899 replies to this topic

[Charlotte_native]

Justadude, on Nov 20 2007, 12:46 PM, said:

The cynical part of me wonders why missing persons cause widespread anxiety, but confirmed murders are glossed over with a brief headline.

1)  We are more scared by the unknown than the known, and 2) most murders are done by people who know each other at least loosely.  The random act of cruelty or murder makes us realize we are all vulnerable.

[voyager12]

Could someone tell me why Mecklenburg Democratic precinct leaders get to decide who our new Sheriff is? It's seems totally bizarre to me.

[elvigy]

voyager12, on Dec 6 2007, 08:07 AM, said:

Could someone tell me why Mecklenburg Democratic precinct leaders get to decide who our new Sheriff is? It's seems totally bizarre to me.

I've been wondering the same exact thing. Not that I could ever be accused of being sympathetic to Republicans   , but this does seem, on the surface, just a tad unfair.

[Charlotte_native]

voyager12, on Dec 6 2007, 08:07 AM, said:

Could someone tell me why Mecklenburg Democratic precinct leaders get to decide who our new Sheriff is? It's seems totally bizarre to me.

I could be wrong, but I think it is just until the next election at which time the Sherriffs office is up for grabs, kinda like when a Senator leaves office mid-term and the Governor of thier state replaces them until the next election.  

Anyone know -- is this correct?

[elvigy]

Charlotte_native, on Dec 6 2007, 10:58 AM, said:

I could be wrong, but I think it is just until the next election at which time the Sherriffs office is up for grabs, kinda like when a Senator leaves office mid-term and the Governor of thier state replaces them until the next election.  

Anyone know -- is this correct?

Turns out you are correct. And infuriatingly, Democrats have shot themselves in the foot on this one. They selected Mackey by a large margin.

He's the one who resigned the police dept so he wouldn't be fired for falsifying time records, and later declared bankruptcy. Now he's running a huge operation with many many millions of dollars in its budget. I don't understand why they'd pick this guy, even if he did have a great shmoozefest going on with the Democratic leaders.

[stadtguy]

The decision to appoint this Nikita guy is disappointing. The whackos at Meckdeck and elsewhere might be right on this one. This "decision" is rooted in race and patronage. If this is how Democrats in Mecklenburg County make decisions, I can't support them in the future with either money or votes. Sad.

It's events like this that further inflame suburban vs. urban conflicts that touch on issues of education (schools), taxes, etc.

[voyager12]

This decision does not reflect the wishes of all Mecklenburg Democrats. The Democratic county commissioners supported Bailey. Mackey knew how to schmooze and work individual precinct leaders. That goes a long way in politics. Having the first black sheriff in the modern era is a positive statement in and of itself. And as Tommy Tomlinson said today in his column in the O Mackey knows he will be watched like a hawk to make sure he runs a tight ship.

[elvigy]

And, er, just to clarify my own position, I don't personally believe this had anything to do with race. I just think he shmoozed his way into the job. And I would have preferred Bailey. It looks bad on Democrats because it looks to the public like they care more about rewarding sucking up than looking out for the best interests of the county. We'll see how he does and hopefully, as mentioned above, with all eyes on him he'll run a clean department. Though with his history of hiding things he doesn't want the public to see, I have my doubts.

[Justadude]

From what I have read about this guy it seems like a pretty serious error has been made.  It's one thing to have an imperfect history (don't we all?), but it's another thing to be unwilling to disclose information about it.  Politicians typically don't hide things that are harmless.  It seems that Mackey is still refusing to answer questions to the press, including what his plans are now that he is in office.  That's a foreboding sign indeed.

[stadtguy]

Modern day machine politics. I wonder how many of the precinct captains will be rewarded with patronage positions for friends and family members?

I'm not sure how having the first black sherriff is a good in and of itself. It's neither good nor bad. Putting a guy who went bankrupt to the tune of $300K+ in an office that demands public trust (and you and I picked up the tab in terms of fees, prices, etc. from retailers) is not prudent.

[PlazaMidwoodGuy]

I'm a die hard Democrat and I gotta tell ya - unless I'm missing some of the facts, this is a fiasco!  I think the Democratic Party in Mecklenburg County has virtually guaranteed that a Republican sheriff will be elected once Mackey finishes his term and has done serious damage to its reputation.  The candidate who CLEARLY was the more qualified and experienced of the two (Bailey) was thrown under the bus.  I hope I'm wrong and I hope there's something I'm missing that hasn't come to light yet, but I think the Meck County Democratic Party has just inflicted a serious wound on itself.

[voyager12]

If Mackey is smart he will take all the scrutiny to heart and focus on perfoming in an above board and fully transparent manner. His rocky road to Sheriff will be forgotten if he does a good job. Overall I think the whole system should be scrapped and made non-partisan.

[Vitamin_N]

It's the highway of the future.... circa 1958:


I'd really like to see intelligent automobiles controlled by punchcards.  Maybe this should go in one of the transit threads?  

[PlazaMidwoodGuy]

^^ Hysterical!  Ah, the optimism of the "Jet Age."  One of my favorite things is when he says that advances in technology will give us more time for leisure in the future.  Little did they know that we Americans would actually be working MORE!  How times (and reality) have changed.

Edited by PlazaMidwoodGuy, 25 December 2007 - 12:38 PM.

[NcSc74]

just read about Barringtons made the "top 11" resturants according to Zaggats ratings.  Kudos to Charlotte again hanging in there with the likes of ATL, Chi-town and the Big Apple...

[RiverwoodCLT]

I hear that we are going to have to turn in all our money for new money.
Get your The commemorative coin set now.
http://www.brasschec...0/page/253.html

Edited by RiverwoodCLT, 15 January 2008 - 07:36 PM.

[voyager12]

Willy has not been seen wandering East Blvd for quite awhile....I hope he has moved on to something better...not worse...anyone heard?

[davidclt]

voyager12, on Jan 15 2008, 11:52 PM, said:

Willy has not been seen wandering East Blvd for quite awhile....I hope he has moved on to something better...not worse...anyone heard?

We saw him a few weeks ago in Plaza Midwood.  He had cut of most of his hair.

[Raintree21]

I'm not familiar with "Willy." I saw Larry Majors on Monday on his way to the ABC store and had a lengthy conversation with him.

[voyager12]

I was simply hoping he had moved on to better things. Not trying to insult him.

Edited by voyager12, 16 January 2008 - 05:57 AM.