The mayor and public safety

WE ARE EIGHT days away.

I'm all in for Linda Moore. I'm all out and against the current mayor, especially when it comes to public safety.

It started when Bernie Vahlkamp was selected chief of the Quincy Fire Department. This was at the beginning of the current mayor's term. The current mayor didn't like Vahlkamp getting the job, and wasn't afraid to say so in public.

The current mayor wanted somebody else. The three-person Police and Fire Commission uses an exhaustive and comprehensive system to hire chiefs. The commission did its job. Suddenly, the mayor was angry. Lo and behold, two of the commissioners were fired (one illegally), despite many years of good service. Kerry Anders and Steve Meckes deserved better.

The current mayor wanted to get rid of the other commissioner, Barry Cheyne. But Barry screwed up. He was named the citizen of the year by the Quincy Service Club, a prestigious honor. Our mayor had no choice. He kept Barry on the commission. Thankfully the three people have sailed along and have simply done their jobs - congrats, Steve Salrin, on becoming the new fire chief. It was well deserved and the commission got it right.

Then there's the whole police chief debacle. I gotta be careful here and it's no secret Adam Yates is one of my best friends. But that whole thing was a sham and disgusting and I'm amazed there wasn't more blowback, especially after the mayor decided a Springfield attorney conduct an "investigation" into the police chief hiring process. Maybe there was blowback after needlessly spending a lot of money. Maybe there were other issues like the police union contract and the city health insurance not working. Maybe City Council should have had enough and given the mayor a vote of no confidence.

Wait. That DID happen. I almost forgot, sorry.

Hey mayor - just because you hear something coming from around the corner at the barbershop doesn't mean it's true.

Our mayor rigged the system so he could get his guy in as police chief. Thankfully this man turned the job down. I would love to get some honest answers why.

All we know is Adam Yates eventually did get the title of Chief. The mayor himself says Adam has done the job well. Sometimes the good guys do win and things work out.

A good mayor works things out with department heads and works with city council. No doubt that will get a hair easier now with two new faces on City Council. A good mayor encourages debate and discussion on Monday nights, but a good mayor works hard at getting people onboard and moving forward with what's best for the city.

That will happen if Linda Moore is elected mayor in eight days.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Crank it up!

 EVERY YEAR IT seems there's an idea about slowing down, not playing so much.

PFFFFFFFFFFTTTTT.

Here it is, the spring and summer into fall schedule. It will get changed and updated. The highlight is Jersey Boys at the Quincy Community Theatre in July. Monica Scholz is assembling another killer band and I'm already ready!

All times are also scheduled to change - check with the venue before you head out to make sure. 

Date/Band/Venue

Saturday March 29: Prospect Road 2.0, Down On the Corner, Marceline, Ill., 8 p.m.

Sunday April 6: The Cheeseburgers, Jeff Vankanegan celebration of life, The Dock, Quincy, Noon-5 p.m. OG Burgers play approximately 3 ish.

Saturday April 12: Prospect Road 2.0, The Club Tavern, Quincy, 8 p.m.

Saturday April 26: Travis Hoffman and Rodney Hart, Quincy Brewing Company, 6-9 p.m.

Saturday May 3: Prospect Road 2.0, Shorteez, Clayton Ill., 7:30 p.m.

Saturday May 10: Second Stringers, Mayfest, Quincy, 1 p.m.

Saturday May 17: The Whatevers (Allison and Rodney), Quincy Brewing Company, 6 p.m.

Saturday June 28, Prospect Road, Sportsmen's, Mount Sterling Ill., 8 p.m.

Jersey Boys, Quincy Community Theater: July 10-13, 17-20

Saturday July 28: Prospect Road, 19th Hole, Augusta Ill, 2 p.m.

Saturday Aug. 9:  Travis Hoffman and Rodney Hart, Quincy Brewing Company, 6 p.m.

Saturday Aug 30: Prospect Road 2.0, Private Party, Quincy

Saturday Sept. 13: The Whatevers (Allison and Rodney),  Quincy Brewing Company, 6 p.m.

Saturday Sept. 27: The Whatevers, Private Party, Quincy

 

 

Barrie the bird and never getting lost

 I HAVE A habit of making wrong turns and getting lost. It's inherited from my late mother, God bless her. My internal GPS has wires plugged into wrong circuits. 

I'm trying to get better at not getting lost, thanks to a simple yet thoughtful gift from a Lab Brat. And it's already helping me with road rage. Win win!

Last Saturday I went to St. Louis with a couple of other Lab Brats and I turned east instead of west to get back on the highway. Then I turned off on the wrong exit near Troy. We ended up going around a brand new roundabout and careened back down the exit to the highway - it was amazing and you gotta look at the bright side of the directionally-challenged thing.

Monday, my friend Jennifer Henthorn, who works at the main 11th Street lab at Blessing, gave me a bird made out of paper. It's called origami, the Japanese art of folding a single piece of paper into an object. This thing is way cool and I've put it on the front dashboard of my work vehicle. There's no way I'll ever get lost and the bird, named Barrie, will guide me and keep me from losing my marbles when dealing with the usual crazies on the road.

Barrie is amazing. Jennifer shrugged it off by saying "I've made them since fourth grade and this is the only thing I know how to make." It's the simple things and gestures that count and this one is huge.

He is named Barrie in honor of the city north of Toronto where Canadian relatives live. They need to know we aren't all ignorant bullies.

Barrie just seems to be a calming influence. Yesterday I got cut off by a pickup truck on U.S. 61 near Palmyra. Normally I scream and curse and get bent. But with Barrie leading the way, I kept the cursing volume low and got over it quickly. See? I'm trying harder to be a light, and Barrie is helping.

With a new bridge by Mo. 6 being built and roads closing left and right in Quincy, I'm gonna need  patience. Now there are signs indicating construction on I-172 near the Hannibal exit, so Barrie will help me find the best way and deal with single highway lanes and semi-trucks changing lanes at will.

Thanks you Jenny! Barrie is a welcome addition to lab courier adventures and will help me keep it between the lines. Even when getting cut off.

All in for Linda

 I HATE POLITICS. Many politicians are blowhards who make promises they can't keep. I vote every election because it's a right and it's important. But I don't jump up and down when it comes to the way we govern ourselves and how we choose our representatives.

Except now.

I'm all in for Linda Moore, who is running for mayor. She isn't running as a Republican or Democrat - refreshing! The election is in less than a month. She's going up against an incumbent who is well-financed but has more issues with his own party than just Linda.

You know the old saying - "If you can't say something nice about somebody, don't say anything at all." So I'm not saying another word about the current mayor. You are welcome.

Don't underestimate Linda. She is tireless and has a lot of support. Can she win? I'd call her the underdog right now in a town that tends to vote 70 percent Republican.

This is my opinion. And only mine. And it's probably wrong, because I'm no good at political stuff and predicting things.

But ...

There is a Lab Brat at Blessing who is young, married, lives in her own house and has started a family. I asked her if she is voting in the mayoral election. She said, "I don't think it matters. It's already been decided."

Actually, SHE is the one who will decide it, her and not that many more just like her. It's all about getting the vote out. I am not afraid of telling people, especially young people, to get registered and to vote, because it matters. I don't tell them who to vote for. That's their decision and their right.

So I'm all in for Linda Moore. And I'm making a plea to you if you live in Quincy but are not registered to vote and don't plan on voting April 1.

Just. Vote. You might be surprised what a difference it makes.

 

Arizona, golf and … hockey?

 ON THE WAY to lovely Phoenix and stuck in the St. Louis airport on a two-hour flight delay, it seems there is only one thing as important as the annual Arizona Golf Bender - the 4 Nations game Thursday night between Canada and the USA.

This is a rematch of last Saturday’s game and it will be just as intense. But here’s the issue - who to root for?

My brother Steve lives in Chandler and hosts the Bender. My cousin Roland from Michigan will there. Steve and I have dual citizenship and I think Roland does too. We are all into it.

The game has additional meaning since the US President is a knucklehead and has stirred up the normally polite Canadians. I think we need to make Wisconsin a Canadian province and put tariffs on hockey pucks imported from Quebec. While we are at it maybe we can trade the guy who is President to Moose Jaw for a draft pick. A very low draft pick.

Anyway I’ve always cheered for both countries. I was born in the States but grew up in Canada and have a Canadian father. I have no desire to move back but you never know - maybe ICE will investigate to two illegal alien cats living in my garage and get me in trouble. 

I can still remember the Summit Series of 1972 when Canada played the Soviets in an epic 8-game series. We were still living in London, Ontario in 1980 during the Miracle On Ice and it was stirring to watch. It’s tough when the US plays Canada because there are allegiances to both. Canadian fans are booing the Star Spangled Banner (an awful song) and US fans are gloating about beating the Canadians at their national pastime. 

In the end, I’m leaning toward the Leaf because I like being a heal. The three Hosers in Chandler will be doing a lot of hooting and hollering Thursday night regardless, and the 4 Nations has been great for the game in general. If you’ve never watched hockey before … this would be a good one to start with!

May the best team win. Also, rooting during a hockey game when it’s 70 and sunny is NOT overrated.

Rubber bands, computer cables and happy cats

You pull it. I'll chase it!

 

 CATS HAVE IT figured out. Less is more, unless you are talking about sleep.

Coco spends her long winter days asleep in any number of places. If I leave a sweatshirt on the floor it becomes her mattress. Or she'll crawl onto the east-facing window ledge in the morning and warm up with the sun.

She is usually awake and going crazy when I get home from work. She likes the attention and loves to play. So we've acquired an impressive amount of cat toys. Most are stuffed birds, balls and things tied to a stick. There's a flopping fish which actually has a rechargeable battery - I somehow found a cable to charge it up and it's flopping again.

Coco is a playful cat but unless you put catnip on her toy, she is one and done. So I picked up a bunch of old and moldy cat toys recently and tossed them. Coco didn't mind. "It's kind of like after the Lions finish the season. You just throw it away and forget about it," she said.

The other night Coco was charging around the house with the zoomies. Then she jumped five feet in the air and batted at something. It took a second until I realized it was a rubber band. Yes. A STUPID rubber band. All these toys and this is what riles you up?

"Rubber bands are the best," Coco said. "You can pull them and smack them and try to break them but they just seem to bounce back. And they make funny noises if you pull them the right way."

That's been cat toy No. 1 lately, until she finally snapped it too hard and it broke. Coco was disconsolate. But, lo and behold, the computer cable I used to charge up the flopping fish was laying on the ground, and Coco attacked it with a vengeance. 

Now it's every morning. "You hold it up and I'll bat it and try to eat it," Coco says. 

Every. Morning.

Here's the moral of the story. You can have all the toys you want, the latest and greatest gear, the desensitizing video games, the stuff that makes Amazon and the world go around.

Or you can be happy with a rubber band and a computer cable that looks like a string.

As usual, Coco is the one making sense and teaching life lessons. It's her world. We are just the ones holding the computer cables so she can bat at them.