Thursday, January 08, 2009
Legal or not, plan stinks
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Shanna Flowers is The Roanoke Times' metro columnist.
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What's next, Salem?
Free beer for city officials at dollar-beer night when the Salem Red Sox are in town? Free passes for the movie theaters on Apperson? Canceled parking tickets for bigwigs?
Sure, under state law, Salem City Council members and local business owners Bill Jones and Lisa Garst have the right to do business with the city they serve.
But in a city where image is everything, that looks bad.
Monday, Salem council will vote on whether to allow the businesses owned by the two new council members to bid on city contracts.
The only things standing between Jones, Garst and what the average citizen would characterize as blatant conflict of interest are a few exceptions in Virginia law cited by the Salem city attorney. Meeting those exceptions, however, makes what they want to do legal.
But palatable? Puh-lease.
"I don't think Bill or I are asking for any special favors," Garst said this week.
Are you kidding me?
Can you imagine the uproar if Roanoke Mayor David Bowers, a lawyer in private practice, lined his pockets with dollars from occasional legal work thrown his way by the city?
Roanokers -- led by the gadfly brigade -- would storm the halls of the Noel C. Taylor Building. And rightfully so.
I'm not betting on that reaction in Salem -- and neither is Salem artist Charley Lightcap.
"It sounds like an issue that's decided," said the 67-year-old who moved to Salem about four years ago from Philadelphia. He said he "definitely" is opposed to Jones' and Garst's requests.
"It just seems that as far as politics goes -- from my experience and not just Salem -- if they want something, they'll maneuver and get it. They pretty much have the last say."
Salemite Billye White said she initially opposed Jones and Garst pocketing city money while they sat on the council until she learned "they're on pretty solid ground" legally.
"If [City Manager] Kevin Boggess and our city attorney say it's OK, that's good enough for me," added White.
Jones' sign business pocketed $48,000 each of the past two years, and Garst's engineering enterprise made $8,000 for the past two years. Both council newcomers suspended their work with the city after they were elected in May.
But now, they want the city gravy train to roll again.
Garst and Jones will have to abstain from voting Monday on the issue affecting them. Thank goodness for small favors.
Garst is hiding behind the "it's good for local business" drill. It won't necessarily be good for other local businesses that lose out on city contracts that Jones and Garst win.
They're going to think the fix was in. And that won't be good for city hall.
