Newspaper Page Text
The Champion, Thursday, March 26 - April 1, 2015 OPINION
Page 5A
We choose how we react
It could’ve been an ugly
scene.
A three-car accident in
volving an old man, a Black
woman and a Jewish couple
easily could have turned
into a screaming, cussing,
finger-pointing situation.
Three strangers from
different generations, eth
nicities and religious back
grounds—still in shock and
stressed by a sudden violent
crash—could have reacted
with hostility, anger and
selfish interests.
Instead this accident
that took place on LaVista
Road one night in March
while I was driving home
was anything but that.
Granted, no one was
seriously injured and vehicle
damage was minimal, but
gale@dekalbchamp.com
Lifestyle Editor
the initial crash jettisoned
at least one airbag and, no
doubt, the release of a ton of
adrenaline in each of us.
The Jewish man, whose
car was the last one struck
and who was an EMT,
checked on the drivers of
the two other vehicles with
a calming and concerned
presence. The 82-year-old
man, who rear-ended my
car sending it into the car
ahead of me, apologized
repeatedly. The couple and I
accepted his clearly sincere
apology and replied that ac
cidents happen.
As we stood by the side
of the road awaiting police,
we got to know each other
a little. The old man and I
were both originally from
Westchester County in New
York. The couple had moved
here from New Jersey, and
the wife remarked that if the
accident had occurred there
we wouldn’t all be convers
ing so pleasantly.
I thought about that and
decided it wasn’t the geog
raphy that resulted in such
calm interaction-although
Southern hospitality is real
and I’m a big fan of it—but
the attitudes of the individu
als involved.
We choose how we
react to situations—from
the most minor to the big
stuff. Will we gather facts
and information first? Do
we scream and holler the
minute the unexpected
happens? Are we only con
cerned with ourselves or are
we committed to showing
others compassion during a
crisis? Are we angry and just
waiting for an opportunity
to take it out on someone?
Do we want our lives to be
an example of truly loving
our neighbors?
While I wouldn’t wish
involvement in a traffic ac
cident on anyone, if one
happens I hope you are as
fortunate as I was to col
lide with individuals who
weren’t interested in turning
an accident into a some
thing ugly.
There’s enough ugliness
and mean-spiritedness in
the world—just pick up the
newspaper or turn on the
news any day. Kindness,
understanding and compas
sion go a long way to make
our lives less tumultuous
and stressful and restore the
peacefulness and dignity
that so many of us are seek
ing.
= ONE MAN'S OPINION
This has to stop now!
“This has to stop nowC-
former DeKalb County
Sheriff Thomas Brown, on
Facebook on Feb. 27, fol
lowing revelations of the
latest DeKalb County gov
ernment scandal.
Following the murder
of former Sheriff-elect Der-
win Brown (no relation)
by the incumbent Sheriff
Sid Dorsey, as well as his
subsequent conviction, and
the special appointment to
fill the unexpired term of
Derwin Brown, I credit and
thank then DeKalb Pub
lic Safety Commissioner
and later Sheriff Thomas
Brown for turning around
that beleaguered and strug
gling department, moving
our DeKalb Sheriff’s Office
from worst to a series of na
tional ‘firsts.’
In DeKalb, as the shoes
continue to drop faster than
coming off the assembly
line at a Nike factory, along
with declining voter con
fidence and citizen com
mittees racing to form new
cities at the pace of Olympic
sprinters, Brown remains a
calm and steady voice as
serting that we clearly and
simply deserve better than
we are getting from our lo
cal government.
In response to reports
that the highly regarded
bill.csicrane@gmail.com
Columnist
chairman of DeKalb’s
Development Authority,
Vaughn Irons, is able to sit
in that chair, voting on and
awarding his own company,
APD Solutions, county and
federal grant funds, due to
the existence of a potentially
fraudulent and obviously
unfinished DeKalb Ethics
Board opinion, one’s re
sponse at this point is left to,
only in DeKalb.
But this Irons fiasco has
more layers than a Vidalia
Onion, and with each peel
there is almost another rea
son to cry.
From recent editions of
The Atlanta Journal & Con
stitution, as well as WSB’s
Channel 2 Action News,
“An invalid possibly forged,
legal document paved the
way for a DeKalb official to
win a million-dollar county
contract.”
So again, in case you
are not following local news
coverage of this latest un
folding scheme:
After concems/com-
plaints regarding conflict
of interest from within the
county purchasing office
(no den of angels itself)
were ignored-apparently
fraudulent document that
no one wrote, which no one
will admit to signing in draft
stamped form, and not a fi
nal version was accepted as
actual. The vendor in ques
tion not only receives con
tracts, but comes to be chair
of the board that oversees
the incentive bonds and big
money bucket.
OK, I’m not an attorney,
nor do I play one on TV,
but Mr. Irons acknowledges
seeking such a review and
ruling from the ethics board
and county attorney as far
back as 2009. So let’s as
sume honesty here, as there
were at least perceptions of
a conflict of interest, and
such a ruling was actually
sought.
Where is the genuine
answer to the 2009 query?
We know things can take
a while in DeKalb, espe
cially permitting, but six
years have passed to get this
memo together.
If anyone was unclear
on the reality/genuine ver
sion of the fraudulent docu
ment, how is that question
not settled first, before
handing the vendor/appli-
cant $1.5 million in county
funds, placing said person
on the development author
ity and other later higher
positions of authority, re
sponsibility and power?
If a county commission
er has reportedly been serv
ing as a paid consultant for
several years, supposedly on
matters in other states and
outside of DeKalb County
to this same vendor, could
we please see a list of proj
ects or jurisdictions where
said commissioner’s intel
lectual powers and expertise
outside of DeKalb County
have been helpful for that
same $6,000 per year?
I’m sure in the proper
venue later there will be a
much longer list of ques
tions, but these three are a
pretty good place to start.
To start digging our way
out of this hole is going
to require leadership from
folks who do not play poli
tics primarily based upon
race, and who can view
DeKalb through the prism
of seeking the greater good
for all 700,000 of our citi
zens, as well as hopefully a
demonstrated track record
of prior achievements and
successes.
And given that DeKalb’s
jail is the nation’s third
largest, perhaps we should
consider prepping a mini
mum security floor on one
of the wings and requiring
a direct daily feed of prior-
year county commission and
school board meetings on
the ward block TV.
Perhaps to match the
cascading number of crimes
and appreciating that from
those of whom we expect
the most, they may also
bring themselves to experi
ence the least.
I know of at least one
person in our still beloved
county who can handle this
assignment, and he doesn’t
even need one bullet in his
pocket.
Bill Crane also serves
as a political analyst and
commentator for Channel
2’s Action News, WSB-AM
News/Talk 750 and now 95.5
FM, as well as a columnist
for The Champion, Cham
pion Free Press and Georgia
Trend. Crane is a DeKalb
native and business owner,
living in Scottdale. You can
reach him or comment on
a column at bill.csicrane@
gmail.com.