A CAREER IN JOURNALISM has taught me that one of the unmistakable signs an enterprise is failing—be it a store, a restaurant, or a government—is when it openly complains about the media.
Blaming the media is the sound of panic.
Last week, Alderman Van Johnson, who is generally thought to be interested in a future mayoral run, went on record along with some other City Council members in accusing the local media of sensationalizing the string of 24 shootings in as many days.
Johnson’s a sharp guy and no newbie to local politics, or to local media for that matter. I know that he knows the shootings are newsworthy and the media is obliged to report on them.
I chalk up his reaction less to incompetence than to something approaching fear —a rational response when your political aspirations appear suddenly cloudy due to an average of one shooting a day happening on your watch, with no new ideas in sight.
When a downward spiral begins, all news is bad news and only adds to the flush down the toilet.
For example: In less controversial times, the City’s proposed purchase of what seems to be the deliberately neglected property on Waters Avenue owned by the family of State Sen. Lester Jackson might be just another minor political peccadillo.
(FYI: Sen. Jackson is no relation to Mayor Edna Jackson.)
In the context of the City’s flailing response to the crime issue, however, it becomes something more: Further proof, if you’re looking for it, that City leadership has lost its moorings and is out of touch with its constituency.
It’s not improper for an elected official to have an ownership stake in private property. It’s not unusual for a municipality to purchase private property for a public purpose.
But the proposed purchase of the Jackson parcel now establishes a pattern of the City seeming to prefer to purchase the property of politically well-connected people for its “community development” goals, as we’re assured is also the goal on Waters Avenue in the event of a Council-approved purchase.
For some, the fact that the Jackson property was a known public safety hazard before the City stepped in—with a demolition which the City says will be charged back to the owners, whether or not taxpayers buy the property—is the red flag.
Why did it take six years for this “deal” between Jackson and the City to come close to fruition, when there were safety issues?
And would you or I be cut the same amount of slack—not to mention taxpayer money—for letting our building contribute to the urban blight our politicians say they’re trying to alleviate?
For others however, the real red flag comes by following the money. According to the Chatham County Board of Assessors property card for 1101 Waters Ave., the property jumped in value from $35,200 in 2012 to a very unrealistic $55,500 in 2013.
$55,500 for a dilapidated property boarded up, falling apart, and needing to be demolished—as indeed happened last week, as we see in these photos by Jon Waits.
Is that why the deal can be made now?
I realize other variables can affect property values differently from neighborhood to neighborhood. I realize that this particular appraiser is well-respected. I realize the recession is lifting. And I realize that under scrutiny the City is unlikely to actually pay fifty grand for the property.
However, I’m also familiar with property values in nearby similar-to-marginally-better neighborhoods north of Victory Drive, and many don’t approach $55,500. And unlike 1101 Waters Ave.—which the Jacksons bought in 1990 for $17,500—those houses are habitable.
I don’t pretend to know all the backstory.But I do know that this bulldozer tore down something in addition to an old building.
As events spiral out of control, threatening the credibility of our elected and appointed officials, it gets harder and harder to give them the benefit of the doubt they might otherwise deserve.
This article appears in Aug 13-19, 2014.
Follow the money…
Two points: I really hate like h*11 assuming that $$$ is involved in every issue when it comes to politicians, because to do so simply means that I’ve accepted it and there’s nothing I can do about it. Accountability & Transparency are what is needed. Holding them to a standard is what is needed — not just assuming that they’re all money grubbers and then let it go.
As for the problem with the police, you gotta feel sorry for anyone living in Chatham county who doesn’t know we have a problem. After I saw the interview with the woman currently in charge, it became for me at least an immediate problem. We need a change at the top — not a year from now, not a few months from now, but NOW. She hasn’t instituted any changes that might lead to different outcomes and worse she had the audacity to blame the walk-out of 27 offices to the idea that they or some of them, were only in the Savannah police force to get benefits from the city. Is that her subconscious speaking or just plain chutzpah?
We need new approaches, we need new ideas, we need a way to engage the people who are being left behind who are committing these crimes. We DONT need someone at the top blaming the police and blaming the criminals.
Every officer needs training in handling the public in a sensitive way. They need friends very badly and it can’t just be downtown business owners helping them find rapists. We need people in the community who trust the police and that only happens when the police are trustworthy (thanks again to Lovitt for all he did to break that trust! scrum bag).
We need some new ideas — quickly, for getting the gang warfare under control. We’re not going to stop it until we have enough rehab beds to help everyone addicted who wants to be helped. We’re not going to stop it so long as there’s a quick buck in it for people who can’t find jobs. We’re not going to stop it as long as the poverty rate is so high, as long as we have a state government that doesn’t care about the poor and in fact is actively working against them (thank you Deal for taking healthcare off the table).
Edna Jackson — you need to stand up. Find a police chief post haste. Find someone willing to work with you and council for different strategies. You know why? Cause the bad news that always travels so fast is going to create a situation where your revenue flows are going to be affected. Tourists are going to stop coming to this town because of the perception that it’s “Little Detroit”. Get your act together or you’ll be leaving your job with a city much worse off than when you took charge. I beg you to do your job.