Newspaper Page Text
i
PUBLISHER’S NOTES
COLLISION COURSE
Whether you agree with their actions or
not, you’ve got »o admire Mayor Doc
Eldridge’s political courage and Manager A1
Crace's political tenacity. The Mayor’s deci
sion not to re-hire the powerful ACC
Manager smacks of President Truman's
decision to fire the popular General Douglas
MacArthur at »he height of the Korean War.
Truman also immortalized the political
saying, “If you can’t stand the heat, stay out
of the kitchen.” Truman took a lot of heat
over MacArthur’s firing, and Doc is taking
the heat for notifying Al that he will not
nominate him for re-appointment when his
term ends at the first of the year.
A powerful Manager has powerful
friends, and Crace’s have leapt to his
defense. The publisher of the Banner-
Herald/Daily News has made his newspa
pers a conduit for Crace-friendly pro
nouncements. portraying the Mayor
as a “rookie" who is committing
“political suicide” and who will
draw down upon the govern
ment ruinous lawsuits. Other
Crace supporters have threat
ened a recall movement against
the Mayor, and influential people
are working for the Manager behind
the scenes.
Mayor Eldridge’s political courage is
akin to that of the tightrope walker, when
you consider that his safety net is the
Athens-Clarke County Commission. Mayor
Eldridge is actually a quite conservative
politician, and he stays in constant touch
with the Commission. The Commissioners
have told him continuously and almost
unanimously that they are sick and tired of
Crace’s habitual disdain for keeping them
informed on important decisions. (The
destruction of the railroad trestles detailed
on page 7 of this issue is only the latest in a
series of major actions taken by the
Manager without informing the
Commission.)
A.s this is being
written on Monday,
July 17, there are
signs that the amor
phous collective
that is the
Commission may be
awakening to its
responsibilities.
When the Mayor
wrote the Manager
that he would not
recommend him for
reappointment, the
Mayor felt that he
spoke with the concurrence of a solid
majority of the Commission. By the time
this Flagpole hits the streets, the
Commission could at last be ready to flex
its authority to hire and fire the Manager.
Or not.
We don’t usually get to see the forces of
government laid out so clearly before us. A
Manager, for instance, is not elected, but
can and must generate considerable polit
ical power. A Mayor is elected, but his polit
ical power can be used in ways that
increase it or decrease it. The
Commissioners basically have to stay in
favor with the voters in their respective dis
tricts, and the best way to do that is to
handle leaf and limb complaints and stay
away from controversial decisions.
Meanwhile, there’s a v'hole constellation
of people out there with their own special
needs and issues. Some of those people are
extremely influential, capable of causing a
Commissioners are
like farmers: they
gripe a lot, but
they're hard to orga^
nize politically.
Commissioner to flourish or perish. Some
of those influential people may have reason
for wanting the Manager to remain in his
position—for instance the publisher of the
daily newspapeis. But the publisher is also
anxious to please others who are influential
and can cause even a publisher to flourish
or perish.
Commissioners are like farmers: they
gripe a lot, but they’re hard to organize
politically. One might agree with the Mayor
about the Manager, but might have his/her
eyes on the Mayor’s job. Retaining the
Manager, while distasteful, might be a nice
political embarrassment for the Mayor.
Another Commissioner might agree with
the Mayor about the Manager but might
realize that his/her business or political
future is dependent on the good will of
some of those influential people who
want the Manager to stay. Another
Commissioner might agree with the
Mayor about the Manager, but is
up for re-election and some of
her/his key supporters want
the Manager to stay.
All of this is just to point out
why the Commission naturally
hangs back and lets the Mayor take
the lead and why, when it actually comes
down to a (gasp!) vote, the Mayor is always
skating on thin ice when ht’s out there on
the pond with the Commission.
Our strengths are our weaknesses.
Mayor Eldridge is so good at staying in
touch with the Commission that he tends to
operate as an insider, away from public
view. His predecessor was an outsider, and
her only recourse to handling a problem
was to go to the public. She didn’t get on
well with most of the Commissioners, but
she alw ays had a ready public forum. Now r .
that the Manager controversy is out in the
open, the Mayor finds that his one-on-one
charm and persuasiveness don’t translate
easily to a con
vincing public
demeanor, espe
cially v/ith the daily
newspapers sympa
thetic to the
Manager.
The Manager, so
adept at bureau-
rratic intricacies,
shies away from a
direct public appeal
and so must attempt
to shore up his posi
tion behind the
scenes, too.
The Charter which governs the process
clearly gives the Manager authority over
the operations of the government. It gives
the Commission the authority to hire and
fire the Manager. It gives the Mayor the
authority to nominate his choice for
Manager every two years, to be approved
by the Commission.
The system is working well, but sud
denly they’re all on a collision course.
We’ve got the Mayor on one train, the
Commissioners on another and the
Manager on a third. They’re traveling fast
toward each other down three different
tracks across trestles that may or not still
be standing Will they all three collide? Will
one or the other get the props knocked out
from under them? Will the Commission get
sidetracked? Will the Manager hop a train
out of town 9 Will the Mayor get i un over?
Pete McCommons
Register Today!
Classes Beginning
at Sangha July 31
Integral Hatha Toga: ALL LEVELS
Introduction to Iyengar Toga
Introduction to Ashtanga Toga & Primary Seines
Creative Movement for 4-6 year olds
or 7-10 year olds
Inspired Movement to Live Music
Afro-Haitian Dance
Sangha Yoga Studio is bated in the HEALING ARTS CENTRE
834 Prince Avenue (parking lot in rear) 613-1143
JLn A World Of Faxes
And Overnioht TWatl,
* a-.*; . r
♦ v Sl
It's Sort Of Refreshing To
Wait For Something.
I f you're ready to take your outdoor adventures
to the next level, OLN is ready to show you the
most exciting destinations and teach you the best
techniques. Whether you're into hiking, biking,
skiing or just getting out there,you'll find a new
way to challenge yourself.
mmm CifvlOuidoon com
1-800-885-5502
JULY 19, 2 000 FLAGPOLE B