Will mayor Coble be replaced?

[803metlife]

With all the new signs across the city campaigning for mayor what's to come. I can't remember a time we had real competition for mayor.How does everyone feel?Is there time for a change? With prolonged street scaping,canal side, bus barn, the entire management of the city .Does anyone feel we need a new mayor?

[waccamatt]

I feel like a change is needed in the city manager's office, but not in the mayor's office. We either need a full time mayor or a city manager with a more extensive CEO/administrative backround. I think Charles Austin was a great police chief, but knowing alot of city employees, he isn't cut out for the city manager's job.

[mainstreeter]

I feel like a change is needed in the city manager's office, but not in the mayor's office. We either need a full time mayor or a city manager with a more extensive CEO/administrative backround. I think Charles Austin was a great police chief, but knowing alot of city employees, he isn't cut out for the city manager's job.

Waccamatt - I agree with you 110%. I could not have said it any better.

[Doug L]

I feel like a change is needed in the city manager's office, but not in the mayor's office. We either need a full time mayor or a city manager with a more extensive CEO/administrative backround. I think Charles Austin was a great police chief, but knowing alot of city employees, he isn't cut out for the city manager's job.

I agree, Waccamatt! Mayor Bob has done as good a job for Columbia as any mayor of any city I have ever lived in. I'd like to see the city manager office abolished and a strong Mayor Bob.

[BryCola]

I agree, Waccamatt! Mayor Bob has done as good a job for Columbia as any mayor of any city I have ever lived in. I'd like to see the city manager office abolished and a strong Mayor Bob.

What are the chances of Columbia going to a strong mayor system? I've heard this discussed a lot in the past year, but is this a possibility? And who gets to decide this? Hopefully not city council. What are the chances of them diminishing their own power?

[TheCarolinaKing]

I like the direction the city is going in, which leads me to believing that Bob can handle the job. The street scaping is a mess, but this is the first time alot of the problems in those areas are being tackled, and I believe that with this being one of Columbia's first really big projects that learning room should be alotted. I think they ahve seriously learned from the mistakes made and will do better for the future. At least they took the intiative to get something started. While I do miss the Meritage and hope the City will do something to bring it back soon...(I know Wild Wings is going in that space).

Hopefully Bob (and state govornment) will do more to equally and need based allocate state, federal, and Lottery money to k-12 schools and secondary institutions through out the state. Several k-12 schools are in sub-standard conditions and lack needed supplies. Schools that serve the poorer communities should be alotted additional money to help counteract the poverty level of its students. Education will be an essential key to the progression of Columbia and the state as a whole! Schools should not be preparing students just for simple labor post graduation. Each student should be in the process of being groomed for University accepatance. It should be the goal of the schools to make students reach the academic level of USC acceptence and higher; anything else would be self destruction!

[waccamatt]

I like the direction the city is going in, which leads me to believing that Bob can handle the job. The street scaping is a mess, but this is the first time alot of the problems in those areas are being tackled, and I believe that with this being one of Columbia's first really big projects that learning room should be alotted. I think they ahve seriously learned from the mistakes made and will do better for the future. At least they took the intiative to get something started. While I do miss the Meritage and hope the City will do something to bring it back soon...(I know Wild Wings is going in that space).

Hopefully Bob (and state govornment) will do more to equally and need based allocate state, federal, and Lottery money to k-12 schools and secondary institutions through out the state. Several k-12 schools are in sub-standard conditions and lack needed supplies. Schools that serve the poorer communities should be alotted additional money to help counteract the poverty level of its students. Education will be an essential key to the progression of Columbia and the state as a whole! Schools should not be preparing students just for simple labor post graduation. Each student should be in the process of being groomed for University accepatance. It should be the goal of the schools to make students reach the academic level of USC acceptence and higher; anything else would be self destruction!

Unfortunately sity government has little control over the educational system. Maybe if the city and county consolidate it will help in this matter.

[krazeeboi]

While it's unfortunate that the city decided to take on so much at once, at least the need is realized for an enhanced aesthetic appeal downtown. Also, Five Points will be done in a few months. North Main getting the green light is a good sign, and Coble has stated that phase two of the Main Street streetscaping will get funded this year. Keep Coble in office; it was under his leadership that the city's momentum began to kick into high gear in the first place.

[vicupstate]

With all the new signs across the city campaigning for mayor what's to come. I can't remember a time we had real competition for mayor.How does everyone feel?Is there time for a change? With prolonged street scaping,canal side, bus barn, the entire management of the city .Does anyone feel we need a new mayor?

It has indeed been a long time since a truly competitive Mayor's race. 1991, to be exact. That was when Coble unseated Patton Adams for his first term.

I somewhat question the wisdom of starting the North Main project when the existing problems have been so well publicized lately. It may be time for a rest from these projects, or at least that might be the thinking locally.

The one good thing about doing North Main, is that if any businesses close up, it will not be much of a loss.

The city probably should have staffed up some, when it decided to do all these projects at once. However, a strong argument can be made that doing the project in succession, rather than in tandum, would cost even more money in the long run. At some point, all the problems were going to come to the surface regardless.

If Coble is unseated because of these cost and schedule overruns, it will be a case of 'what comes around goes around'. Coble effectively used the same issue with Sydney (now Finlay) Park in 1991. In the end, the city didn't take a financial hit anyway, as I recall. I thought it was unfair then, and is at least somewhat unfair now.

I have certainly had my differences with Coble in recent years, but unless this Fisher guy really seems up to the task, I can't see putting him in Coble's place at such a critical juncture in Columbia's history.

[krazeeboi]

Since we were discussing streetscapings in this thread, here is the final installment of the three-part streetscaping series in The State, which covers the Five Points project. Seems that it will now be finished around Thanksgiving rather than Labor Day.