On this last day of 2014, I’m reminded of the opening line of Mutual Network broadcaster Gabriel Heatter in his nightly radio newscasts from the 1940s and early ’50s: “There’s good news tonight!”
A few minutes later, by dialing the Crosley radio console to a clear-channel CBS station, one could hear Lowell Thomas in his dulcet baritone at the end of his newscast sign off cheerily with, “So long until tomorrow!”
This came during three wars, from World War II through the Korean War to the Cold War, through many natural disasters and human catastrophes. But there was good news to be had in each day, and we expected, like Scarlett O’Hara, that tomorrow would be a better day, in some way.
Let’s look at Fayette County that way.
Starting with the Fayette County Commission, 2015 will bring for the first time a black woman, a Democrat, into the all-guy Republican mix. My impression of Pota Coston is that she will bring sharp intelligence and well-honed management skills to her position. Most people don’t know that before her retirement from federal service, she supervised several FBI offices in the Southeast, rising through the FBI ranks after a career in law enforcement.
The good old boys — all of whom I voted for when we still had at-large voting — could benefit from her fresh perspectives on county matters. As an aside, had she run at-large as a Republican, with a Republican philosophy, I would gladly have voted for her.
Another aside: District voting is really at its heart all about getting Democrats elected in a majority Republican county, NOT about getting blacks elected. Race is just the horse they ride in on.
The Fayetteville City Council and City Hall staff continue to school other jurisdictions on how to squeeze a public penny for all its maximum value. Kudos for how to keep taxes steady for many years and still serve the public well.
A little “uh-oh” happened recently when they seemed to take a page from Peachtree City’s playbook but then consigned their close call to die in committee. Faced with a sharp reaction from citizens and home builders alike, the council decided to reconsider a plan to require a specific number of windows per house as well as a ban on all new homes having brick fronts and wooden sides.
This is one regulation too far and amounts to a select few bureaucrats substituting their aesthetic values in the form of regulations in place of the hoi polloi tastes of the citizens and the free market. Back off, guys.
Let me say something good about Peachtree City governance: At least they can’t drain lakes Kedron and McIntosh for any kind of routine maintenance. And they’ve got pretty good schools. Oh, wait, those amenities and facilities are under the control of governments other than Peachtree City, aren’t they? The same with Falcon Field and our water system as well.
So what can Peachtree City do well? For one, give city workers raises up to 25 percent and give them benefits off the charts as compared to the private sector. Wouldn’t we all love health insurance for self, spouse and unlimited dependents for $100 a month out of our paychecks? For seconds, pass a balanced budget and then within two months, bust it wide open with unbudgeted raises with almost certain future tax increases required to pay for those raises.
And it looks like PTC will be greasing the skids for future annexations, increasing the city limits and then trying to figure out on the fly how to pay for the increase in city services like traffic control, police, fire and ambulance required for the new areas. Meanwhile the bedrock planned city concept of “build-out population of 40,000” becomes just another quaint anachronism.
Other things on the PTC Council’s wish list might include an anti-litter ordinance complete with police citations and court summons aimed mostly at just one newspaper (guess which one?) and consideration of a well-known amusement park to be located in the beating residential heart of our once well-planned town.
Great Scott, you say? No, Great Wolf.
The good news tonight for many of us is that tomorrow is another year. So long until tomorrow!
[Cal Beverly has been editor and publisher of The Citizen since 1993.]
