Monday, August 14, 2006

Local 'good guys'

OK, here’s my list of good guys and bad guys. I’m not as grouchy on Mondays as I’ll be by Friday, so it’s heavier on the good guys than bad guys. And please don’t complain that I’ve left off person X who is a wonderful asset to the community. Of course I have. I can’t remember everyone, or know everyone. Want to disagree? Add your thoughts below.

Some caveats, in addition to the concept of my last post, that people are complex. Sometimes politicians do things I agree with, but I keep wondering if they’re just sticking a finger in the political wind. There are other people who I’d put on the list, but I haven’t met them or don’t know enough about them, or I just didn’t happen to think of them.

Enough throat-clearing. Here are a few elected officials who don’t get a lot of on-camera time, so you may not be as familiar with them as with the same old faces, but are among the “good guys in government from this area: Michael Barnes, Dan Clodfelter, Anthony Foxx, Molly Griffin, Randy Kincaid, Don Lochman, Patrick Mumford, Wilhelmenia Rembert, Jennifer Roberts. (They’re in alphabetical order)

Do I agree with everything they do? Course not. But they’re trying to make the place better and doing it with thought, integrity and – far as I can tell – keeping the greater good in mind, as opposed to self-aggrandizement.

More names, on my local “good guys” list: Phil Dubois, Shirley Fulton, David Furman, Harvey Gantt, Mary Hopper, Francis Haithcock, Michael Marsicano, Bill McCoy, Dale Mullinax, Tony Pressley, Dennis Rash and Betty Chafin Rash.

The bad guys? Bill James. Larry Gauvreau. Each, in my opinion, is more interested in perpetuating racial discord than in solving anything.

There are others I’m not high on, including not a few politicians who I think are just wrong about issues, but who try in their own, misguided ways to do what they think is right. And there are some who I think are right about issues but who are just too annoying to put up with, or clueless about how to be effective. That last category is, sadly, rather large.

24 comments:

Anonymous said...

Picking Bill James and Larry Gauvreau is sort of gutless. They invite scorn. If you go with them, I think you have to put Parks Helms on the list. He has worn out his welcome. I would also put Vilma Leak, and what the heck, Joe White, on the list.

But I'm not saying only the liberal side are 'bad guys.' WBT's Jason Lewis deserves scorn, and Keith Larson, too, on his bad days.
In fact, the whole WBT managment should be listed, but I do love Al Gardner, Stacy Simms and John Hancock. And Keith Larson, on his good days.

Anonymous said...

Your list should surprise no one – gutless is a good word. I not a big Larry nor James fan but they are probably the most effective people on your list (admitting of course that creating ineffective is effect if that is your goal) Also where would be Observer be without those to write about?

I would have to guess that according to your list you don’t lean left your just firmly planted there.

And isn’t Mary Hopper and Michael Barns the same person – she always speaks for him and he always does what she tells him to do.

Also Mumford would probably find it an insult to be listed with those people

Anonymous said...

Picking Larry Gauvreau as a "bad guy" is just plain nuts. If not for Larry Gauvreau, this city would still be busing kids all over town to appease the racists on the school board. (Leake, Dunlap)

And how on earth do you leave George Dunlap off of the bad guy list? The man abuses women.

Anonymous said...

Having the right to do something and being right in doing it are two different things. "Good Guys" understand this difference and act accordingly. "Bad Guys" usually hide behind having a right to do something as they do the wrong thing.

Anonymous said...

I think Mary's list is rather balanced. Anyone who thinks that Bill James and Larry Gavereau to anything but stir the pot and make this community more divided and negative needs their heads examined.

Anonymous said...

Your liberal agenda wrapped in this good guys/bad guys fools no one.

It is shameful that while our kids suffer in poor performing schools, the Observer chastizes leaders that want accountability.

The good guys list is meaningless. Your list could include thousands of great people from our community.

When I tell out-of-towners who the bad guys are here I mention the people who vehemently fight for the status quo "stay the course" and our schools "are THE best in the country!" crowd.

The Observer editorial staff tops my list, Mary, I'm truly sorry to say. Dunlap, Leake, and Joe White are an embarrasment and they're on the list as well.

Finally, the name that you don't have the guts to mention: JIM BLACK. Manipulative, corrupt, self-centered--the epitome of corrupt politician. He has ruined the public trust in our state government.

And Drew "even the baby Jesus accepted gifts" Saunders. Disgusting.

It's offensive how stupid you think your readers (not surprisingly, a declining number) are.

Your choice to cheerlead for these people is the one of the biggest reasons smart people (both black and white) are leaving the county as fast as they can.

Anonymous said...

Add the previous poster to the 'bad guys' list.

Anonymous said...

Its amazing to me how much time conservatives spend bitching about the "liberal" media and how the Observer just exists to antagonize them. And anyone who disagrees is out to "get" conservatives. And you say us liberals complain a lot. Get a life.

Anonymous said...

Mary, you've devoted three columns to this topic but what's your statement? Most of the people that posted their comments and shared their thoughts made a bigger effort than you did.
Dropping your half-cocked thoughts and waiting for your readers to post their opinion is not enough.

Anonymous said...

Mary, what is wrong with you? How in the world can you do a bad guy list and not mention Speaker Jim Black? Every editorial board in the state has demanded that he resign. He will likely be indicted within weeks. His co-conspirator just pleaded guilty to ACCEPTING A BRIBE FROM JIM BLACK !!!

What else would it take for a liberal (you) to admit that Jim Black is a "bad guy"?

You are a hypocrite. If your editorial board endorses Jim Black, you all deserve to be terminated with cause.

Anonymous said...

Mary wrote:
"The bad guys? Bill James. Larry Gauvreau. Each, in my opinion, is more interested in perpetuating racial discord than in solving anything.",

Huh? I have yet to hear Larry say anything about race other than he wants neighborhood schools and no busing. Are those now code words for "racial discord"?

The politicians "perpetuating racial discord" on the school board and county commission are George Dunlap, Vilma Leake and Norman Mitchell. If anyone does anything they dislike then out comes the race card.

A classic example was when the County Commission just overpaid for that church. Commissioner Dan Bishop merely asked why they were paying 100% more than the appraised value for the property. Watch out !!! The black members started insinuating that Dan Bishop is a racist for even asking such a question.

Anonymous said...

I think Mary might have a crush on Larry Gauvreau.

Anonymous said...

So Wilhelmenia Rembert is a good guy and practices "integrity"? Uh, you might want to look that up in that thing called a Dictionary!

She calls herself "Dr." but never managed to finish that minor detail called "course work" and she doesn't really live in the district she's elected to represent. Oh, and it's racist and sexist to point that out because she's a liberal, black, female.

Mary, you need to take some caffeine and wake up!

Anonymous said...

Perpetuating racial discord? That may be true about Bill James but not Larry Gavreau.

I follow the local political scene closely and Gavreau is a "good guy." He has single-handedly driven change at CMS, leaving liberals and spineless politicians fuming.

Ms. Newsome, it was Gavreau who opposed (and ended) illegal racial preferences within CMS. He took on racially-obsessed governmental politicians and has vowed to never give up.

If you and your newspaper would spend as much time bashing the real "bad guys," instead of Gavreau, we'd all be better off.

It's no wonder your circulation is declining as Charlotte grows.

Anonymous said...

Charlotte needs to be more liberal if it wants to be take seriously, ASAP.

Anonymous said...

Rembert ran the school board as they overbuilt inner-city schools to force reversed busing into the city, with rush-hour traffic. Busing out of the city is against traffic. Wasted school resources and schools in the wrong places. Norman Mitchell is on record saying he wants to see white kids on buses. Who is driving the middle class out of the school system? Our only hope is someone finally listens to Gauvreau and turns that boat around. The only reason I re-upped my subscription to the Observer is to support the new owners. Hopefully they get rid of you shortly. You are a huge part of the problem with the paper and it's clueless editorials. I'm sure you mean well, bless your heart.

Anonymous said...

Mary, you are just plain wacko. You are a part of the problem, not the solution.

Anonymous said...

I think this city has bent over backwards to appease people like Rembert, who might be the most discriminating person in the county.

It's a shame too. I think she's very concerned for the students -- the black ones.

If she were white and treated black kids the way she's been treating white kids for years, the Observer would run her out on a rail.

Too bad the Observer doesn't look at things in that context.

Anonymous said...

Wow. And scary. The people Mary says are the good guys are the bad guys. And vice versa.

I've gotten to not liking Gauvreau b/c I think no matter what the topic, he'll find the negative instead of the positive. He's definitely part of the problem. Unfortunately, he's also part of the solution.

He's not the issue though. Mary is. Or the Observer, however you want to look at it.

If the Observer really thinks the people Mary listed are the good guys, they're sleeping with the enemy.

Mary's good guys would run Charlotte into the ground in the snap of a finger.

Anonymous said...

You guys are confusing Wilamena Rembert with Vilma Leake.

Both are extremely liberal but Wilamena seems to have a much higher I.Q.

Vilma is vindictive (especially towards whites) and strikingly dense, in general terms.

In any event, because both are black, the Observer gives them a free pass.

Anonymous said...

Mary:

As discussed with you via phone this morning, I don't much care that you've characterized me as a "bad guy" in your blog. In fact, I thought it was pretty funny, and light hearted, too, in comparison to the usual attacks from your paper.

But how do you back up your claim that I'm "more interested in perpetuating racial discord than solving anything." Please tell us more about that.

Better yet, maybe you could dust off a column about race for the paper next week. There's nothing more interesting than the Observer telling us about race. We'll look forward to it.

Best all around,
Larry Gauvreau

Anonymous said...

This town is full of republican skinhead bible carrying chicken $hit$ that I must leave my computer now to go vomit.

GreenInNC said...

I'm not one of your favorite elected officials? I'm hurt.

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