ReportCard! – Danville City Council (4/30/15)

It’s hard to believe that 2015 is already 1/3 over. That means it’s time for SouthsideCentral to issue ReportCards again. Today, we’re going to grade Danville City Council.

Here’s the ground rules for this grading session. Grades are now assigned based on overall performance, with recent events being weighed heavier than something that happened three years ago. I haven’t forgotten about the financially irresponsible decision to spend $450,000 on a bonus for city retirees, but it’s not going to be an automatic penalty of a letter grade like it was in our last ReportCard article. Let’s put the names of the council members into the randomizer and start going down the list.

• Sherman Saunders: All righty, the Mayor’s name gets drawn first. I recently criticized Saunders for his name-dropping during the water taste and smell issue. As I said in the speech, none of those friends would be able to do anything about the problem. That’s the only gear-grinder that I’ve had with Saunders recently. It’s still amusing to play the “When’s the Recess?” game once any meeting gets to the 70-minute mark. Heh. I’m going to surprise all of you right from the start. I’m giving Sherman Saunders a very good B grade today.
• Larry Campbell: Larry Campbell is city council’s Wild Card. Just when you think you can predict what Campbell’s going to do, he makes a quick cut to the right and runs the ball right into the endzone. At the last meeting, I cringed when Campbell said that he did a call-in show on WMDV-TV. I cringed even more when he said he “had to mention that some people were claiming to be sick from the water”. Two cringes, but it shows that Campbell is in touch with the people. He’ll only pick up a slight deduction for bringing up the “people getting sick from the water” horsecrap without checking into those claims first. Larry Campbell is entertaining and extremely wise. He had better enjoy his A- grade.
• Fred Shanks: Like I said before, Fred Shanks does his homework. It often looks like he’s mailing it in but that never turns out to be the case. Monday at the Utility Commission meeting, Jim Turpin objected to Shanks’ recommendation to add a paragraph to a letter. Fred steamrolled over him by stating his reasons and the facts behind his recommendation. That was made even more fun because Fred is a non-voting member of the commission. He’s co-winner of the “City Council Cheap SOB” award when it comes to public money. His job knowledge brings a lot of information to council discussions. When Shanks can make stormwater discussions interesting, he well deserves his A grade.
• Buddy Rawley: Here’s the other co-winner of the “City Council Cheap SOB” award. “I don’t see the reason for this.” “This is a waste of money.” “I feel you’re wrong and here’s why.” Needless to say, we heart Buddy Rawley and really hope that he runs for another council term in 2016. If he had been at the council meeting when Jim Turpin asked council to start setting aside money for the next retiree bonus, Rawley’s head would have exploded (and he’d have gotten the rare A+ grade). He’ll have to settle for his A this time.
  
• Alonzo Jones: On the last ReportCard, we slightly penalized Alonzo Jones for not speaking out more with his own opinions. Showtime Jones stepped up to the challenge by semi-grilling School Board Chairman Ed Polhamus over hot coals on Jones’ school board knowledge. He’s also made a name for himself as the champion for Danville’s youth population. I have to be objective here, but anybody that almost guarantees a SouthsideCentral reference on-camera every meeting should get bonus points. Showtime Jones, enjoy your well-deserved A grade.
  
• James Buckner: We’re nearing the one-year mark for Buckner, and he’s progressed from a total rookie into a good councilman who knows what’s going on. Buckner is quite happy to get his work done behind the scenes and he’s almost invisible during council discussions. I was impressed with his talk and questions during the budget process. I want him to become as vocal during business meetings as he is during the around the horn comment section. Heh. He’s still getting an A- grade today.
  
• John Gilstrap: When John Gilstrap disagrees with you, you’re going to know it. During the Utilities Steering Committee season, I was highly impressed at the way that Gilstrap picked up on esoteric details of how the utility business operates. He asked good, tough questions. Just like the last ReportCard, Gilstrap isn’t afraid to speak out and directly challenge speakers on any issue. He got an A grade before. He’s getting another A grade today.
  
• Gary Miller: You think I’m going barbecue Gary Miller, don’t you? You’re wrong. Now that his ridiculous coal ash theories on the water problem have been vaporized by scientific facts, Miller’s returned to the realm of rationality. He’ll make complete amends once he gives out the results of his Coal Ash Boat Trip, and those results should have been back by now. Miller continues to do his council homework and engages in floor debate. Miller also did an excellent job on the Utilities Steering Committee. Here’s another shocker for you. Gary Miller gets a very good B+ grade on this ReportCard.
  
• Lee Vogler: Vogler continues to be on the forefront of most city council issues. He continues to be the best at leveraging social media so he gets his ideas out fast and efficient. It’s been fun watching him get perturbed on some council work sessions when he’s off-camera. He’s smart enough to know when one of his ideas doesn’t immediately take off, he’ll drop it. I’ve thrown good grades out a lot, and Lee Vogler deserves his A grade this time.
  

And there you have it. All A’s & B’s for this group on today’s ReportCard. Sure, Danville has a lot of problems, but this version of city council is doing a good job with what they can control… and they’re doing it in a mostly united fashion.