|
Good morning! This is your only source of real news in Tidewater Will he go or will he stay? Jim Spore is back and he won't say. Spore is back from his TX romp, job hunting in conjunction to a business meeting over his disgust with the council holding him publicly accountable for his behavior? He refused to return a call to VNS Monday seeking his denial that he is upset and wants to leave the post he's held for 12 years - about twice as long as a normal city manager's career stay....Spore has always been afraid to talk with VNS, usually choosing to hide behind some skirt in his office ....also reported to VNS Monday, former councilmen Billy Harrison, Will Sessoms, and Linwood Branch are lobbying hard for council to keep Spore on the job...what personal or business interest could those boys have keeping Spore? ...You'll be able to tell by Spore's behavior today whether he'll hang out for a while ....if he has another outburst and rebuke for council members and they don't back down, he'll go...If council members start being submissive to Spore, he'll stay... Spore wants to run the show like he's accustomed to doing....Tension began to build 2 weeks ago when Spore admonished councilman Richard Maddox when "...I specifically asked you to not get involved in the contract negotiations (for after hours lifeguard service). Of course it was OK for former councilman Billy Harrison to negotiate along side Spore with 2 convicts to build a so-called 4-star hotel on city property they were giving away @ 31st Street. Spore didn't dress Louis Jones, Reba McClanan, Peter Schmidt, or Jim Wood down for negotiating the Town Center project with Armada Hoffler. But Maddox has been a 'smart ass' thorn under Spore's saddle and Spore wants to put him in his place and keep him there. It's pretty obvious observing Spore's body language and reaction to Maddox, he doesn't like the guy. Maddox? He ought to keep representing the people and if Spore doesn't like it, let him take a hike. On the world scene: The stories under the International News Section today provide a keen insight into what's moving and shaking in the Middle East and Asia with the U.S. buddying up with Pakistan for stronger ties; Russia keeping and strengthening ties to Iran for strategic reasons; and Cambodia - the land of the Killing Fields - putting the screws to Islam. And the Supreme Court has ruled no prayers to be allowed to open council meetings. It is just as well since they have no impact on the governing bodies. Besides, for the most part, they are just ritualistic, mouthed-words out of some book some church bureaucrat has written. |