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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. 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