The forum for local political candidates will be at the Walker County Civic Center today from 10 AM to 4 PM. We’re told Jay Neal is one of the candidates who won’t be showing up, due to existing vacation plans that couldn’t be cancelled. Not sure who else isn’t coming, we know Wilson, Roden, Shaw, Heiskell, McMahon, and Painter have all announced intentions to be there.

We’re told audience questions will be submitted to moderators and “screened” so there are no personal attacks made against candidates. How that’s defined will determine how effective this forum is to educate the people of Walker County. Some of the incumbent candidates seem to think any legitimate question or challenge is a “personal attack.” Fortunately at least one moderator isn’t from Walker County and doesn’t have a stake in how the elections come out.

And don’t forget to read over the LU rundown of this year’s candidates.

Speaking of questioning or challenging candidates..

Is Commissioner Heiskell REALLY open to criticism and questions? If you think she is, try asking a hard question or posting a complaint or concern on her campaign Facebook page. If it’s not pro-Heiskell, it doesn’t last long. She can’t handle any criticism because she has no coherent answers, and with a little public scrutiny her reputation and campaign for reelection fade faster than a July snow.

As before, this poster has no connection to the campaign of Heiskell’s opponent, Dr. Paul Shaw, but does serve as a citizen response to her second round of nasty attack mailers. We expect to post a scan of the latest one here next week. In the meanwhile, try to attend the candidate forum and watch Heiskell melt down when she has to answer a question not on a script without David Ashburn feeding her the answer.

More about the fire and police leadership split at LaFayette Public Safety. The search for new leadership continues, but we understand they already know who the job is going to.. Expecting an announcement sometime next week.

According to event organizers, last night’s rally for Austin Whitten’s family raised some $18,000.

Channel 3 WRCB, 06/13/2012: “while Austin couldn’t be there to see the support, his dad is sure of what he would say if he was. ‘You’re not promised tomorrow. Take what God gives you today. Really, I think that’s what he’d say.'”

It’s good to see businesses, schools, and (especially) churches all come together in support of something, and good to see people generously give to help the Whittens.

Businesses show support for Austin on their signs, and some are taking donations for the family. LHS let them use the football field for this rally, on short notice while school is closed. And a lot of churches were represented on the field, many others cancelled Wednesday night services or youth meetings so people would go to this rally.

But it shouldn’t take a tragedy for that to happen. Imagine the impact on LaFayette if the churches (and businesses and schools) regularly got together for something like this.. Most of the churches in LaFayette have beliefs and teachings that are 95% identical to each other. Should we have to wait for this poor kid to break his neck before they can set those differences aside for a night and worship together in public?

Everyone should consider making this a regular thing, not just once a year or during a tragedy but monthly, or quarterly. Doesn’t mean we have to all agree on everything, but the small things where we disagree don’t have to keep us from worshiping together or supporting bigger goals in the same place at the same time.

Jillian Pavlica of Channel 12 is going to moderate a candidate debate Saturday at Walker County Civic Center. The debate will be six hours long, with each contested position getting thirty minutes time. It could be a significant event this go-round, and we strongly encourage you to attend at least part of it if you can.

Here’s the schedule, courtesy Tom McMahan:

Board of Education 10:00 10:30 Post 1 & 4
Judge, Probate Court 10:30 11:00
Judge, Magistrate Court 11:00 11:30
State Court Judge 11:30 12:00
Tsplost Presentation 12:00 1:00 (Pro & Con)
Sole County Commissioner 1:00 1:30
Sheriff 1:30 2:00
State Rep. District 1 2:00 2:30
State Rep. District 2 2:30 2:45
Tax Commissioner 2:45 3:00
District Attorney 3:00 3:30

According to reports, the TSPLOST presentation will be delivered by a TEA Party director, which should keep it from being a pro-tax talk.

We’re told that 22 of the 26 candidates for local election are expected to appear. We will try to have some quotes and/or video from the meeting next week.

During its retreat earlier this month, the LaFayette council made some long-term plans. Those plans include cleaning up the city’s “convoluted” codes, making every department do a five-year financial plan, market the airport and golf course to outsiders, improve customer service, and build a new City Hall with SPLOST.

A new City Hall is needed, the existing building is ugly and small. But it shouldn’t take SPLOST priority over streets and sidewalks. Get your infrastructure right first.

“The LaFayette golf course has long been a necessary drain on the local coffers, the council members agreed, as it rarely makes money but is necessary in order to attract new businesses from outside.”

At least they admit it’s a black hole for money but is it REALLY necessary for business? There are golf courses everywhere and not every business depends on golf even if the old guard of the city think they do. Seems like better streets and infrastructure, a properly run police department, some nice signage, and decent outside marketing would be more important than golf.

We’ll give credit for having some vision, if nothing else. They never even had retreats before. These plans aren’t exactly what we want, some things we can argue about, but you don’t leave meetings feeling like the whole of city government hates you.. That’s how it was with Johnnie Arnold and Tommy Freeman. There are still some elements who don’t care (the mayor being a good example) but it’s not as bad as it was and they’re trying to have some vision. Better a new city hall than a new $980,000 softball field.

That said, this does nothing to encourage us to support the 2013 SPLOST. They could do wonders for LaFayette streets and sidewalks with all the SPLOST money if it was used for them.. The last cycle it seems they didn’t spend a cent of SPLOST on the streets.

Fix streets, build sidewalks, buy up some blighted properties in town. Do some landscaping, put up some signs. THEN build a new City Hall.

There will be a community prayer service and rally for Austin Whitten tonight at 6 PM on the football field at LHS. Looking like half the town will be there. They’ll be taking up a collection for the family afterwards.

Whitten broke his neck in a swimming pool accident last Saturday and has been paralyzed from the chest down. He has had several surgeries to repair damage and take pressure off his spine, and is still in the hospital as this is written.

According to Channel 3, the family has been told that Austin has less than a 1% chance of walking again. He was put on a ventilator yesterday for breathing issues related to a cold he had before the accident.

CatWalkChatt, 06/11/2012: “The ceremony, which will be held at Jack King Stadium on the school’s campus, will include guest speakers and singers. Donations will be taken at the conclusion of the night with all the money raised going directly to the Whitten family.”

An account for the Whitten family has been set up at the Bank of LaFayette. The account is to “help offset the costs of medical expenses, travel money, and other needs.”

Donations can be sent to the Bank of LaFayette at PO Box 1149, LaFayette, in care of Austin Whitten. Prayers can be sent in the usual way.

Update on the Cagle’s robbery arrests. The Sheriff’s Office says four guys stole two vehicles, then went back for four more – and walked home after? The numbers still don’t make sense.

WQCH Radio, 06/12/2012:

“LAFAYETTE’S CITY COUNCIL VOTED TO DROP THE POSITION OF PUBLIC SAFETY DIRECTOR IN FAVOR OF NAMING SEPARATE CHIEFS FOR THE POLICE AND FIRE DEPARTMENTS. ALSO MONDAY NIGHT, THE DECISION WAS MADE TO RETURN TO ONCE-PER-WEEK GARBAGE PICKUP, NEXT MONTH. BOTH OF THOSE MOVES WILL SAVE TAX DOLLARS, ACCORDING TO THE CITY MANAGER.”

“IN THE PUBLIC SAFETY DEPARTMENT THE NEW MANAGEMENT WILL ELIMINATE THE POSITION OF ASSISTANT PUBLIC SAFETY DIRECTOR, SAVING THAT SALARY. NEITHER THE POLICE NOR FIRE CHIEF WILL MAKE AS MUCH AS THE FORMER PUBLIC SAFETY DIRECTOR, FOR A NET SAVING IN DEPARTMENT SALARIES.

“CITY MANAGER FRANK ETHRIDGE WILL HIRE THE TWO NEW CHIEFS, AFTER POSTING THE POSITIONS FOR THE REQUIRED THREE DAYS. IN THE MEAN TIME, HE SAID, BENJIE CLIFT WILL SERVE AS INTERIM POLICE CHIEF AND CAPTAIN ROBERT BUSBEE WILL BE INTERIM FIRE CHIEF. THE NEW LEADERSHIP STRUCTURE WILL TAKE EFFECT NEXT MONDAY, JUNE 18th. AS TO THE PERMANENT CHOICES FOR THE TWO CHIEFS, MAYOR NEAL FLORENCE SAID ‘WE WOULD PREFER PROMOTION FROM WITHIN.’

“IN ADDITION TO THE SAVINGS, COUNCIL MEMBERS COMMENTED THAT THEY LIKED EACH DEPARTMENT HAVING IT’S OWN CHIEF, REASONING THAT IT WILL BE BETTER FOR MORALE IN BOTH PUBLIC SAFETY BRANCHES.”

Eliminated the assistant Public Safety job, and the Mayor wants an insider.. We’re told by people close to LPD that the City Manager would have appointed Clift this week if Skipper Dunn hadn’t threatened a lawsuit if the job wasn’t posted as the law requires. That’s why they’re posting it for the legal minimum three days so people can waste their time putting in applications, just to see Clift named Chief next week. Robert Busbee is already a shoe-in for the new fire chief job, as well.

If they appoint Clift to be the new permanent chief it will be a real disappointment on many levels.

Clift offered to be an LU source, off the record, if we’d filter everything about the department through him. This is after he threatened our “outed” contributor with a trespassing charge unless LU buried those letters about Freeman abusing employees. Those reasons alone are enough to reject him as the chief.

Nick Snyder, the guy we told you confessed to the Cagle car thefts and vandalism, has after 17 days finally been charged with the crime. Jessie Clayton and two unnamed juveniles were also picked up. Clayton confessed and named Snyder, which apparently made it hard for the Sheriff to keep insisting nothing links Nick to the thefts.

Wilson is bad to pontificate and predict the outcome of investigations that haven’t been conducted yet. A benefit, apparently, of being the final word in local law enforcement with the DA in your pocket. It works, except for when somebody else confesses too and world + dog find out because the suspects all have big mouths.

Other reports say Snyder and Collins ripped off ANOTHER dealership in Rossville.. And remember last week they picked him up for having that scrap metal and batteries from another dealership in LaFayette, although how they knew it came from there and not Cagle’s is beyond us.

Two Jeeps in Rossville, a Jeep top in LaFayette, and a Wrangler and a Cherokee or Liberty from Cagle’s. Somebody really likes Jeeps.

We knew Nick Snyder was involved within 72 hours of the crime, it wasn’t difficult. Feels like they did everything possible to NOT solve this thing and the people involved were so utterly stupid about it that they couldn’t keep from arresting them. But Snyder isn’t in custody; he apparently took off after being bonded out for his other arrests.

The leading theory was seven people stole six cars in one trip or four stole three cars in two trips.. Seven seems the most likely of those possibilities. We’ve also heard the stories about this coming from a big drinking party, and the property on Pigeon where all the vehicles were taken (including the XTerra before it ended up off Round Pond) is used for G—-t underage booze parties on a regular basis. That might be why this open and shut case with a confession took “hundreds” of investigative hours and two weeks to halfway solve.

“Sheriff Wilson praised the diligent work of detective sergeants Mike Hinch, J.B. Mullis and Jeff Herpst for solving the auto theft cases.”

Thanks for letting the main guy who confessed run off, and then arresting three others after they admitted it and surrendered. Good work while you were eating lunch or something.

Last night the City Council voted to split police and fire chief, also voted to resume once-weekly trash pickup again. SunRae Water didn’t show up for the meeting but “sent their regrets” and requested a time to speak during July’s meeting.

The garbage change is “effective immediately” which means no more Friday or Monday pickup, again, after having restored two-day service last week.

There will be no letters or billing notices, you’re expected to rely on “local media” for this info – so be sure to tell your neighbors what’s going on. Most of the city doesn’t follow LaFayette-based media like LU or WQCH.

New bigger cans are promised for those who need them, call the city and ask for one. If they don’t provide it, contact your councilor. A second can is $12 a month for those who need more capacity.

No decisions made about who to put in the fire or police chief positions now that they’re split. That will be addressed again later.

According to family members, 15-year-old LHS student Austin Whitten was injured in a swimming accident Saturday afternoon and is now (at least temporarily) paralyzed from the chest down. They have requested prayer from the community regarding his recovery and future prospects.

A Facebook support group for the Whitten family, started late Saturday evening, has collected more than 850 followers in less than 24 hours.

There was a small earthquake early Friday morning centered between Naomi and Ringgold.

WQCH Radio, 06/08/11:

“THE LAFAYETTE CITY COUNCIL IS EXPECTED TO DECIDE ON WHETHER TO ‘SPLIT’ THE POSITION OF PUBLIC SAFETY DIRECTOR AT THEIR MEETING ON MONDAY NIGHT. WORD FROM A HIGH SOURCE IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT IS: THE DECISION IS ‘AS GOOD AS MADE’ AND THE COUNCIL WILL VOTE FOR A SEPARATE POLICE CHIEF AND FIRE CHIEF.

“UNDER THE CURRENT SYSTEM, THE POLICE AND FIRE DEPARTMENTS ARE LUMPED-TOGETHER UNDER THE ‘DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC SAFETY’ POSITION. SINCE THE TERMINATION OF PUBLIC SAFETY DIRECTOR TOMMY FREEMAN, HIS ‘SECOND IN COMMAND’ BENJIE CLIFT HAS BEEN ACTING AS INTERIM DIRECTOR.

“CITY MANAGER FRANK ETHERIDGE SAID FRIDAY MORNING THAT HE COULD SAY NO MORE ABOUT THOSE BEING CONSIDERED FOR THE POSITIONS ‘UNTIL AND IF’ THE COUNCIL ACTUALLY VOTES TO SPLIT THE DEPARTMENTS AT THE MEETING MONDAY.”

It’s a move we need to make. Next step: finding men (or women maybe) to fill those roles.

The council meeting will be tonight at 7:30. Also on the agenda: a presentation from SunRae Water, discussions of the May garbage pickup “experiment,” and other regular business.