Career Criminals

Highly educated. Knowledgeable. Sought after for opinion. Experts.

Or as I call them, Career Criminals. Folks for whom reality stopped a long time ago, when they started to believe they were as good as people told them they were. Some of them have rightly come by the accolades, but a good number believe their own hype.

Time will tell if our new president is one of those. But I'm looking more locally - specifically Rupert Cutler.

I had just moved here when he finished out his term on the City Council. I heard little about the man, other than his long resume... repeated endlessly.

From all outward appearances, it did not seem like his credentials benefitted the city much. During his term (2000 - 2006), the greenways got under way - we landed a few more businesses, but no great projects came out of it. And I know, that's as much the fault of the entire Council (and that erected - not elected monument known as Darlene) but beyond the cop-out of "one councilman cannot change anything on his own" a loud councilman certainly can. But we have another Council member who has not run a business, owned a business, or got down with the people in the streets.

Another Career (expert) Criminal, who will do nothing but keep the city in stasis for a while. Appearing to go everywhere, but standing still the whole time. 

The other wannabe Career Criminal is Gwen Mason. Gwen, who adopted Nelson Harris' "Clean and Green" campaign as her own when it was apparent that Emperor Harris was not going to win re-election, has yet to shine as a councilwoman. A grantwriter and worker at the Dept. of the Interior, who focused her entire college years on being in the Government, she seems to be a natural for the post. But wait, what's her experience again? What has she done for the City? 

Maybe I am asking too much from our Council members - maybe they are supposed to be a passive body rather than a proactive one.

Frankly, I think we have had enough of the whole elected officials who have worked towards becoming elected officials. They go from being people who want to be part of the dynamic system that is American Government, people with ideals, to people who take those same ideals for granted - and become so steeped in policy and procedure they lose focus of why they are doing it in the first place. They studied each inch of it, worked in the menial details of it - and now have become assimilated to it. 

And to what end? Even the Roanoke Times admits Fralin was not like the rest. He worked for his constituents, his people - not just his party. He worked in his community to get things done. Anyone seen Mason out there cleaning up Bullit and Jamison when the Neighborhood Group that adopted the corridor is cleaning (and possibly greening) the area? 

Has Cutler been down walking around downtown, talking to people and brainstorming ways to make the city better?

Career Criminals, stealing time from a city that needs progress.

What's missing?

The new budget - for a cash-strapped city, is painful at best. Downright dangerous at worst.

We know about the FD getting cut by 6 positions, and the shuffle of equipment. That's bad.

What has not been spoken of are the cuts to the PD.

Suddenly I am thinking that we are about 2 years too late on the vote.

The Roanoke City Police Department, the only department where on any given day - around 9:30 in the morning, there might very well be 2 officers on patrol for the entire city while the rest sit around court, is facing a $1.2+ Million Dollar cut.

Let's say you wake up one morning and find your garden hose missing in action. Now you have no idea who took it, and it's not all that urgent, but you do feel the need to report it - as some of your neighbors have had other garden implements vanish recently. You call down to the HQ, and are put on the line with a Citizen Service operator. They take the report - file it, and ship it down to the correct officer for follow up as time warrants.

At least something gets done, and the report stays active until the officer, as part of his or her regular duties, closes it out.

That's before July 1. As of July 1 - those operators have been given notice that they will most likely be let go, pending budget.

So - no more Citizen Service operators, no more people to take your report and get it checked out in a fairly timely way. No more reports getting to officers, who as part of their normal duties, would investigate and close out the report.

Nope. Now they will be taking patrol officers off the street to staff the phone lines.

Let's take my home turf - Southeast, as an example.

Many years back, when Madame Burcham was just cutting her teeth in this city, the state and federal prosecutors came to the city to complain that the police were not bringing them enough cases in comparison to the reported crimes. In a quick scramble, the minimum staffing levels for the city were.. uh.. re-calibrated for the "population" of the city. This cut back most sections by at least 2 officers a 24-hour period.

For PD purposes - Southeast runs from the tracks south, 581/220 east, and south to the gravel pits. Yes - those gravel pits. On 220 south of WalMart.

That's Southeast, Garden City, SoRo, the Carilion area, Mill Mountain, Franklin Rd., - well, down to the Blue Ridge - you get the idea.

How many officers per shift do you think are on duty?

5? 7?

For an area that big?

How about 3.

3 per shift.

And now they are going to pull one to work the phones? Not to mention all the times they are stuck in court from 8:30am til' 12p or so...

Who will be watching the streets?

So now, if you think of it this way - you'll be looking at reduced fire service AND reduced police service.

The Harris legacy - a city in flames. A city that could be rolling in the cash, but does not have the common sense enough to turn a nickel into a dime.

It's going to be a wild and wooly two years folks.

Studying up?

Nelson Harris - age 43 - tanning hero - George Hamilton

Anyone else find it funny that Harris, with his own checkered recent (and past) is reading a book about one of the most corrupt cities in American history?

And he says he sees many parallels between Chi-towns past and our own, and I am sure he does. I would be on the lookout for more in the future if this book is anywhere near in-depth as it should be.

Harris is a student of History, and I am sure he is learning a great many lessons on politics and how to run a city.

I wonder if he has yet to read the history of Tammany Hall?


On a better note - I have to say, my admiration for Mr. Robin Reed just went up a few notches. Anyone who can get the true meaning of Mr. Schultz and Peanuts is a friend in my book.

I've got some other stuff thats been rolling around my head - but that's for another time, you all seem to be enjoying the commentary of "Dissenting Viewpoint."

Rumble

Amazement. Plain and simple. It's hard for me to believe the Roanoke Times finally said something I agree with in regards to the City Council.

"A council gang of four -- Mayor Nelson Harris, Vice Mayor David Trinkle, Alfred Dowe and Gwen Mason..." - editorial from the Roanoke Times

Now lest I be accused of clipping it to fit my bias, the rest of the line goes on to say that the Council failed basic civics by cutting residents out of the process in deciding the location of the new Amphitheater.

It's correct on both counts. Yes, Roanoke does have a gang - a Gang of Four. Those wacky independents, who answer to no one and were voted in by smoke and mirrors. Well, 3 of the 4 anyway. The Mayor outright suckered people. But one thing the Gang has probably thought of, and has plans for - is the upcoming elections. I'm sure in "virtual back-room" dealings the candidates have been pre-selected, and pre-screened for compliance.

This, coming from someone who was actually FOR the amphitheater being built on the Victory Stadium site. I still hold true to the belief that having it there, regardless of weather or not we can fill 7k seats (and I think we could do better, bigger), is a direct call to businesses which might very well see the benefit in having such a facility right near by.

But back to our story. The Gang of Four, these Four Horsepeople of the Ridiculous if you will, have set in stone their will for the future of the City Council. A big part of that is Darlene herself. She keeps the City workers, and some residents, in fear. As long as Darlene is there - the city will be kept in stasis. No problems from the pesky citizens, as it were.

Take, for example, the City Market debacle. Anyone have a clue as to why these "mediation" sessions are not being shown on TV? All we get are soundbytes - and sure, every citizen who has a stake in the Market (and I think that counts as all of us) is welcome to attend - but you know the hard truth is - some of us have other things to do than sit for hours in a meeting. Like work. Hours outside of the 9-5 grind. The hours that normal people work.

Like the current call for Valley Metro to extend operational hours, theres a good reason for that. People in the 21st century work 24 hours a day. Unlike the 1/10th of the population that is truly represented by the current City Council, who have nice day jobs.

So I like my coffee with non-dairy creamer, in vast quantities, and readily available when I like. Does this mean I expect every place I go to have this exact combination ready for me? Negative. I realize that I am not all, and all are not I. This is something the City Council fails to realize - they are acting as if they are all, and there must be something wrong with you if you are not as wise as they are.

So lets think about this for a minute.

How do we go about fixing the problem of a City Council gone awry? Simple - we rumble.

The City has long been divided into quadrants - as we are reminded by the news each time graffiti pops up pitting SE vs. SW (sprayed by the same hand it seems). So let's rumble - once and for all and for the good of the city.

Each area gathers up it's best and brightest - and puts them forth to serve the public interests OF THAT AREA.

If this sounds strange - allow me to remind you of this - there are 3 seats coming open in the next election - and the Mayor's chair.

1 seat per section of the city. And the 3 dwarfs left. The citizens of the City need to come together in their neighborhoods and commit to taking back the City.

Sure, it means there will be debate and disagreement, but that's life. And eventually, there will be compromise, and we can start back on the path of rebuilding the city.

I hate to keep harping on this, but it stands as the perfect example of the cities outright confusion and dereliction of duty.

Roanoke's 125th celebration has been forgotten. The fireworks on the Fourth of July will go off just as they always do, nothing terribly spectacular or different about it. An Art Festival has been announced for the first weekend in October. Anyone hear about it? Anyone care?

Nothing that celebrates the history of Roanoke, the where we have been and the where we are going, absolutely nothing.

Even with the wreck of the Hesperus going in downtown, even that smacks of beige. Whatever opportunity to truly set ourselves apart has been lost now - destined to be another city with an ultra-modern museum.

I have met, talked with, debated with, and conversed with many residents from many different parts of the city - and I can tell you this much. Roanoke is not bland, beige, or any of the above. It is a city whose residents care, have personality and life, and yet have been washed right out of the system.

Well - like I said, let's find our best and brightest, support them and may the battle rage on long and hard, and the victors be the citizens of Roanoke.

Southeast is in.. Northwest? Southwest? Northeast? Don't you think it's time we had a say?

Or are you content to let your city steamroll you?

Cost vs. Quality

13 pages. I can't wait to see that in print. Someone must have it.



A 13 page letter written by Darlene's office to tell the Roanoke cops "No. Not yours."



Here's a secret for you. Unspoken for a while.



Southeast Roanoke (our humble abode) is apparently larger than one might initially imagine. Not only does it run from the tracks south, Vinton west, and 581/220 east - but it includes the communities of South Roanoke, Garden City, and borders on Clearbrook and the gravel pits. That's including Avenham, Franklin Rd., Mt. Pleasant, Mill Moutain, Fallon Park....



Thats a large area. And only 3 cops patrol on each shift.



3 of Roanoke's finest, covering an area the size of a small Soviet-bloc country. Somehow it doesn't seem right does it?



Well, the reasoning is even more interesting. In order to keep appearances of staffing, the city reduced the maximum number of police on the force - because, well - it would never do to be understaffed now would it?



So when the city police ask for concessions - I say we should give them something. You are asking 9 of Roanoke's finest to do more in a 24 hour period than most cities ask of their officers.



Roanoke City Police run single man patrol cars, easily the most dangerous of the options for police. And how long before backup arrives.



You'll have to pardon me, but I'm the son of a cop - and this is a disgrace. I feel for the fine officers of Roanoke's own - they deserve better than this.



But a 13 page letter, outlining how much you've done, how you've given and bent over backwards.. and here we are running 3 unit shifts. No partner in the car, no backup in close proximity.



Take your letter and shove it.



Like I said - completely anonymously, I would welcome a copy of the letter. Just for my own edification.



(this will be cross posted to the SERoanoke blog)