I just saw (yes, I am a little late of Clayton news these days) that the Morrow City Council voted off one of its members, John Lampl.  Lampl had been elected back in the late 1980s as a City Council while in his twenties.  Then, he became Morrow’s City Manager.  He held this post for years.  I don’t know any details as to why he left this post, but in March of 2010, he won overwhelmingly to re-gain a seat on the Morrow City Council in a special election.  I don’t really know John Lampl.  I think that I met him just once.  Nonetheless, I feel that the Morrow City Council has gone too far…kicking off one its members.  I thought that the voters did that; however, the voters seem to like ole John Lampl.  But, his fellow Councilpersons tend to think that he ruffles feathers and talks down to employees, a city finance director in particular.  So, they hire a law firm to “investigate” this grievance filed by the city finance director against Lampl.  The law firm “found” merit in the complaint.  Ha!  Sure the law firm “found” merit; this is what it was hired to do.

Now the City of Morrow says that John Lampl has 30 days to appeal the action of the City Council in Clayton Superior Court.  Enters Judge Deborah Benefield, the homer judge who appears to relish “handling” the difficult cases.  I don’t know if she wisely and judiciously handles them; I believe, though, that she politically dispatches with the cases, sometimes even making rude and inappropriate remarks to the lawyers whom she doesn’t appear to care for.  Deborah seems to wear her feelings on her sleeves, the very thing that a wise judge should not do.  She’s hardly “Judge Deborah” from the Bible.  Now will Clayton’s Judge Deborah give John Lampl his right to a “judicial determination,” as the Georgia Code Section requires before any office-holder can be removed from office?  She did not do this for Norreese Haynes when the rogue Clayton School Board illegally removed him from office, even after the Georgia Secretary of State had issued two investigative reports exonerating Haynes on his legal residency.  (By the way, not a member of this rogue school board lasted…all eight either resigned under duress or  were removed by the governor a few months later.  But, this is another story.)  Deborah came up with this fanciful and wild notion (wow, it was indeed a terribly written order…looking like she just cut and pasted the opposing counsel’s ludicrous arguments) that Haynes had sued the wrong party.  Wrong party?!  He sued the school board, the very entity that had illegally removed him.  Judge Deborah “bought” the opposing counsel’s fanciful and outlandish argument that Haynes should have sued Annie Bright, the Elections Coordinator.  Annie Bright?!  All Annie Bright did was simply announce that there was an opening on the school board.  That’s like suing a Funeral Director for publishing an “In Memoriam” bulletin about a gentlemen who was gunned down in cold blood by a thug.  No, you sue the thug, not the funeral director.  [As aside:  I think that Judge Deborah Benefield is a smart person.  I just think that she allows her biases to come through.  A judge should be unbiased.]

Clayton County.  Never a dull month.  If the oligarchy doesn’t like the pointed questions from an elected official, no problem.  Just get the majority on the school board or city council to vote off the gadfly.  Then, get the homer judge to puts her imprimatur on the illegality.  Ignore the Georgia Law!  It doesn’t apply to Clayton.  Clayton is the Wild, Wild West!  Ha!

You asked the question.  Here is Dr. John Trotter’s response…

   I have felt all along that the DeKalb Board of Education would pick Arthur Culver.  Davis apparently saw the handwriting on the wall and withdrew her name.   I don’t think that Dr. Lillie Cox of Hickory, North Carolina was ever a serious thought.  I personally think that she was just thrown into the mix to diversify the pool of three finalists.  I have always thought that the board has known all along who it wants, but it is just going through motions to try to make people feel good about its selection.  I presume that the school board will makes its selection known this coming Monday evening.

     Arthur Culver will be like a souped-up Johnny Brown.  He will be a slasher not unlike J. Jerome Harris when he came to Atlanta from Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn in the late 1980s.  Slashers tend to make everyone in the system live on pens and needles.  Slasher-type superintendents tend shake up things but accomplish very little in the long run.  Smoke and mirrors.  Revolving doors.  More fires and more hires (especially the cronies brought in) don’t necessarily equate with success but naive school board members actually convince themselves that something good is happening, but the only people who benefit are physicians treating stress-related illnesses and pharmacies selling drugs dealing with stress-induced conditions.

     I have seen them come and go…Jim Fox in Fulton; Jim Burns in Muscogee; J. Jerome Harris and Beverly Hall (almost gone) in Atlanta; Tom Tocco in Cobb; Johnny Brown in DeKalb; that lady whose name I forget in Decatur City; Joe Hairston and Barbara Pulliam in Clayton; that Broughton fellow in his short stay in Fayette; and that General in Cobb, just to name a few.

     It’s easy to be a slasher.  As an administrator (especially a superintendent!), you have positional authority and power over subordinates and their jobs and even careers.  It is so very easy to create an atmosphere wherein subordinates fear you.  This takes no skill at all.  As an administrator, I wasn’t interested in having the school staff fear me; I wanted, instead, to have the people to respect me.  Earning respect is much more of an arduous undertaking than establishing an atmosphere of fear.  I suspect, however, that Arthur Culver will take the easy, worn-out path of “fear and trembling.”  I think that he will be another one of those ”turn and burn” superintendents.  (c) MACE, April 17, 2011.

Dr. John Trotter: Well, I think that Roy Barnes will easily win the Democratic Primary and probably without a runoff. Thurbert Baker could benefit from a racial bloc of voting, but I don’t see much passion for him as of yet from the African American community. On the GOP side, I think that John Oxendine will make it to a runoff with Karen Handel. I definitely think that being the only female in the race will help Handel. Plus, she’s got a solid base of support, especially in North Fulton. Oxendine ought to garner a lot of support from his home base of Gwinnett where his father is a retired judge. The real question is this: Who benefit from the GOP vote from Cobb?

The Georgia Citizen: Do you suppose that some of the Cobb GOP vote will crossover in the primary to either vote for Roy Barnes or to vote against him?

Dr. John Trotter: This year Roy hasn’t stirred up much passion, and this is good for him. There’s a lot of apathy out there — probably because people are so concerned for the economy and own pocketbook issues. In 2002, Roy had everyone coming against him! The flaggers, the teachers, the cosmetologists, etc. I think that he has learned his lesson. He has the name I. D. hands down, and I think that this will be a race of name I. D. Certainly there are those in the business community in Cobb who might traditionally be Republicans but who will vote for their friend and fellow Cobb Countian. There may be a few Republicans who will want to switch over to vote against Roy in the Democratic Primary, but I don’t see this a any signicant movement. I really think Rob Barnes will win walking away, and the GOP will have its hands full in the Fall.

The Georgia Citizen: Who do you think wins in the Fall election?

Dr. John Trotter: If Oxendine wins the GOP Primary, I think that he will have a harder time beating Roy. Now Roy will have the national Democratic mantle working against him. This is an off-year election, and the party which holds the Presidency usually loses seats in Congress two years later, and there’s a lot of Georgians mad at the President now. But, will this impact severely on Roy Barnes’s chances of re-capturing the Big House on West Paces Ferry Road? I don’t think so. Now Handel will be a different story. There is definitely a thing called “women power” in politics. Some women who might otherwise vote Democratic may vote for the Republican Handel…just to see a woman in the Governor’s Mansion. But, when all is said and done, most Georgians will ask themselves: Who will help the Georgia economy the best…Roy Barnes or Karen Handel? Handel cannot be underestimated. I don’t think that she’s ever lost a race, has she? She doesn’t have the educational credentials that Roy Barnes has, but she does have some experience in politics. It’s not as though she has never held office or managed a department and so forth. But Roy’s personna alone exudes efficiency and effectiveness — so much so that this is one of his weaknesses too. Sometimes people resent someone who is very good at something. Roy is very good at governing, and some people simply resent this.

The Georgia Citizen: Sort of like how good you are (or perhaps I should say were) good at getting people elected in Clayton County?

Dr. John Trotter: Well I won’t go there. I have retired from actively helping people in politics. It sure does make you have a lot of enemies! Ha!

Yes, the new mayor of Atlanta will have to amenable to the developers. Will this new mayor be Mary or Kasim? Borders is a bit player, with Tom Cousins and crew hedging the developers’ bets just like they did in the days of Maynard and Andy. Not all of the developers’ monies will be put in just one camgaign. They had rather deal with Kasim. He is a businessman, is sharp, but makes them a little uneasy. It will be easier to co-opt an African American woman like Lisa Borders. Mary (Quite Contrary) will actually be the most difficult one to deal with. She is the “true believer.” Kasim learned real politick at the feet of his father, June Reed. June (yes, this is his real name) played footsie with the GOP in the days of BUSH 41. Kasim was just a teenager back then, getting ready to make a name for himself at Howard.

Who do the developers put most of their money behind? Don’t worry. They will hedge their monies. Norward and Reed? Norwood and Borders? I think that Norwood makes the run-off. She presents a problem to the developers who care only about green. Not the environment. Atlanta has always been a green city. (c) The Georgia Citizen

Eugene Talmadge, Roy Eugene Talmadge wants

to run again for governor of Georgia.  Once you

have lived on West Paces Ferry Road, the other

neighborhoods just pale in comparison.  Near

by you have the Roxy, Johnny’s Hideaway, the

ESPN Zone, Lenox and Phipps, Nava, Blue Point,

Fogo De Chao, and the W Hotel.   For a 61 year old and his

bride, this simply beats Marietta on the Square.

Roy ran in 1990, 1998, 2002, and now 2010.

Eugene ran five times, losing only once to Ellis

Arnall because Talmadge had wrangled with

the leadership at UGA and cost briefly the

University’s accreditation.  Should Roy stay

home or jump back in the ring?  Is Roy just a

political addict or does Georgia really need him

now?  Make it plain!

Citizens to express themselves without the

Political Correctness Police of the Atlanta

Journal-Constitution interfering with a free,

vigorous, and robust exchange of opinions and

ideas about our Peach State.  Jump in and offer

your fellow readers and bloggers your two cents

worth!