The biggest story in Columbia right now is the guilty plea and resignation by E.W. Cromartie from the Columbia City Council. Local attorney Matthew Richardson was given authority to handle Cromartie’s open accounts at the former councilman’s law firm, and a significant group of candidates have already lined up for the seat that’s been held by Mr. Cro for 27 years.
The issue was thousands of dollars of unpaid taxes and conscious actions to avoid IRS reporting regulations as it comes to deposits and withdrawals. It turns out that Cromartie isn’t the only person around city government with tax problems. Mayoral candidate Gary Myers Jr. also isn’t right with the Feds right now.
Some of our friends are obsessed with minor candidates. We like them because they often do things that well-handled candidates won’t even attempt.
Myers contemplated withdrawing from the race today after The State newspaper questioned a 2004 bankruptcy in which court papers said he owed $74,466 in back taxes to the IRS.
Myers, who is not considered a frontrunner in the race, first said he would drop out if the story was written. About an hour later, he said he was consulting with family and friends who encouraged him to run for office. But by 4:30 p.m., Myers said he was sticking with his campaign.
“God knows if this is an opportunity for my city to move forward I can’t run (away) now,” he said. “This has nothing to do with me running the city.”
There’s a lot of celebrating going on in Columbia right now, as City Councilman E.W. Cromartie will be resigning his position in light of a tax evasion scandal that broke on Monday morning. Cromartie, who has been in office since for about as long as we’ve been alive, has appeared to come to the end of his political road.
Few people we’ve run into that have had to deal with the City Council have good things to say about Cromartie, as rumors were traded among insiders about this action or that deal wasn’t on the up-and-up. To us, he seemed like one of those municipal elected officials that you find in mid-size cities that nobody really likes but who never gets a serious challenge.
In 2008, we surmised that the only thing that would knock Mr. Cro out would be a crime, not an election challenge. It’s come to pass, with the Feds getting him on non-payment of $25,000 in taxes from 2006, and creatively doing deposits and withdrawals to not get flagged by IRS reporting rules. According to the AP, Cromartie will plead guilty and serve 366 days in prison.
Many Columbians’ unsatisfied desire to raise chickens in an urban setting just got that much closer to becoming a reality. Wednesday morning, the CIty Council gave approval on the first vote on a measure that would allow people to raise chickens — in a coop — in the city. Of course, being that they’re chickens in Columbia, they would probably just be mediocre and produce eggs that are just big enough to be acceptable, even though you wanted better (here ends the absurd allegory).
According to the ordinance, you would not be allowed to have roosters and would be required to maintain the coop so it doesn’t emit a foul smell or attract flies. That’s all well and good, but where’s the push for backyard chickens? Has the organic food movement and other related culinary crazes gone so far that people are clamoring to raise and slaughter their own chickens? Or is it just about the eggs? Is Publix that bad?
Even Mayor Bob thinks it’s funny.
[Councilman E.W. Cromartie's] arguments did not deter Mayor Bob Coble, who voted for the ordinance by saying “Go ‘Cocks.”
Remember the last debate over the use of the Kenny’s Auto site? Of course you do. It consumed downtown Columbia two years ago, and it’s not over yet. The discussion went back and forth as to whether there should be a tiered garage behind Claussen’s Inn or on the Kenny’s property.
The idea that was most discussed what a multi-level parking garage with stores on the ground floor at the Kenny’s site. Concerns over the integrity of the neighborhood essentially scuttled the plan. We didn’t have a problem with that, but the neighborhood’s integrity has been shot to hell with Starbucks replacing Joyful Alternative, a bank replacing Hiller Hardware and Adriana’s going the way of the dodo.
Anyway, with the Kenny’s site reduced to a Walgreens and some other stores, the developer involved is going to court.
Stan Harpe and Ron Swinson of H.R. Development Inc. had planned to build a six-story retail and condo project on Blossom Street that would have included two stories of public parking.
The project, called Five Points South, cratered when City Council at the last minute lowered the amount it had offered to pay for the parking by $500,000.
As a result, H.R. Development scrapped the plans developed with the city and built a one-story, three-storefront project called the Shoppes at Five Points.
The Shoppes will be home to a Walgreens drugstore. No formal announcements have been made about the two other stores.
Harpe and Swinson are seeking to recoup their expenses for engineering the Five Points South building and making changes in the project in reaction to neighborhood and city concerns.
Chalk this up to another fuck-up by city government.
Municipal politics can be strange endeavors. Not the least of which in Columbia, where loyalties get all sorts of crossed up. That’s certainly coming to a head this year, as incumbent Mayor Bob Coble has already announced that he will not run for another term. One, if not the main reason, is the momentum of local attorney Steve Benjamin. As early as spring 2009, a number of civically-engaged people we knew in the city were looking at a Benjamin candidacy as the next best move for Columbia.
But after going to a few of Benjamin’s events and seeing Richard Quinn & Associates so involved, it weirded us out. Why would a guy, a Democrat, sign up with a GOP consulting firm to win an election in a Democratic city? Strange. Crossing the streams, you might say. If it got to the “Ghostbusters” level, Benjamin might be in trouble, but we doubt that. City Councilman Kirkman Finlay III’s disclosure has yet to go up by 2:30 a.m. Saturday morning, but it doesn’t take a genius to say that Benjamin wins this race relatively comfortably, with Finlay in second and Democratic challenger Steve Morrison in third. That’s just the instant analysis from this corner of the city.
Let’s get to the numbers.
STEVE BENJAMIN
Candidate for mayor of Columbia
Contributions: $100,735
Expenditures: $116,656.16
Cash-on-hand: $42,734.89
Significant contributions
Edward Sellers, $1,000
CEO, Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Carolina
J.T. McLawhorn, $250
Columbia Urban League
Cynthia Hardy, $100
Public relations executive
Steven Mungo, $200
The Mungo Companies
Frank Knapp, $100
Public relations
Cromartie Law Firm, $125
Law firm of Columbia city councilman E.W. Cromartie
Boyd Brown, $200
State representative
Luther Battiste, $100, $200
Former Columbia city councilman
James Smith, $750
State representative
Pete Strom, $1,000
Attorney
Boyd Summers, $250, $100
Richland County Democratic Party chairman
Jack Van Loan, $100
Five Points Association
Jim Hodges, $1,000
Former governor
Zeke Stokes, $100
Consultant
Charles Way, $500
Former secretary of commerce
Lourie Law Firm, $500
Law firm of Sen. Joel Lourie
Significant expenditures
Banco Bannister (consulting), $2,500×2
WideEye Creative (Web design and construction), $4,225
New Partners Consulting (consulting), $19,800
Richard Quinn & Associates (consulting), $19,668.38, $304.95
Some of the original tea partiers wore Native American get-ups as they tossed perfectly good, but overtaxed, tea leaves into the harbor. So, there’s precedent for crazy. We’ve never been particularly down with the new crew, with one of the reasons being that no one who started this mess thought far enough ahead that they would be called teabaggers. The movement also has a tendency to be extreme, and bring out the nuttiest of nut cases. For a lot of people not living along a dirt road in Lexington County, extremism is very off-putting. So is crazy (for the lefties, we’ll be using Code Pink as a similar iteration).
It is particularly galling that this yelling and screaming about the Constitution, &c., wasn’t coming from that side during the Bush administration, when every one of the first 10 Amendments seemed to be getting violated, with the exception of the Second. Getting in a lather because some people with moderate, left-of-center views were voted — key therm, there — into power is as insane as what their lefty equivalents were doing while Bush was president and the Republicans controlled Congress. The country will not fall apart because Democrats are currently — another key term — running things in DC. So, lighten up, Francis.
As has to be said again, we have elections for a reason. If you don’t like your legislator, then call up your pals, cobble together some cash and run. If you can’t, find someone who will and then help them. If your message works, your person will be elected. If not, too bad. That’s how elections go. Don’t like how the major political party of your choice is working? Then get involved, get your pals involved and join local groups. Become party officers. Move on up. Change the party policy. Both Democratic and Republican parties have changed a lot in the past 50 years because of just that.
But you have to especially have a bee in your bonnet if you’re going to stand in the cold in January to listen to political speechifying, which is what a number of people did today at the “Freedom Rally.” OK, now, we have to know — what was the over/under on the “secret Muslim” signs? Because Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom got his candid camera moment.
Not looking good. It’s no “half-breed muslin,” but it’ll do in a pinch.
A racist spray-painting on the Laurel Street side of Columbia City Hall caused much shaking and swaying in the capital city. City Councilwoman Tameika Isaac Devine tweeted, “well, vacation is over and back to the real world. We are not even a week from celebrating the birth of Jesus and we have to deal with hate.” A number of others expressed displeasure. Mayor Bob Coble said, “We all as a group want to convey the message that this is not Columbia. This is not what Columbia stands for. We are a city of the new South, a diverse city that embraces everyone in our community. This incident is not reflective of our city.”
It all came down to this:
The message, in red paint in 18-inch letters, according to Coble, was “No n—- mayor die.” It was discovered at about 7 a.m. this morning and city crews removed it with a pressure washer by 8:15 a.m., according to City Manager Steve Gantt.
The graffiti was painted in the center of three arches on the side of the building.
It doesn’t take a genius to realize the message was directed at Steve Benjamin, the odds-on favorite for becoming the next mayor. It’s interesting, though, that some aren’t thinking this is some random hate crime and is, instead, politically-motivated. Hey, it’s South Carolina. You never know.
Larry Marchant, the gentleman who runs the Palmetto Policy Group and shills for big-time insurance and private school choice, apparently won’t use his stacks of the long green to call a cab. God forbid — that’s what the poors do! So, he got pulled for driving under the influence just after midnight on Dec. 23.
You see, the thing about Larry is that he has a tendency to speed. That’s what led to this charge.
DURING THE LISTED INCIDENT DATE AND APPROX TIME REPORTING OFFICER WAS SITTING STATIONARY ON THE SIDE OF THE ROADWAY FACING WEST BOUND ON THE 2500 BLOCK OF DEVINE STREET RUNNING STALKER II RADAR. REPORTING OFFICER OBSERVED THE LISTED VEHICLE TRAVELING EAST BOUND ON THE 2400 BLOCK OF DEVINE STREET AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED. SPEED WAS CONFIRMED BY STALKER II RADAR AT 47 MPH IN A 30 MPH ZONE. REPORTING OFFICER INITIATED A TRAFFIC STOP ON THE 2600 BLOCK OF DEVINE STREET. UPON CONTACT WITH THE LISTED SUBJECT, WHO WAS THE DRIVER OF LISTED VEHICLE, REPORTING OFFICER DID SMELL A STRONG ODOR OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE COMING FROM INSIDE OF THE VEHICLE. SUBJECT STATED THAT HE WAS COMING FROM HAVING A FEW DRINKS. REPORTING OFFICER ASKED SUBJECT TO EXIT AND STEP TO THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE. SUBJECT HAD A STRONG ODOR OF ALCHOLIC BEVERAGE ABOUT HIS BREATH AND PERSON, SPOKE WITH SLURRED SPEECH, AND WAS UNSTEADY ON HIS FEET. REPORTING OFFICER CONDUCTED HORIZONTAL
GAZE NYSTAGMUS TEST, WALK AND TURN TEST, AND ONE LEG STAND TEST ON THE LISTED SUBJECT, WHO DID FAIL ALL THREE TESTS GIVEN. DURING HORIZONTAL GAZE NYSTAGMUS SUBJECT HAD LACK OF SMOOTH PUSRSUIT IN BOTH EYES, DISTINCT AND SUSTAINED NYSTAGMUS AT MAXIMUM DEVIATION IN BOTH EYES AND ONSET OF NYSTAGMUS PRIOR TO 45 DEGREES IN HIS RIGHT EYE. SUBJECT ALSO CONTINUED TO MOVE HIS HEAD DURING THE TEST AFTER BEING INSTRUCTED SEVERAL TIMES NOT TO DO SO. DURING THE WALK AND TURN TEST, WHICH WAS CONDUCTED ON A FLAT AND LEVEL SURFACE, SUBJECT WAS UNABLE TO KEEP BALANCE DURING INSTRUCTIONS, SUBJECT STARTED BEFORE BEING TOLD TO DO SO, AND WAS NOT ABLE TO TOUCH HEEL TO TOE WHILE WALKING AND STEPPED OFF OF THE LINE SEVERAL TIMES. DURING ONE LEG STAND SUBJECT PUT HIS FOOT DOWN TWICE, CONTINUED TO USE ARMS TO KEEP BALANCE AFTER BEING INSTRUCTED NOT TO DO SO, AND SWAYED WHILE ATTEMPTING TO KEEP BALANCE. SUBJECT WAS PLACED UNDER ARREST FOR DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE, AND SPEEDING 47/30. SUBJECT WAS THEN READ HIS MIRANDA WARNING. SUBJECT WAS TRANSPORTED TO CPD HEADQUARTERS WHERE HE WAS READ HIS IMPLIED CONSENT RIGHTS AND WAS OFFERED A BREATH ALCOHOL ANALYSIS TEST, WHICH HE REFUSED. SUBJECT STATED THAT HE DID WISH TO HAVE AN INDEPENDANT TEST OF HIS OWN CHOOSING CONDUCTED, BUT REFUSED TO ADVISE REPORTING OFFICER WHERE HE WOULD LIKE TO HAVE IT DONE AT. SUBJECT WAS THEN TRANSPORTED TO A.S.G.D.C. LISTED VEHICLE WAS TOWED FROM THE SCENE BY ELGINS TOW SERVICE LOCATED AT 1220 LAURENS ST. SUBJECT’S SCDL WAS MAILED TO THE SCMDV ALONG WITH A COPY OF THE NOTICE OF SUSPENSION DUE TO THE SUBJECT’S REFUSAL TO TAKE A BREATH ALCOHOL ANALYSIS TEST.
Lt. Gov. André Bauer has allied himself with Marchant, and considering Bauer’s adventures behind the wheel, this could turn out bad for his campaign. As well, there are rumors about other campaigns that may have enlisted the services of the Marchant consulting firm that was created in May, but we won’t know those for sure until the Jan. 10 disclosure reports.
The police report
When we worked in the print business, we covered a few fires. So when we saw a building go up in smoke and flames behind Capital City Stadium, us and the roommate went out with a camera. At about 4:30 a.m., the firefighters didn’t know what started the blaze, though a forensic investigator will likely find out today. Perhaps the worst part was seeing the business owners looking on, from across the street, as the building was gutted. We pray the man had insurance. Anyway, here’s some pictures of the event. Most are blurry (new camera, not used to the settings, &c.), but it’ll give you an idea of what drew over half a dozen fire engines to the outskirts of Olympia.
In any event, a massive thanks to the Columbia Fire Department for kicking ass and taking names in the wee hours of Christmas Eve.
With Columbia’s bad-to-worse budgeting and general financial problems, public safety in the city has received a serious hit. Fortunately, the fire station on Devine Street is back to full operating strength, bringing back an engine that had been shut down by budget cuts in the Spring.
The money isn’t coming from an increase in taxes or fees, though. Funding for the truck and three firefighters is coming directly from the city’s bravest giving up half their paid holidays. Chief Bradley Anderson said in The State, “It definitely will improve services not only in Engine 9’s primary response area, but it improves coverage throughout the city and county because of the fact that all of these stations work together in the system.”
Of course, proper funding of first responders is one of the top issues in the race for mayor.
“It’s bittersweet. I wish council would spend a little more time finding other ways to do it and not do it on the back of firefighters.”
“We’re in a worldwide recession and we’re able to maintain a high standard of public safety without anybody losing their jobs. It would be Cinderella to expect more.”
