CAVE People: Are You Happy Now?

We hope you're happy now. This post is for all the CAVE People who hate what they consider the Powers-That-Be in Portsmouth and the "good old boy network" so much that they supported our current disastrous mayor, Jane Murray for election. You can't say you didn't know better. We tried to tell you. Marty Mohr tried to tell you. The Police and Fire Unions of Portsmouth tried to tell you. We told you this disaster was coming. Now it's hitting home.

And especially you whose livelihoods depend on the success of the A-Plant. How can you face your co-workers after the way Murray made a fool of herself and embarrassed the City of Portsmouth in December, even before her first day in office, with her ridiculous and self-serving little tour of your workplace. (Click here for a reminder.) That ongoing embarrassment continued last week at the Ohio Valley Development Commission. Elected leaders come from as far away as Gallipolis and Clermont County to serve on the Board of the Ohio Valley Development Commission. They come, many on their own time, to support development projects and to request assistance for our area from state and federal funding sources. These meetings are often attended by representatives of congress and the governor's office. But our brilliant mayor used her first meeting with this group to cast the only dissenting vote against a resolution to help support the removal of outdated equipment and clean up at the Piketon plant. Seventeen members from Chilicothe, Piketon, Waverly, and elsewhere voted for the measure, proposed by the Scioto and Pike County Commissioners. Would Jim Kalb have done this? Would Jerry Skiver? Of course not, but the Mayor of Crazy Town did. "Grants, grants, grants," Murray says. "I know how to get grants for the city!!" Yeah, right. Ninety percent of the grants that come into Portsmouth and Scioto County come through the OVRDC. They actually vote on what grants applications get passed on to the State of Ohio and the federal government for funding. In fact, Jane, that's why they exist. Way to make a good impression on them Jane! Show them who's boss in Crazy Town! Murray's budget is still not done (she's blaming everyone else for this ), the Police Chief has been muzzled, EPA has repeatedly been given the middle finger by her Highness, and the City is near financial chaos. (At least her bathroom is finished.) But instead of doing something constructive, like solving the problems she was elected to address, she's doing something she never campaigned on and was not elected to do. Did you vote for her so she would try to stop projects at the A-plant that can bring in thousands of jobs? I know we didn't. AND THAT'S NOT EVEN THE WORST OF IT! What you didn't read in the Portsmouth Times, but we can tell you here, is the REST OF THE STORY of what happened at the OVRDC meeting. Just when you think this genius Mayor of ours can't get any stranger, she tops herself. The Board Meeting that Murray is entitled to attend as the Mayor of Portsmouth is a meeting of elected officials and funding professional across Southern Ohio, from 12 counties. Some drive hours from Batavia, Washington Court House, or Gallia County and elsewhere just to attend this meeting. What dio they get out of it? A donut and chance to help this region advance economically.

Democrats and Republicans work together to represent communities from tiny villages and less-populated counties to the biggest cities in the region (Portsmouth is the biggest of them) with a single goal: the betterment of our area. They don't bring the petty grievances. They don't bring in bums from the street to talk about homelessness. Unlike a Portsmouth Council Meeting, they don't invite in the dregs of the earth to tell them all what fools they are. And these representatives don't bring in "uninvited guests" for silly little show-and-tell sessions. It is an orderly and dignified group of men and women. At least, it was. But Jane Murray is special. She's entitled. She's smarter than those hayseed hick hillbillies. Without asking for permission or notifying anyone beforehand, Murray brought someone to the meeting with her. Not a citizen of Portsmouth. Not Mr. Peck. Not an A-Plant employee. She brought a man, well-known to many in the meeting. A Pike County resident named Geoffrey Sea. Mr. Sea is an anti-nuclear activist. He is part of a small group of nimrods who literally want to shut down the A-Plant. Jane Murray invited him to speak to the OVRDC members, which he did. He lectured these ladies and gentlemen, who have such a major influence on what grants we in the City of Portsmouth can receive. Mr. Sea is part of the Southern Ohio Neighbors Group, a tiny crew of anti-nuke kooks, who have caused endless problems for the A-Plant. This is the group Jane has sided with, against the interests of the Citizens of Portsmouth. This is the same Geoffrey Sea who, just last month, wrote a letter published in the Portsmouth Times that called Pike County Commissioner Blaine Beekman (a board member of the OVRDC) a "dishonest, self-serving...obstructionist" who made "empty promises and backroom deals." (Click here to read the tree-hugger's letter.) Very tactful, Jane. Arrogantly imposing Mr. Sea's ranting on the attendees at that meeting was WORSE than her negative vote on the resolution. It was a slap in the face to the Commission. And it was a dark stain on our City in the eyes of our neighbors. Jane's way of saying, "Screw OVRDC. I know what's best."

Do you really want our Mayor to be part of a group that has been "Agitating the Ohio Valley Since 2001"? Is that who you voted for?

Mayor Murray has embarrassed us in the eyes of the EPA, ODOT, and now OVRDC. And she has only been in office for two months. Whatever you may think of Jim Kalb or Marty Mohr, you know they would never have embarrassed our City like this.

TO THE CAVE PEOPLE OF PORTSMOUTH: Are you happy now?

Jane Murray Gets An Early Thanksgiving Present

If the political scene in the City of Portsmouth were a war zone, then you could say that Jane Murray has just become the victim of a "friendly fire" attack. Her fledgling administration has just been "nuked" by the latest bombshell from the C.A.V.E. people (Citizens Against Virtually Everything). Of course they were aiming at their enemy, the current Mayor of Portsmouth, Jim Kalb, but in fact his administration will not be affected. They missed Kalb hit Jane Murray.

In their ongoing effort to tie the hands of their elected representatives on City Council and in the Mayor's office, some "concerned citizens" put a measure on the ballot to amend the City's charter to prohibit the City from issuing bonds for more than $100,000 without a vote by the citizens. In a special election in February 2009, voters passed this amendment by a slim margin: 584 for/575 against. The case was ultimately appealed to the Ohio Supreme Court which upheld the passage of the ballot measure in a decision announced last week. So the City is now bound by the $100,000 limit.

This will present quite a challenge for the Murray administration. Even in a city the size of Portsmouth $100,000 does not go that far.

The answer is: It really doesn't matter.* They all cost over $100,000. That means for Murray to finance the purchase of any of these items, she will have to get a measure put on the ballot and hope that the citizens are in a generous mood. If they aren't then it won't be long before the City's sanitation fleet looks as rag-tag as Shawnee Sanitation. (Of course the City can arrange to "lease-purchase" items that cost more than $100,000 but surely the eagle-eyed CAVE people will see through that ruse.) A special election in the City of Portsmouth costs $20,000 to $30,000, so hopefully Murray will limit her ballot requests to primary and general elections to keep costs down. But that can be a long wait if there is a major sewer or bridge failure or if one of the City large water or sewer pumps would have to be replaced in a hurry. Cities commonly issue bonds to pay damages as a result of lawsuits: these are called "judgement bonds." The City has two major lawsuits pending against it: one by Larry Essman, et al, and another by Jane Murray, et al. Each of these suits is expected to be at least $2,000,000. But as a result of the new charter limitiation, any settlement that may be reached would have to be $99,999.99 or less, unless the plaintiffs really think the voters of Portsmouth will agree to pass a tax on themselves just to put money in Essman's and Murray's pockets. And we suspect the plaintiff's legal fees are already close to the $100,000 mark.

So that smell coming from the CAVE people's kitchen may not be turkey. It may be Jane Murray's goose.

* (ANSWERS: 1. b, 2. a, 3. d, 4. c.)