOU ENGAGED.

YESTERDAY SPEAKING AT THE URBAN LEAGUE’S MARTIN LUTHER KING BREAKFAST, I TALKED ABOUT THE NEED TO GET INVOLVED IN OUR YOUNG PEOPLE’S LIVES AND PROVIDE LEADERSHIP AND GUIDANCE THE SAME WAY MOSES DID FOR JOSHUA.

BUT WHILE IT IS OUR JOB TO TEACH YOU, YOU ARE THE ONES WHO MUST TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN OUR COMMUNITY. KNOW THAT THIS IS YOUR CITY TOO, AND IT FALLS TO ALL OF US TO MAKE IT THE BEST CITY IT CAN BE.

WHETHER YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP BASEBALL OR GAMEDAY FOOTBALL, PRESERVING THE CAROLIGHTING OR MISS SOUTH CAROLINA, 25 YEARS OF TRUSTUS THEATRE, 50 YEARS OF COLUMBIA CITY BALLET, OR THE RENOVATED TOWNSHIP; WHETHER IT’S THE COLUMBIA URBAN LEAGUE RECEIVING THE WHITNEY YOUNG AWARD OR THIS COLUMBIA METROPOLITAN CONVENTION CENTER RECEIVING ITS ONE MILLIONTH VISITOR  ONE THING IS CLEAR TO SEE AS I LOOK BACK OVER THE PAST YEAR: OUR CITY HAS A LOT TO CELEBRATE.

I SEE COLUMBIA CAPITALIZING ON OUR UNIQUE CULTURE, HISTORY, AND A NATURAL ENVIRONMENT SECOND TO NONE AND I SEE EXCITING NEW INITIATIVES HELPING US PROTECT THOSE RESOURCES.

I SEE THE SOUTHERN FRIED FUEL INITIATIVE RECYCLING NEARLY 400 GALLONS OF USED COOKING OIL AND THE E-WASTE RECYCLING PROGRAM KEEPING OVER 13 TONS OF ELECTRONICS OUT OF OUR LANDFILLS.

I SEE ENERGY EFFICIENT LIGHTS ILLUMINATING OUR CITY BUILDINGS, INCLUDING CITY HALLAND 20 NEW ELECTRIC CAR CHARGING PODS TURNING OUR PARKING GARAGES FROM GRAY TO GREEN.

I SEE A NEW DEDICATION TO PROTECTING OUR WATERWAYS AND KEEPING OUR DRINKING WATER CLEAN WITH OVER $110 MILLION IN IMPROVEMENTS TO AND REHABILITATION OF OUR WATER, SEWER, AND STORMWATER SYSTEMS.

I SEE REASON TO CELEBRATE.

I SEE A CITY OF BEAUTY AND PRIDE THAT PROTECTS ITS NEIGHBORHOODS AS WELL AS ITS RIVERS.

I SEE 35 NEW POLICE CARS PATROLLING THE STREETS OF OUR NORTH, SOUTH, METRO, WEST, AND NEW EAST REGION WITH FUEL EFFICIENT ENGINES AND AUTOMATIC VEHICLE LOCATOR SYSTEMS.

I SEE AN ENFORCEABLE OPEN CONTAINER LAW, A BACK-UP WEAPON POLICY THAT MAKES SENSE AND OVER $2 MILLION IN FEDERAL GRANTS FOR PUBLIC SAFETY EQUIPMENT, TRAINING, AND PERSONNEL.

I SEE FULL INTEGRATION OF THE NEW COMPUTER AIDED DISPATCH SYSTEM AND I SEE FIRE ENGINE COMPANIES 8 AND 9 BACK UP AND RUNNING.

I SEE REASON TO CELEBRATE.

I SEE A NEW ERA OF REGIONAL COOPERATION WITH MAYORS FROM LEXINGTON, CAYCE, WEST COLUMBIA AND BLYTHEWOOD, FOREST ACRES, ARCADIA LAKES, IRMO AND CHAPIN, SUMTER, SPRINGDALE AND CAMDEN ALL COMING TO THE TABLE FOR THE FIRST TIME WITH THE CHAIRMEN OF LEXINGTON AND RICHLAND’S COUNTY COUNCILS.

I SEE US TEARING DOWN THE WALLS THAT HAVE KEPT US ISOLATED FOR TOO LONG SO WE CAN FINALLY MEET CHALLENGES LIKE AIR QUALITY, TRANSPORTATION, INFRASTRUCTURE, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND CRIME TOGETHER AS A REGION UNIFIED AND A PEOPLE UNITED.

I SEE REASON TO CELEBRATE

I SEE US TAKING ACTION LIKE NEVER BEFORE ON ISSUES THAT HAVE HUNG IN THE AIR UNDECIDED FOR YEARS.

I SEE US MOVING FORWARD SO LOWER RICHLAND RECEIVES THE WATER AND SEWER INFRASTRUCTURE IT NEEDS TO GROW.

I SEE US FINALLY ADOPTING A LOCAL PREFERENCE POLICY SO MORE OF OUR COLUMBIA’S DOLLARS STAY WITH OUR BUSINESSES IN COLUMBIA.

AND I SEE AN HONEST CONVERSATION STIRRING BETWEEN THIS CITY AND RICHLAND COUNTY ABOUT THE POTENTIAL FOR IMPROVING SERVICE AND REDUCING TAXPAYER BURDEN THROUGH COLLABORATION, COOPERATION, AND CONSOLIDATION; AND I’M PROUD TO BE A PART OF THAT.

I SEE REASON TO CELEBRATE.

I SEE A CITY LIVING UP TO ITS RESPONSIBILITY TO THE NEXT GENERATION OF LEADERS BY GETTING INVOLVED IN THEIR LIVES SO THAT EVERY STUDENT, EVERY CHILD IN THIS CITY – REGARDLESS OF RACE, REGARDLESS OF CLASS, REGARDLESS OF HERITAGE OR PARENTAGE – EVERY CHILD CAN LIVE UP TO HIS OR HER GOD-GIVEN POTENTIAL.

I SEE THE EAU CLAIRE PROMISE ZONE, CITY YEAR AND DIPLOMAS NOW, DRILLS AND SKILLS, PRIME-TIME IN THE PARK, THE TALENTED TENTH, THE MAYOR’S FELLOWS, AND THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL INITIATIVE WHICH GAVE EVERY CITY EMPLOYEE TIME OFF TO TAKE THEIR SONS AND DAUGHTERS TO SCHOOL SO THOSE STUDENTS KNOW HOW IMPORTANT THEIR EDUCATION IS TO MOM AND DAD. AND SO MOM AND DAD KNOW HOW IMPORTANT THEY ARE TO THE CITY OF COLUMBIA.

I SEE US MAKING EDUCATION A PRIORITY AND I’M PROUD TO BE A PART OF THAT.

I SEE REASON TO CELEBRATE AND, AFTER A LONG PERIOD OF ECONOMIC HARDSHIP, I SEE PEOPLE GOING BACK TO WORK.

I SEE CICI’S PIZZA, HOUSTON’S LOWCOUNTRY GRILL. NATURAL ESCAPES DAY SPA, AND FIRST CHOICE REHABILITATION CENTER FILLING THE STOREFRONTS OF NORTH MAIN PLAZA AND I SEE 14 BRAND NEW COMPANIES ENTERING THE USC TECHNOLOGY INCUBATOR.

I SEE THE SCRA INNOVATIONS CENTER INVESTING OVER $6.7 MILLION AND TRANSFORMING AN EMPTY WAREHOUSE INTO A CENTER FOR GROWING TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES. I SEE THE MAIN AND GERVAIS TOWER FULLY OCCUPIED AND THE NICKELODEON BREAKING GROUND. AND WHILE BUSINESSES FALTER AND FAIL ALL ACROSS THE WORLD, HERE, IN COLUMBIA, I SEE THEM GROWING.

I SEE IMMEDION AND DENTAQUEST, DOVE TAIL INSURANCE AND REI, VERIZON AND AFLAC.

I SEE A KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY FUTURE THRIVING AT MIDLANDS TECH’S ENTERPRISE CAMPUS AND A $3.6 MILLION DARPA GRANT FOR INNOVISTA.

I SEE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION IN THE CONSORTIUM FOR ENTERPRISE SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT, FUEL CELL DEVELOPMENT IN TRULITE AND THE FUTURE OF SOLAR PANEL MANUFACTURING ON IT IS WAY WITH 1,000 HIGH PAYING JOBS FROM AQT SOLAR.

I SEE A REBIRTH BEGINNING ON MAIN STREET WITH MAST GENERAL AND NEARLY 20 YEARS OF FRUSTRATION ENDING ON BULL AS THE LARGEST PIECE OF DOWNTOWN PROPERTY EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI IS FINALLY SOLD.

I SEE REASON TO CELEBRATE.

WE HAVE CHANGED CITY COUNCIL’S STRUCTURE WITH A MORE EFFECTIVE COMMITTEE SYSTEM AND AN EVENING MEETING TIME THAT ALLOWS MORE CITIZEN PARTICIPATION

WE HAVE LIMITED EXECUTIVE SESSIONS AND ENJOYED MORE PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF THE PEOPLE’S ISSUES.

WE HAVE LED BY EXAMPLE GIVING UP HALF OF MY SALARY TO CREATE NEW INCENTIVES FOR EFFICIENCY,

WE HAVE HELD THE LINE ON FUNDING PRIORITIES, REMOVED OVER 100 UNNECESSARY VACANCIES, AND ELIMINATED FURLOUGHS FOR ALL CITY EMPLOYEES AND WE HAVE DONE IT WHILE LIVING UP TO OUR FISCAL RESPONSIBILITIES.

AND I AM PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THAT THE CITY OF COLUMBIA ENDED THE 2010 CALENDAR YEAR $5 MILLION UNDER BUDGET.

WE ARE IN THE BLACK AND THAT IS CERTAINLY SOMETHING TO CELEBRATE!

YOUR CITY HAS BEEN HARD AT WORK FOR YOU AND, WHEN YOU LOOK AT ALL THE PAST YEAR’S HIGHLIGHTS LIKE THIS, PILED ONE ON TOP OF ANOTHER, IT’S PRETTY HARD TO IGNORE.

NOW, DID EVERYBODY GET A GOOD LOOK?

GOOD, NOW PUT IT ASIDE.

WIPE IT AWAY BECAUSE THAT’S NOT WHAT TONIGHT IS ABOUT.

I DIDN’T COME HERE JUST TO WRITE UP EVERY ACCOMPLISHMENT WE COULD THINK OF AND LIST THEM END TO END TO SEE HOW LONG IT STRETCHED.

I DIDN’T COME HERE TO SMILE AND WAVE AND TELL YOU “EVERYTHING’S GREAT!” THEN TAKE A BOW.

I CAN’T DO THAT.

I WOULD LIKE TO STAND UP HERE AND ANNOUNCE THAT WE HAVE ACCOMPLISHED ALL OF OUR GOALS, THAT OUR CITY IS PERFECT. BUT WE HAVE NOT AND IT IS NOT.

THAT IS THE SIMPLE TRUTH IS THAT IF THERE’S ONE THING YOU SHOULD EXPECT FROM YOUR GOVERNMENT IT’S THE TRUTH.

THE TRUTH IS EVERYTHING’S NOT GREAT.

THE TRUTH IS WE HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO.

THE TRUTH IS I’m NOT SATISFIED.

I’M NOT SATISFIED AND YOU SHOULDN’T BE EITHER.

ACCORDING TO THE FBI’S PRELIMINARY UNIFORM CRIME REPORT, THERE WERE 708 VIOLENT CRIMES COMMITTED IN COLUMBIA BETWEEN JANUARY AND JUNE OF 2010 COMPARED WITH 611 ONE YEAR EARLIER.

THAT’S NEARLY 100 MORE VIOLENT OFFENSES. 100 MORE VICTIMS AND FAMILIES.

HOW CAN I BE SATISFIED WITH THAT?

HOW CAN I BE SATISFIED WHEN I KNOW MANY OF OUR VETERAN FIREFIGHTERS COME OFF A 24 HOUR SHIFT OF SAVING LIVES AND GO HOME TO TAKE A QUICK SHOWER BEFORE IT’S OFF TO THEIR SECOND JOBS BECAUSE THEY HAVEN’T GOTTEN A RAISE IN 3 YEARS.

WE’RE LOSING OUR HEROES TO DEPARTMENTS WITH BETTER PAY AND BETTER EQUIPMENT AND WE’RE TRAINING NEW RECRUITS IN A BURN HOUSE HELD TOGETHER WITH PATCHWORK AND PLYWOOD. HOW CAN I BE SATISFIED WITH THAT?

HOW CAN I BE SATISFIED WHEN I KNOW THAT EVERYTHING WE DO – EVERYTHING – BEGINS AND ENDS WITH PUBLIC SAFETY?

NEW INDUSTRIES AREN’T GOING TO COME TO COLUMBIA IF THEY DON’T THINK THEIR EMPLOYEES ARE GOING TO BE SAFE. LOCAL BUSINESSES CAN’T GROW IF THEIR PROFITS ARE EATEN UP BY RISING INSURANCE RATES. OUR CHILDREN CAN’T LEARN IF THEIR HOMEWORK IS INTERRUPTED BY GUNFIRE. WE CAN’T FOCUS ON ALL THE OTHER THINGS WE WANT TO DO IF OUR NEIGHBORHOODS AREN’T SAFE.

DURING MY CAMPAIGN I PROMISED TO MAKE PUBLIC SAFETY OUR CITY’S TOP PRIORITY AND I INTEND TO SEE THAT PROMISE KEPT!

I SEE US STARTING BY GIVING OUR FIRST RESPONDERS THE TOOLS THEY NEED TO DO THEIR JOBS.

I SEE MORE PATROL CARS AND CUTTING EDGE EQUIPMENT. I SEE CONTINUOUS TRAINING AND RECERTIFICATION. AND I SEE NEW FACILITIES BECAUSE YOU CAN’T BE A FIRST-RATE SERVICE IF YOU TRAIN IN CUT-RATE CONDITIONS.

SO, FOR YOU FIREFIGHTERS OUT THERE, I SEE A NEW STATE OF THE ART BURN HOUSE DESIGNED FOR THE JOB AND BUILT FOR THE LONG HAUL.

BUT WHEN YOU’RE RISKING YOUR LIFE EVERY DAY, IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT BEING ABLE TO COUNT ON YOUR EQUIPMENT, FACILITIES, AND TRAINING.

IT’S ALSO ABOUT HAVING RELIABLE LEADERSHIP.

AFTER SIX POLICE CHIEFS IN FIVE YEARS, IT’S TIME TO BRING SOME STABILITY TO THE COLUMBIA POLICE DEPARTMENT.

IT IS TIME TO STOP THE REVOLVING DOOR AT NUMBER ONE JUSTICE SQUARE.

SINCE TAKING THE JOB AS INTERIM CHIEF OF POLICE THREE MONTHS AGO RANDY SCOTT HAS PUT 35 NEW POLICE CARS ON THE STREET, OPENED A BRAND NEW PATROL REGION, FORGED NEW PARTNERSHIPS WITH THE SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT, SLED, AND OUR NEIGHBORING JURISDICTIONS, AND BROUGHT IN A NEW CLASS OF RECRUITS THAT THIS MONTH RECEIVED EVERY SINGLE AWARD THE ACADEMY HAD TO OFFER.

I THINK THAT DESERVES SOME RECOGNITION. IN FACT, THE CITY MANAGER, MY FELLOW MEMBERS OF COUNCIL AND I HAVE DISCUSSED IT, AND WE THINK IT DESERVES A PROMOTION.

SO, CHIEF, I’D LIKE TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE AS INTERIM CHIEF AND OFFER YOU A NEW JOB AS THE CITY OF COLUMBIA’S PERMANENT CHIEF OF POLICE, IF YOU’LL ACCEPT IT.

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, CHIEF RANDY SCOTT.

WHEN I LOOK AT MEN LIKE CHIEF SCOTT, FIRE CHIEF AUBREY JENKINS, OR ANY OF OUR MEN AND WOMEN IN UNIFORM, I SEE THE SAME THING ALL OF US DO.

WE SEE WORDS LIKE SELFLESSNESS, RESPECT, HONOR, AND SACRIFICE. WE SEE TRUE AMERICAN HEROES EVEN THOUGH, MOST OF THE TIME, WE DON’T REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT MEANS.

BUT ON SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 13TH, WE WERE ALL REMINDED WHEN A ROUTINE CALL TO A BRUSH FIRE OFF I-20 EASTBOUND MILE MARKER 81 TURNED TO TRAGEDY LEAVING ONE FIREFIGHTER, 30 YEAR OLD LARRY KEWON IRVIN, CRITICALLY INJURED AND CLINGING TO LIFE AND ANOTHER LOST TO US FOREVER.

THE GREAT AMERICAN AUTHOR HENRY MILLER FAMOUSLY WROTE: “THE ORDINARY MAN IS INVOLVED IN ACTION, BUT THE HERO ACTS. AND THERE IS AN IMMENSE DIFFERENCE.”

23 YEAR OLD CHANCE HYATT ZOBEL IS A HERO NOT BECAUSE HE WAS WITHOUT FEAR BUT BECAUSE HE CHOSE TO ACT IN SPITE OF IT.

HE IS A HERO BECAUSE WHEN OTHERS HESITATED, HE RESPONDED WITHOUT THOUGHT FOR HIMSELF OR EXPECTATION OF REWARD, GIVING WHAT LINCOLN CALLED THE LAST FULL MEASURE OF DEVOTION TO US.

CHANCE CHOSE TO ACT. LET US FOLLOW HIS EXAMPLE.

FIVE YEARS AGO, THE CITY OF COLUMBIA OPTED OUT OF THE SOUTH CAROLINA RETIREMENT SYSTEM’S ACCIDENTAL DEATH INSURANCE PLAN FOR FIREFIGHTERS AND POLICE OFFICERS COSTING CHANCE ZOBEL’S FAMILY POTENTIALLY HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN LIFETIME BENEFITS.

I INTEND TO RECTIFY THAT MISTAKE. I INTEND TO SHOW OUR FIRST RESPONDERS THAT THIS CITY, YOUR CITY, STANDS WITH YOU, WE SUPPORT YOU, AND WE WILL STAND WITH YOUR FAMILY IF ANYTHING SHOULD HAPPEN TO YOU.

NOW, I KNOW BURN HOUSES DON’T COME CHEAP AND THE BEST EQUIPMENT IS OFTEN THE MOST EXPENSIVE. BUT I WATCHED AS THIS CITY PUT TOGETHER A NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP BASEBALL PARADE IN TWO DAYS THAT DIDN’T COST THE TAXPAYER A DIME. I’VE SEEN WHAT WE CAN DO WHEN WE PUT OUR MINDS TO IT. I’VE SEEN WHAT IS POSSIBLE.

TWO YEARS AGO, THE SMART MONEY SAID THAT THE CITY OF COLUMBIA COULDN’T GET ITS ACT TOGETHER.

THE ECONOMY WAS TANKING AND OUR RESERVES WERE GONE PROMPTING ACROSS THE BOARD CUTS AND EMPLOYEE FURLOUGHS. BUT HERE WE ARE, JUST TWO YEARS LATER, WE’VE ELIMINATED THE FURLOUGHS ALONG WITH OVER $1 MILLION IN NON-ESSENTIAL, VACANT POSITIONS. EVERY DEPARTMENT IS OPERATING IN THE BLACK AND THE GENERAL FUND IS $5 MILLION UNDER BUDGET.

AND WE’RE NOT DONE. NOW, AS A RULE, EVERY TIME A NON-PUBLIC SAFETY VACANCY OPENS UP, OUR CITY MANAGER EXAMINES THE POSITION, EVALUATES ITS VALUE, AND DECIDES WHETHER IT’S NECESSARY OR NOT.

IF IT’S NECESSARY, HE POSTS THE JOB AND FILLS THE POSITION. IF IT ISN’T NECESSARY, HE DOESN’T JUST LET IT STAY VACANT … HE ELIMINATES IT ENTIRELY FREEING UP ROOM IN THE BUDGET FOR PRIORITIES LIKE PUBLIC SAFETY.

DECISIONS LIKE THOSE THAT HAVE HELPED COLUMBIA GET BACK ON ITS FEET. BUT WE NEED THIS CITY TO BE IN FIGHTING SHAPE AND I SEE A RENEWED SPIRIT OF REGIONALISM AS THE KEY.

I SEE THE FUTURE OF THIS CITY, THIS COUNTY, THIS ENTIRE REGION UNIFIED THROUGH SHARED RESPONSIBILITY. I SEE CONSOLIDATED SERVICES STREAMLINING AND AMPLIFYING OUR ABILITIES TO RECRUIT INDUSTRY AND PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT. I SEE COLUMBIA PROVING ONCE AND FOR ALL THAT WE CAN DO MORE FOR LESS BY DOING IT TOGETHER.

I SEE THIS CITY TAKING THE LEAD AND, WITH NEW VIGOR AND FISCAL VITALITY, REBUILDING A STRONG FOUNDATION OF PUBLIC TRUST.

TIME AND TIME AGAIN, IT ALWAYS COMES BACK TO TRUST.

NOT THE BLIND FAITH OF CHILDREN. NOT TRUST UNCONDITIONAL YIELDED WITHOUT QUESTION OR QUALIFICATION, BUT TRUST EARNED AND PROVEN. THE PUBLIC TRUST BASED IN MUTUAL RESPECT AND OPENNESS, VERIFIED AND TRANSPARENT.

WE HAVE ALREADY SET A SERIES OF GOOD GOVERNMENT REFORMS IN ACTION THAT INCLUDE MOVING COUNCIL TO EVENING MEETING AND LIMITING EXECUTIVE SESSION SO MORE OF THE PUBLIC’S BUSINESS IS DONE IN PUBLIC. BUT WE’RE NOT DONE. IN FACT, WE’RE JUST GETTING STARTED.

THE WHOLE WORLD CAN SEE TONIGHT’S EVENT BECAUSE IT’S STREAMING LIVE VIA THE INTERNET AND, STARTING NEXT WEEK, EVERY CITY COUNCIL MEETING WILL BE AS WELL SO EVEN THOSE WHO CAN’T MAKE THE MEETINGS CAN STILL STAY UP TO DATE WITH EVERY MOTION AND EVERY VOTE WITHOUT EVER HAVING TO LEAVE HOME.

BUT THAT’S JUST THE BEGINNING.

I SEE THIS CITY ESTABLISHING AN INDEPENDENT ETHICS COMMISSION, THE FIRST OF ITS KIND IN SOUTH CAROLINA. I SEE OUR CITY PRODUCING A LAYMAN’S BUDGET SO YOU CAN SEE EXACTLY WHERE YOUR TAX DOLLARS GO AND ESTABLISHING NEW GUIDELINES FOR CONFLICTSOF INTERESTS THAT REMOVE EVEN THE APPEARANCE OF IMPROPRIETY. I SEE COLUMBIA RAISING THE STANDARD FOR CITIZEN DRIVEN GOOD GOVERNMENT NOT JUST IN SOUTH CAROLINA, BUT ACROSS THE NATION.

I SEE US ENGAGING OUR COMMUNITY ON A GRASSROOTS LEVEL ABOUT THE ISSUES IMPORTANT TO ALL OF US SO THAT WE CAN BE THE BEST, BRIGHTEST, AND HEALTHIEST CITY WE CAN BE.

JUST AS OUR STREETS MUST BE SAFE; OUR NEIGHBORHOODS CLEAN; AND OUR SCHOOLS FULL OF ENERGETIC AND TALENTED STUDENTS AND TEACHERS–OUR CITIZENS MUST BE HEALTHY.  TO THAT END, MY WIFE, DEANDREA, AND I HAVE ADOPTED A SIGNATURE PROJECT, ALONG WITH COLUMBIA CITY COUNCIL, TO ENSURE ALL OF OUR FAMILIES HAVE ACCESS TO THE RIGHT RESOURCES TO ENCOURAGE HEALTHY LIFESTYLES.

FIRST LADY MICHELLE OBAMA AND HER TEAM HAVE PROVIDED A BLUEPRINT FOR US AND COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE NATION TO FOLLOW IN AN EFFORT TO ERADICATE CHILDHOOD OBESITY IN OUR CITY AND OUR NATION — THE LET’S MOVE INITIATIVE.

OVER THE COURSE OF THE NEXT SEVERAL MONTHS, WE WILL DEVELOP OUR OWN MOVEMENT IN COLUMBIA — ONE IN WHICH WE WORK WITH OUR INTERNAL TEAM OF STAFF AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS TO DEVELOP A LONG-TERM, SUSTAINABLE AND HOLISTIC APPROACH TO FIGHTING CHILDHOOD OBESITY IN OUR COMMUNITY AND SUPPORT HEALTHY LIVING THROUGH GRASSROOTS PROJECTS LIKE URBAN FARMING AND COMMUNITY GARDENS WHICH PROVIDE HEALTHY ALTERNATIVES FOR OUR FAMILIES.

THIS HOLISTIC APPROACH WILL ENCOMPASS INITIATIVES UNDER ALL FOUR PILLARS OF THE LET’S MOVE MODEL: HELPING PARENTS MAKE HEALTHY FAMILY CHOICES; IMPROVING THE HEALTH OF SCHOOLS; INCREASING PHYSICAL ACTIVITY OPPORTUNITIES; AND MAKING HEALTHY FOOD AFFORDABLE AND ACCESSIBLE.

I SEE A HEALTHIER, HAPPIER, AND MORE PROSPEROUS FUTURE FOR OUR CITY AS, FROM PUBLIC SAFETY TO FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY, ETHICS REFORM TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT; COLUMBIA LIVES UP TO ITS MANTLE AS A TRUE 21ST CENTURY CAPITAL CITY.

YES, I SEE COLUMBIA READY TO LEAD.

LOOK OUTSIDE THIS DOOR AND YOU’LL SEE IT TOO – THE SIGNS OF A $1 BILLION A YEAR TOURISM INDUSTRY THAT EMPLOYS ROUGHLY 65,000 PEOPLE RIGHT HERE IN THE METRO COLUMBIA AREA.

BUT THOSE SIGNS ARE ABOUT MORE THAN JUST DOLLARS AND CENTS, MORE THAN HOSPITALITY DISTRICTS AND TAX REVENUES. THEY’RE ABOUT OPEN SOURCE PROGRAMMING, SMALL MODULAR NUCLEAR REACTORS, HYDROGEN FUEL CELLS AND CYBER SECURITY. THEY’RE ABOUT INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES, KNOWLEDGE ECONOMIES, AND A NEW GENERATION OF SUSTAINABLE ENERGY INDUSTRIES.

THEY’RE ABOUT POSITIONING COLUMBIA ON THE CUTTING EDGE OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT AND SECURING HIGH-PAYING JOBS FOR THIS REGION, NOT JUST FOR THE NEXT FOUR YEARS – BUT THE NEXT 40.

I’M PROUD OF THE WORK WE’VE DONE TOGETHERB

I’M PROUD OF A NEW MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA AND MIDLANDS TECH TO FOSTER KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND CREATE A NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED ENERGY RESEARCH HUB RIGHT HERE IN COLUMBIA.

I’M PROUD OF THE NEW PARTNERSHIP THE CITY HAS FORMED WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS IN THEIR NON-PAID WORK EXPERIENCE PROGRAM. THIS IMPORTANT INITIATIVE HELPS VETERANS GAIN VALUABLE EXPERIENCE WORKING FOR THE CITY OF COLUMBIA FOR SIX MONTHS PROVIDING CRITICAL CITY SERVICES AT NO COST TO THE TAXPAYER.

I’M PROUD OF WORKING WITH RICHLAND COUNTY, THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, AND THE CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA ALLIANCE TO BRING A SOLAR POWER LEADER LIKE AQT AND 1,000 HIGH PAYING JOBS TO THE MIDLANDS.

I’M PROUD, BUT I’M NOT SATISFIED.

I’M PROUD BECAUSE UNEMPLOYMENT IN RICHLAND COUNTY HAS DROPPED FROM 10.3% TO 9.3% IN THE PAST YEAR. BUT UNSATISFIED BECAUSE THAT’S STILL 16,772 PEOPLE WHO DON’T HAVE JOBS, 16,772 PEOPLE WHO CAN’T PAY THEIR MORTGAGES, 16,772 PEOPLE WHO ARE GETTING LEFT OUT OF ALL THE GREAT THINGS OUR CITY HAS TO OFFER.

WE MUST DO BETTER.

I SEE COLUMBIA STEPPING UP WITH A REGIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION TO HELP US BECOME TRULY BUSINESS FRIENDLY BY CUTTING RED TAPE, LEVERAGING OUR INDIVIDUAL RESOURCES AND COORDINATING OUR INDIVIDUAL EFFORTS.

I SEE US FORMALIZING THE ALREADY EXCEPTIONAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN OUR CITY, THE STATE CAPITAL, AND THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA, THE STATE’S FLAGSHIP UNIVERSITY BY JOINING THE INTERNATIONAL TOWN GOWN ASSOCIATION.

I SEE US INVESTING IN CREATIVITY TO JUMPSTART THE DOWNTOWN ARTISTIC COMMUNITY AND SECURING THE ONE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TOOL WE DON’T HAVE BY BUILDING A NEW INDUSTRIAL PARK.

I SEE US CONNECTING MAIN STREET, USC, FIVE POINTS, AND THE VISTA TOGETHER AS ONE POWERHOUSE BUSINESS AND ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT AND WORKING TOGETHER TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE LARGEST PARCEL OF UNDEVELOPED DOWNTOWN PROPERTY EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI IN A WAY THAT TRANSFORMS THE BULL STREET PROPERTY INTO A THOROUGHLY MODERN LANDSCAPE WHILE PRESERVING ITS UNIQUE HISTORY AND STRUCTURES.

I SEE US FINALLY UNLOCKING OUR RIVERFRONT’S POTENTIAL AND COMPLETING THE THREE RIVERS GREENWAY.

COLUMBIA IS READY.

BUT IF WE’RE GOING TO LEAD ON JOB CREATION, WE FIRST MUST LEAD ON TRANSPORTATION.

NOW, LET ME BE ABSOLUTELY CLEAR: EVERYONE RELIES ON PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION.

WHETHER YOU’VE EVER SET FOOT ON A BUS OR NOT, WHETHER YOU KNOW WHAT CMRTA MEANS OR NOT, WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT – YOU RELY ON PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION.

THE LAB TECH THAT DREW YOUR BLOOD THE LAST TIME YOU WERE IN THE HOSPITAL, THE COLLEGE STUDENT THAT’S WORKING PART TIME WAITING TABLES IN YOUR RESTAURANT, THE SECURITY GUARD IN YOUR BUILDING – THEY ALL RIDE THE BUS.

WHAT HAPPENS TO THEM IF THERE ARE NO MORE BUSES TO RIDE? WHAT HAPPENS TO THOSE BUSINESSES WHEN THE EMPLOYEES THEY RELY ON CAN’T GET TO WORK?

WE HAD A MEETING TODAY WITH LEADERS FROM ALL ACROSS THE REGION SO WE CAN START PREPARING OURSELVES FOR THE NEWEST ROUND OF BASE CLOSURES COMING DOWN THE PIPE ANY DAY NOW.

BETWEEN FORT JACKSON, MCENTIRE, AND SHAW AIR FORCE BASE WE’RE TALKING ABOUT $7.1BILLION A YEAR IN COMBINED ECONOMIC IMPACT. I’M NOT GOING TO PUT THAT AT RISK BECAUSE WE TAKE THE BUSES AWAY FROM THE 1,400 FORT JACKSON EMPLOYEES THAT RELY ON THEM TO GET TO AND FROM WORK EVERY DAY.

I DON’T THINK WE CAN CONVINCE THE BRAC COMMISSION THAT THIS CITY FULLY SUPPORTS THE MILITARY IF WE REFUSE TO MAKE SURE A SOLDIER ON LEAVE HAS A RIDE INTO TOWN OR WE STOP THEIR CIVILIAN EMPLOYEES FROM REPORTING TO WORK.

EVERY SINGLE STATE CAPITAL IN AMERICA HAS A VIABLE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM AND I’M NOT GOING TO LET COLUMBIA BE THE ONLY ONE LEFT BEHIND.

BUT THIS ISN’T ABOUT MAINTAINING THE STATUS QUO. THIS ISN’T ABOUT SUBSIDIZING THE SAME OLD BUS SYSTEM. THIS IS ABOUT FUNDAMENTALLY CHANGING THE WAY WE LOOK AT PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION.

IMAGINE A FLEET OF CLEAN, NEXT GENERATION, ENERGY-EFFICIENT BUSES, OUTFITTED WITH MOBILE BROADBAND SO COMMUTERS CAN WORK ON THEIR WAY TO WORK.

IMAGINE INCREASING RIDERSHIP BY TAPPING INTO THE ROUGHLY 50,000 STUDENTS FROM USC, BENEDICT, ALLEN, COLUMBIA COLLEGE, MIDLANDS TECH AND CIU.

IMAGINE INTER-MODAL, REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION HUBS THAT CONNECT USC WITH DOWNTOWN AND THE VISTA, CAYCE, WEST COLUMBIA, LEXINGTON AND BLYTHEWOOD – CENTERS OF ACTIVITY BRINGING BUS AND RAIL TOGETHER PROVIDING NEW OUTLETS FOR LOCAL MERCHANTS AND NEW CUSTOMERS FOR SMALL BUSINESSES.

IMAGINE MEETING THE NEEDS OF THE 1,400 WORKERS AT FORT JACKSON WHO RELY ON CMRTA BY CONNECTING THEM AND THOUSANDS MORE WITH ALL OF THE CENTERS OF CULTURE AND COMMERCE THROUGHOUT THE MIDLANDS

IMAGINE POSITIONING COLUMBIA AS A NEW, VIBRANT AND GREEN 21ST CENTURY METROPOLIS WITH PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION AT ITS CORE.

THIS IS ABOUT A NEW VISION THAT SEES PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION NOT AS A BURDEN TO BE CARRIED BUT A BOON THAT CAN CARRY US INTO A BRIGHT NEW FUTURE TOGETHER.

WE HAVE A LOT TO CELEBRATE HERE IN COLUMBIA.

THE STATE OF OUR CITY IS STRONG – STRONG, BUT UNSATISFIED.

BECAUSE, AS PROUD AS WE ARE OF HOW FAR WE’VE COME, I LOOK OVER THE HORIZON TO WHERE WE’RE GOING AND I SEE A WORLD OF OPPORTUNITY UNLIKE ANYTHING WE’VE EVER KNOWN AND WITH ALL OF US WORKING TOGETHER – EVERYONE IN THIS ROOM AND EVERYONE AT HOME DOING THEIR PART – I KNOW WE CAN GET THERE.

COLUMBIA IS A GREAT CITY. BUT WE CAN BE EVEN BETTER.

WE’RE READY TO GET STARTED.

WE’RE READY TO LEAD.

WE’RE READY TO BE THE MOST TALENTED, EDUCATED AND ENTREPRENEURIAL CITY IN AMERICA!

WE’RE READY TO BE ONE GREAT COLUMBIA!

THANK YOU. GOD BLESS YOU. AND GOD BLESS THE CITY OF COLUMBIA.

Items urgently needed for the homeless

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Kathryn sent me this urgent message yesterday, and I am belatedly passing it on — note the time element; action is called for by Thursday:

Because of the frequent and early severe winter weather we have been having, there is a critical need for warm clothing and blankets for homeless men, women and children.  Because of weather cancellations, efforts to collect items by Columbia Rotary and other service groups have been curtailed, and we would greatly appreciate your help in gathering donations of coats, hats, scarves, gloves, blankets and similar items. We will be taking them to the United Way Day of Caring at Lexington Medical Center Friday, January 21, for sorting and distribution to groups serving the homeless.

If you can bring donated items to the United Way offices @ 1800 Main Street by the end of the day Thursday, we will make sure they are included in this drive.

Thank you so much for your support!

City doing what it has to do on buses

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Yesterday I had breakfast with Joel Lourie over at the Lizard’s Thicket on Forest, and as we were chatting he was accosted by a constituent who didn’t like what he’d halfway heard Joel saying about the need for more moderates in the Legislature. He proceeded to lecture Joel on why voters are more and more “conservative” these days. Mainly, it had to do with spending.

But the thing that jumped out at me was the local example he used. After excoriating the effort to raise the sales tax to pay for transportation needs, he said, flat out, “We don’t need buses.” He said it like public transit was just the stupidest, most wasteful idea he had ever heard of.

The conversation ended pleasantly, as Joel listened politely and declined to engage the voter on the more incendiary things he said. (After many years of dealing with angry readers, I can testify that’s a good formula for ending conversations better than they started — look for areas of agreement, look for opportunities to explain your own position better, but mainly allow the frustration to be vented. Most people just want to be heard, and don’t have the same opportunities to make that happen that politicians and journalists do.)

But I thought back to it later in the day. Brian Murrell of ADCO and I went to get some lunch at Greek Boys, and had to park almost a block away north on Sumter. As we walked past the bus stop at Sumter and Hampton in the bitter cold, we passed a guy — probably a patient from Palmetto Health Baptist across the street — standing with a walker waiting for the bus.

We had a nice, warm lunch inside — I had the beef tips over rice with greek salad (minus the feta). It didn’t take all that long — service is fast there — but we weren’t in a hurry, either. We took time to chat with Butch Bowers and Todd Carroll from Hall Bowers over at the next table. Call it 30 minutes, maybe 40.

Then we bundled back up and headed back into the bluster. And as we passed the bus stop, there was that same guy with the walker, still waiting. He had to be chilled right through his bones.

At that moment, I wish that voter from Lizard’s Thicket that morning had been there to tell THAT guy we don’t need buses.

All of which is a long way of getting to the point that Columbia City Council is simply doing what has to be done by coming up for different revenue source for the bus system, for now. Read about that here.

What we should have done was pass the sales tax. But since we didn’t, the city’s got to do something (and so will the county). So that, so far, is what it’s doing.

Make mine a Yuengling. Robert’s, too

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Just to keep y’all up to date on the hep doings of the In Crowd — Robert Ariail and I gathered last evening in the official Warthen/Ariail Memorial Booth at Yesterday’s, which is one of Five Points’ greatest attractions. Or should be.

We covered such burning topics as:

  • What we’re charging these days for freelance gigs (my prices are lower than his, but then I’m not Robert Ariail).
  • My upcoming trip to England, where I hope to find a pub as homey and welcoming as Yesterday’s. (I’m not sure this tops my wife’s list of priorities for the trip, but it’s high on mine.) A booth named for me is not a prerequisite.
  • Social media, which Robert’s not into, so I tried to engage his interest by showing him this. He still wasn’t sold. So then I Tweeted this out and showed it to him — “Having a pint with Robert Ariail at Yesterday’s, in the official memorial Warthen/Ariail booth. Not everyone can do that…” — and he still wasn’t impressed.
  • Why it’s the “Warthen/Ariail” booth instead of “Ariail/Warthen.” (Guess who raised that question?)
  • How, take it all around — price, flavor, what have you — you really can’t beat a pint of Yuengling. Oldest brewery in America, you know.

Hey, Mr. Yuengling distributor, take note: Don’t you think it’s about time you took out an ad on the blog? Like Yesterday’s?

Parking Meter Santa lives! And he’s back!

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You can have your grainy pictures of Sasquatch -- here is my photographic proof of the existence of Parking Meter Santa!

It was more than three years ago that I first posited the existence of a Parking Meter Santa, going about Columbia cheerfully plugging money into meters and chucking softly to himself, thinking of the joy he would bring to the next person to park there.

I based this on having found a space, in October 2007 (it seemed to me more recently; I was shocked that it was on the old blog) on Assembly Street with an hour and 54 minutes left on it. Ho, ho, ho.

This morning, I found one with 1:09 left — 1:08 by the time I took the picture. Not as generous as the time before, but more than I needed. (Perhaps I haven’t been as good as I was in 2007.)

This leaves me feeling much cheerier about the season.

Last night I watched part of Ben Stein’s documentary in which he seeks to debunk the anti-religious gospel of such famous atheists as Richard Dawkins. Well today, we have a settler for those who don’t believe in Santa… Ha! Take that!…

The world is even more with us

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The world is too much with us; late and soon,
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers:
Little we see in Nature that is ours;
We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!
The Sea that bares her bosom to the moon;
The winds that will be howling at all hours,
And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers;
For this, for everything, we are out of tune;
It moves us not.–Great God! I’d rather be
A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn;
So might I, standing on this pleasant lea,
Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn;
Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea;
Or hear old Triton blow his wreathed horn.
— William Wordsworth, 1802

Yeah, what Wordsworth said.

I am saddened by something that just happened in my home county of Lexington — or rather, the way it happened. Doug Ross already alluded to it — approvingly, of course. Therefore it is my duty to demur. Here’s the lowdown:

By Mike Fitts
[email protected]
Published Dec. 8, 2010

Amazon is coming into Lexington County — and the county’s blue laws are going out.

Part of the deal that landed Amazon, announced Tuesday, includes a requirement that the county end the blue laws, which generally restrict shopping before 1:30 p.m. on a Sunday.

Amazon’s distribution center is likely to operate at all hours, seven days per week. According to Lexington County Council Chairman Jim Kinard, to ensure there is no problem with its operations, the company asked that the law be changed.

“These guys apparently had never heard of blue laws,” Kinard said.

Amazon’s request for the deal was one part of the big investment that it is making in Lexington County. The company plans to build a $100 million distribution center in the county’s Saxe Gotha Industrial Park alongside Interstate 26. It is expected to employ 1,249 full-time workers and 2,500 part-time staffers during holiday rush seasons….

First, that’s awesome that the community is getting 1,000 jobs.

It’s not so awesome that something that culturally set the community apart from other, more hurried, communities was set aside willy-nilly, without any sort of community conversation.

Yep, I’ve heard all the arguments against blue laws, and I haven’t heard a good one yet. Count me among those who remembers (way, way long ago, like in the 60s) and misses the times when we truly got a day off on Sunday, a day when no one expected us to engage in the hustle-bustle of the other six days because we couldn’t. (And the biggest canard spread by those who advocated modernity on this is the one about how we can CHOOSE not to run around like headless chickens on Sunday. No, we can’t. If you can do something, the world — the expectations of your family, your neighbors, your employer, everyone — will crowd you into participating on some level. Ours is an interconnected universe. Don’t make me quote John Donne, too.)

Again, I’m glad that the community is getting this shot in the arm. And if I had been in the position of those officials needing to act quickly to make it happen, I might have done the same thing. And I certainly understand Amazon’s unwillingness to get caught in a legal bind.

But I just hate that it had to happen this way, so that the community didn’t get to have a conversation about what it was trading away.

A pre-session legislative discussion

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CRBR Publisher Bob Bouyea, Chamber President Otis Rawl, Rep. James Smith, Sen. Joel Lourie, Rep. Nathan Ballentine. In the foreground is former Rep. Elsie Rast Stuart, now chairwoman of the the Richland-Lexington Airport Commission. / grainy phone photo by Brad Warthen

I meant to post about this yesterday, when it happened, but better late than never.

ADCO had a table at the Columbia Regional Business Report‘s (that’s the outfit Mike Fitts is with) “Legislative Lowdown” breakfast at Embassy Suites. It was a good table. Lanier and I were joined by Alan Kahn, Jay Moskowitz, Bob Coble, Butch Bowers, Cameron Runyan and Grant Jackson.

We were there to hear a discussion by a panel featuring Otis Rawl from the state Chamber, Rep. James Smith, Sen. Joel Lourie, Rep. Nathan Ballentine and Rep. Chip Huggins. Joel was a few minutes late, and Chip had to leave just as Joel arrived, but it was still a good discussion.

Here’s Mike’s description of the event, in part (I’d quote the whole thing, but I don’t know how Mike’s cohorts feel about that Fair Use thing):

By Mike Fitts
[email protected]
Published Dec. 2, 2010

Lawmakers speaking at the Business Report’s Power Breakfast this morning said they see major difficulties ahead in the new budget year, but they also said there are new opportunities for bipartisanship.

The event, hosted at the Embassy Suites, featured Reps. Nathan Ballentine, R-Chapin, Chip Huggins, R-Columbia, and James Smith, D-Columbia; Sen. Joel Laurie, D-Columbia; and Otis Rawl, president and CEO of the S.C. Chamber of Commerce.

With a new Legislature and new governor coming to Columbia in January, much of the discussion focused on the budget crisis that will greet them.

Ballentine, a member of Gov.-elect Nikki Haley’s fiscal crisis task force, drew a stark picture of the challenges facing lawmakers. Ballentine compared the situation to a lifeboat with a limited number of seats. There won’t be enough dollars to take care of students, the elderly, the disabled and law enforcement, Ballentine said.

“Somebody’s going to get left out, and that’s going to hurt,” he said…

To Mike’s focused report I will add the following random observations:

  • I don’t know if this would have been the case if Chip Huggins had stayed, but the general consensus, or at least lack of overt conflict, between James, Joel and Nathan on issue after issue was quite noticeable. Nathan alluded to it, saying he was sure that the business people in the room were probably wondering why a pair of Democrats and a close ally of Nikki Haley were agreeing about issue after issue. (And some of the agreements were remarkable, going beyond mere civility, such as when Nathan volunteered his acknowledgement of the problems with Act 388.) Nathan further speculated that the audience might reasonably wonder why, in light of what they were hearing, the General Assembly had so much trouble getting anything done. He explained that the reason was that there were these 167 other people in the Legislature… And he was completely right. If we filled the Assembly with Jameses, Joels and Nathans, South Carolina would see a Golden Age of enlightened governance. These are reasonable young men who, despite their disagreements on some points are reasonable, deal with others in good faith, and truly want what’s best for South Carolina, and want it more than their own advancement or the good or their respective parties. If only their attitude were catching.
  • I’ll add to that point the observation that if all discourse about issues were on the intellectual level of this one, we’d see a very different, and much better, South Carolina. The conversation was wonderfully devoid of partisan, ideological, bumper-sticker cliches. For instance, I never heard anyone mention “growing government” or “taking back our state.” Observations were relevant, practical, and free of cant. I used to hear discussions like that regularly when I sat on the editorial board, because intelligent politicians did us the courtesy of leaving the meaningless catch-phrases behind. It was good to hear that kind of talk again. (It occurs to me that the fact that over the years I’ve been privileged to hear politicians at their best, trying to sound as smart as possible, may help to explain why I don’t have as jaded a view of officeholders as Doug and others do.) I’d be inclined to say that the discussion was on this level because the lawmakers were paying this assembly the same compliment of respect — but these particular lawmakers pay everyone that sort of respect. Which is why we need more like them.
  • Otis Rawl, incidentally, was slightly more confrontational — something you don’t usually see in a Chamber leader. He exuded the air at times of being impatient with the air of civil agreement in the room. When Nathan said that he had not realized when he voted for it the harm that Act 388 would cause — Otie challenged him directly, saying he knew good and well that his group had informed lawmakers ahead of time, and there was no excuse for anyone to claim innocence (I think he’s right in the aggregate — the body as a whole knew better, but ignored what they knew it order to scratch a political itch — but if Nathan says he didn’t understand, I believe him; he was a relatively inexperienced lawmaker at the time; and I appreciate greatly that he’s learned from experience). Awhile back, I chided Otie for not being more frank about what he thought on an issue. The Otis Rawl I saw Thursday morning could not be chided for the same thing. I suspect this reflects a growing dissatisfaction with Sanford-era fecklessness in the State House, which helped lead to the Chamber’s endorsement of Vincent over Nikki.
  • Speaking of Vincent, Nikki, Otie, James, Nathan and Joel … It struck me as interesting, just because language and civility interest me, that everyone speaking of Nikki Haley referred to her carefully as “Governor-Elect Haley.” It was notable partly because it was stilted coming from people who know her quite well as “Nikki,” but also because (and this might have been my imagination) there was a slight change of tone when the speakers said it, a shift to a formality mode. It seemed natural enough that the Democrats present would use that highly formal construction — it’s important to them (particularly since the two Democrats in question are Vincent Sheheen’s two best friends in the General Assembly) to sound scrupulously neutral and respectful in this post-election period. It’s a way of papering over their feelings about her election, and perfectly proper. It was also perfectly appropriate for Nathan to refer to her that way; it just sounded odder coming from him. They were seatmates, and allies in her fights with the leadership. But being a gentleman, he wasn’t going to top it the nob in a public setting by assuming excessive familiarity. Bottom line, just over a month ago ALL of them would have called her “Nikki.” But now they are the very pictures of proper Southern gentleman. Which I like. But then I’d like to see a return of the sort of manners I read about in Patrick O’Brian and Jane Austen. We just don’t see that very often nowadays.
  • As civil and intelligent as this discussion was (in fact, probably because it was so intelligent), it offered little hope for the General Assembly effectively dealing with any of the important issues facing our state in the foreseeable future. Everyone spoke with (cautious, on the part of the Democrats) optimism about Nikki — excuse me, Gov.-elect Haley — being able to work better with the Legislature than Mark Sanford has (a pitifully low bar). But I heard little hope offered that this, or anything else, would likely lead to the reforms that are needed. The institutional and ideological resistance to, say, comprehensive tax reform is just too powerful. The most hope Joel Lourie would offer is that steady pressure over a long period of time might yield some small progress. He cited as an example his and James’ long (eight-year) battle to get a sadly inadequate cigarette tax increase. The terrible truth, though, is that the cigarette tax was such a no-brainer — it shouldn’t have taken two days, much less eight years — that if IT took that long, much less simple and obvious reform seems unlikely in our lifetimes. But perhaps I’m not being as optimistic as I should be. It’s just that I’ve been fighting these battles, and hearing these same issues discussed, for so very long…