Saturday, May 24, 2008

Wow! John Rodgers and the City Paper

City Paper reporter John Rodgers wrote a solid piece this week on the backtracking of the General Assembly on ethics this session, despite Tennessee Waltz and the Jerry Cooper scandal.


Too much attention in the local news media has been focused on the retirement of state Sen. John Wilder for being in office since Abraham Lincoln was president. He also had led the Senate since George McGovern ran for president. Gee, if longevity is so newsworthy, I'm wearing underwear I've owned for 10 years as I type this blog post. Anyone want a picture and an interview?


But Rodgers focused on the most important topic for taxpayers and people who believe in open government. And you'll find it in a 48-page City Paper published Friday. Forty-eight pages? As TV's Craig Ferguson says, "I know!" There's also a good story on Mayor Karl Dean and whether he's keeping up with the neighborhood legacy left by predecessor Bill Purcell. Dean comes from the Bredesen political camp. And one of the first things he talked about as mayor was building a $600 million convention center. Like his mentor, Dean may have an unfortunate Edifice Complex.


But that's for another blog post. Take time to read Rodgers' piece on the ethics' backtrack at the General Assembly.

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