Columbia Will Be Getting Minor League Baseball (Again)

In a 4-3 vote last night, the Columbia City Council decided to fund the construction of a baseball stadium in the Bull Street Development. Here's what the developer hopes it will look like:

Proposed stadium rendering via Hardball Capital

I'm not exactly thrilled with this whole deal, but I really do wish the best for this project. is a success. I'd love to see a vibrant Bull Street development area, I enjoy baseball, and this picture looks cool. This is one of the times that it would give me no pleasure to say "I told you so."

Come on Columbia. Don't screw this up.

Local News Roundup, April 8, 2014

I thought I would just toss out a few headlines for you today:

The City Council is probably going to approve the current plan to spend $29 Million on the baseball stadium tonight. 

In what is probably the most compelling argument to vote for someone other than Lindsey Graham, former cocaine user Thomas Ravenel said he intends to run as an independent if Lindsey Graham wins the GOP Primary.

Bobby Jindal will be the headliner at the GOP Silver Elephant Dinner here in June. No doubt it will be his audition for 2016.

And in unrelated news, some people are upset about the fact that airlines won't have limes for drinks anymore. Get over it, people. You're on an airplane. Flying. Forget about the limes. You're flying.

"We need to talk, we need to communicate, and then come together and sign something of this nature and present it to our public that we represent,"

Said Councilwoman Leona Plaugh, who did not sign the Mayor's "Civility Pledge".

The whole idea of this "civility pledge" seems very middle-school student government to me. I can't believe that grown-ups we put in charge of the City of Columbia are doing civility pledges. It's not that I'm anti-civility. I just don't think a pledge is how you achieve civility.

You're either going to have rational, constructive debate - which at times can be pointed - or you're not. Signing a little pledge isn't going to make someone "civil".

To me,  it all seems like theater. I want to see City Council debate issues, have the public weigh in, and then make decisions. All this nonsense about civility pledges is a waste of time.

Over a Thousand Absentee Ballots Were Not Counted in Richland County

Government is just another name for things that we do together massive failure.

Remember the Richland County election debacle in the general election last year? It wasn't that long ago. It was the most recent election we just previously had. You know, last time.

So how did this election go? Oh, swimmingly, except for the fact that over a thousand absentee ballots weren't counted. But that's not the best part.

The best part is that the person most responsible for the 2012 fiasco, Lillian McBride, wasn't fired back then for being incompetent. She was reassigned. Guess where she was reassigned to for this election...

Wait for it....

She was in charge of counting absentee ballots. Excuse me for a moment.

This is insane, y'all. The person who screwed the pooch last time wasn't fired. She was simply transferred to an easier job. Then she managed to immediately screw the pooch on her first assignment. You would think that a normal person who makes a catastrophic mistake would be kind of on their toes the next time they get any assignment. Not Ms. McBride. Apparently, she cannot coordinate her department to complete the task of tallying an increasing sequence of positive integers.

It's not really that hard. 1, 2, 3.... Anyone seeing a pattern emerging? The numbers increase by one each time. All she has to do is count little pieces of paper. I know 6 year old children who can do this. However, Richland County government cannot seem to perform this basic task in elections.

Is this really the best we can do? How many chances should Ms. McBride be given? Where else can we transfer her? If she cannot count pieces of paper, what assignments can she handle?

The degree of sheer incompetence here is staggering.

Six Bids Received on Palmetto Compress Building

The City of Columbia has announced that a total of six bids were received from various entities interested in developing the Palmetto Compress Building. The exact nature of the bids will remain secret until City of Columbia's Review Board has had time to analyze them all. I've already expressed my thoughts on this matter, but now that the City has gone ahead and bought the building, I'm in the awkward position of hoping for success in a venture I would never have begun.

Hopefully, some of the bids will be viable, and not put the City in a position to lose money. We'll see... Keep in mind, the City of Columbia purchased the building for $5.6 million. Selling the building for a little less wouldn't be a terrible outcome if the development turns out wonderfully. The worst case scenario would be the City of Columbia selling the building at a loss to a developer who ultimately is unsuccessful.

I just have a little trouble believing that this is all going to come out roses, because the private owners tried (in vain) to sell this building for years. Maybe they wanted too much money. Maybe they didn't. Maybe the City isn't as interested in turning a profit as the previous owners.

Rusty DePass on the Compress Warehouse Deal

Rusty DePass nicely sums up the City's decision to purchase the Compress Warehouse:

In voting to spend $5,650,000 to purchase a dilapidated warehouse where a developer had proposed to build student housing, the Columbia City Council completely caved in to “preservationists” who talk the talk but want the rest of us to walk the plank to pay for their very expensive hobby.

Read the whole thing. I'm all for the preservationists buying the warehouse. Then they can actually own this historic, run-down cotton warehouse that they love so much.

Oh, the preservationists don't actually want to use their own money to buy it? Why is that, exactly?

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2013/04/26/2741970/depass-another-bad-deal-courtesy.html#storylink=cpy

New County To Be Formed in SC?

Say hello to Birch County? This is officially a silly idea.

Richland County Election Mess

WE'RE IN THE BEST OF HANDS. The person in charge apologizes, then blames other people, and still can't give a straight answer for why the problems occurred. Oh, and the person in charge can't be immediately fired because she doesn't actually have a boss. How convenient.

Forget it Jake, it's Chinatown.

Being Anti-Big Government Isn't Anti-Community

I didn't want to totally ignore the "You didn't build that..." line from Obama a few days ago. If you've been living in a cave for the last week or so, check the link.

The thing about that line (and the thought behind it) is that it totally discounts two important ideas.

1. It discounts the idea of risk in starting your own business venture and risk is pretty much the name of the game. If you're thinking about leaving a big company to go out on your own and start your own business, it's risky. If you're successful, you stand to make more money, and maybe you can employ a few folks down the line. However, if you fail (and most businesses fail) you lose everything. If you sign any loans personally, you're on the hook for that. If you put your house up for collateral for a business loan (hey, the banks don't just give money away anymore) you stand to lose your house. The bottom line is that it's risky to start your own business.

2. It discounts the fact that firefighters, road builders, police, and teachers are paid for by you, the individual. The government didn't just show up with magic money and provide all the road, fire service, and police protection for you free of charge. The individual people voted for their elected officials who levied taxes, and then paid for all that. It's already been paid for by the citizens who pay taxes - small business owners. So don't expect me to say "THANKS!" to a firefighter, teacher, road builder, or teacher for simply doing their job. I'm paying them for it.

Also, trying to shrink the behemoth federal government and all of it's problems is not the same thing as being against working together as a community. That's also what is insidious about this line. Obama is conflating the idea of working together as a community to do things, and owing your federal government some kind of extra credit for your business success. It's not the same thing. Katrina Trinko has an excellent column about this. Read the whole thing here, but this is the salient point, and it's my personal strain of thought. As usual, someone else puts my own line of thinking more eloquently than I can.

The conservative argument is for freedom, not for all-around individualism. In fact, there’s a case to be made that communities are stronger under smaller government, when voluntary associations and cooperation are especially crucial for getting projects done and ensuring that all in the community (such as the poor and sick) are taken care of.

Exactly bang on. Related thoughts from Ann Althouse.

Columbia Police Switching to FN Pistols

The City of Columbia Police Department will be switching their regular sidearm. The're dropping the.45 caliber Sig Sauer and picking up a 9mm FN.

First of all, I'm not going to get into the 9mm vs. .45 debate. They're both fine. With modern ammunition, both are highly lethal when shot accurately. With proper training, both can be shot accurately. So just stop.

“FN provides not only a superior weapon but a superior price and, I’m happy to say, a superior work force,” Benjamin said. “I am hoping this turns into a real opportunity for FN to break into other law enforcement markets in the United States.”

That's the real reason the deal was done, and I agree with Mayor Benjamin. FN has a production facility here in Richland County, and maybe they'll grow and expand. that only helps Columbia and South Carolina. Maybe another police department will see this and make a similar move.

Also, I think the Columbia Police Department is getting a good deal. I did some quick math and it seems like the City is getting each pistol, holster and belt for a little over $300.00. I applaud the Mayor and the City of Columbia on this move.

Full disclosure, I own an FN 9mm myself, and it's spectacular.

Columbia City Council District 3 and My Thoughts on Daniel Coble's Candidacy

If you follow me on Twitter, you may have noticed that I had the beginning of a conversation going about my thoughts on Daniel Coble's candidacy for the District III seat on the Columbia City Council. My thoughts are more than 140 characters, so I'm here to ramble:

First of all, I've never met Daniel Coble. I don't know a thing about him other than what is on his campaign website. Accordingly, I come into this without any preconceived ideas about him. All my information about him comes from his website. Also, I don't live in District III, so who cares what I think anyway, right?

Experience: Daniel Coble is a third year law student at USC Law. He's scheduled to graduate this May. I assume he'll sit for the bar this summer. If he passes, he'll be sworn in and admitted to the South Carolina Bar in the fall.

Here's the bio on the website:

I grew up in Shandon, attended Rosewood Elementary, Hand Middle School, Dreher High School, Clemson University (Dean’s List; Student Government; SAE Fraternity) and USC Law School (Journal of Law and Education, Phi Delta Phi, William T. Howell Scholarship), Community Relations Council Board Member.  Clerked at Lewis & Babcock LLP and Fifth Circuit Solicitor’s Office; Law Clerk, SC House Judiciary Committee.  USC Law School graduation, May, 2012.

Ok. I think he's about 24 years old, so that means he went straight from Clemson to USC Law School. There's nothing wrong with that. In fact, that's exactly what I did, what my wife did, and what hundreds of other practicing lawyers did. It's evidence that he clearly wants to be a lawyer, and that's great. I'm a lawyer. Nothing wrong with that.

He lists his clerkship at a very well-respected local law firm, the local solicitor's office, and clerking for the SC House Judiciary Committee. If he did that during law school (as most students usually do) I assume he split a summer along the line, because that's three clerkships in two summers. Again, nothing wrong with that. It's a great resume for a 3L. It is certainly better than mine was when I was a 3L.

However, he's running for City Council - not head of the Student Bar Association. He's not even a baby-lawyer yet because he won't be a baby-lawyer until after he passes the Bar and is admitted in the fall. He hasn't even commenced his legal practice yet. I'm sure he'll find a job because he's a smart guy who has a sterling resume. However, he doesn't appear to have an offer yet (or he's not disclosing it on his website). Again, all I have to go by is the website.

On a visceral level, I have an objection to a 3L running for City Council. In my opinion, that's presumptuous. He's not yet complete with his education. He has not practiced for one day. If you're in favor of Daniel Coble, you're conceding that having the life experience of being employed (any any occupation) in a full-time position is irrelevant to qualification for City Council. If you're ok with that, great. I'm not.

Why Is He Running: Ok, so we have a 3L running for City Council. Why? What does he want to do? Per his website:

My generation is skeptical about government but not about public service.  We know things must change.  The old ways of governing no longer work.  My approach to problems facing District 3 are based on having lived in the district all my life, knowing the neighborhoods and the people I want to serve and bringing fresh ideas to Columbia.”

Things must change? What things? The old ways of governing no longer work? What does that even mean? What is he talking about? His approach is based on living in the district "all my life"? You know, if I was only 24 and running for City Council, my main selling point wouldn't be Hey! I've lived here all my life! You know, since 1988!

Issues: (Public Safety) Hey! Coble is in favor of public safety. Me too. Is anyone in the race against public safety? If so, don't vote for them...unless you're a criminal. "Funding the police department is vital, but we must also remember that we live within realistic budgets." I agree with this 100%. Spending money is ok, but obviously, we don't have a bottomless pot of gold. So far, so good. What else?

Until we can expand the police budget over the long term, we have to focus on the short term and the resources we have at hand.  This means investing in three specific areas:

• Parks- Our parks bring our communities neighbors together, which means that they have to be a friendly and safe place to be.  These parks must be properly patrolled at both day and night.  Signage should be up showing the park rules and hours and also no profanity if that is the rule.  I also want to make sure our park manager of each park is known in the community both by local leaders and local police officers.
• Pedestrians- Everyone should feel comfortable in their neighborhoods, whether they are walking around the block or walking to their car.  I will work with local neighborhood leaders and police so that we know where the high crime areas are and will be able to focus our resources and energy in those areas.
• PACE- None of these ideas will work without full funding and support of our Pro Active Community Enforcement Team.  The PACE Team fosters and grows community relationships between neighbors and community PACE officers.  Over time, I would like to see more officers put on this team so that our current ones are not stretched thin.

Having a safe environment is the strongest selling point of any city.  Chief Scott, along with many other officers, are turning the morale our department around and continuing to make our police force something to be proud of.

Wait, what? We're just starting from the assumption that were going to expand the police department budget over the long term? I'm not necessarily against that, but I don't like that we're assuming that as our first principle. In any event, yes...patrol parks, keep people safe, and arrest the bad guys. It would be more helpful if Coble would identify the problems, rather than just say: Let's patrol more! More signs! It makes me feel like he doesn't really know what the problems are.

CMRTA: In any event, whether he was 24 or 84, here's why I won't be supporting Mr. Coble:

As the capital of South Carolina, it is imperative that Columbia have a fully functioning and modern public transportation system. [Actually, no it's not. Columbia is a sprawling city where the parking is plentiful, the roads are wide, and everything is spread out. Columbia isn't Chicago, or Manhattan. And that's good.]  The CMRTA is essential to sustaining and growing our economy and making sure that Columbia is the leader of this state. [Essential? Hardly.]

It is essential that we have a long term funding source for the CMRTA, which is why I fully support the penny referendum. [We need to tax everyone more to pay for the bus system]  The penny sales tax will allow for Columbia and other regional partners to fully invest [every time he says invest, he means spend money] in this system and let everyone see that we care about all of our residents. [What is this crap about showing people that we "care"? I care about not funding a bus system that cannot cover its own costs because of inherent flaws in the bus system model.]  I will take a leadership position in pushing for this referendum  and travel our city expressing some of the ideas I would like to see:

• Regional Cooperation- Our bus system will thrive as long as we continue to work together and share resources. [Share our resources? I think you mean spend more of our tax money.]  We will have to work with the local governments on both sides of the river to ensure that everyone is chipping in and paying their fair share. [Fair share? Where have I heard that before? What if the "other sides of the river" don't want to pay for the bus system? Lexington has already said they don't want it.]
• Changing the Attitude- I want to see our bus system integrated with the University’s so that all of our citizens are sharing the same public transportation.  I believe that this will not only change the attitude and vision of CMRTA but will help grow and shape our economy by allowing students to travel all around the city. [This is a HORRIBLE idea. I mean really bad. USC students aren't going to want to ride the bus "all around the city", especially, when you make them ride with other non-USC students.]
• Public Safety- Another way I believe we can change the view of our bus system is to ensure that everyone feels comfortable and safe when riding.  This means have lit and properly patrolled bus stops.  I would also like to invest in something similar to the “Yellow Shirts” that patrol the Main Street area.  These men and women do a great job of creating a comfortable atmosphere of reassurance. [People don't ride the bus in large numbers because it's not practical in Columbia. The problem is not a lack of yellow-shirted bus-captains.]

Passing this referendum will not be easy as we saw just a few years ago. [The people are against it, but I'll force it through, because I know what's best.] I will work with our County Council and well as the Greater Columbia Chamber of Commerce to express my support for this referendum and the benefits it can have for our city.  A viable public transit system is critical for our city, and I will work as hard as I can to ensure CMRTA has the funds it needs. [I won't hesitate to spend as much of your money to keep the failed bus-system around for as long as possible.]

After this, I won't fisk the rest of his "Issues", but they can be boiled down thusly:

1. Spend money on "green energy".
2. Spend more money to build walkways and paths along the river.
3. Spend more money on the arts.
4.  Be exceptional.

MY THOUGHTS: Here's what Columbia City Council needs to do: Fund the police, fire, water, and the other municipal departments...you know the basics. Fill in the potholes, arrest the criminals, put out the fires, and keep the peace. It's not sexy, but it works.

I don't want Columbia to be "The greatest city in the Southeast". I'm fine to be Columbia. I don't want this to be Austin, TX. Austin's slogan is "Austin: Keep it weird". I'm comfortable with Columbia; we don't need to try to be some other place. I kinda get the feeling he doesn't like Columbia the way it is.

Columbia: Keep it Columbia.

The Walking Dead (Might Be Voting)

The SC DMV says the people are dead. The SC State Election Commission says they're not. You think this would be fairly easy to figure out, right?

In any event, SC House Rep Rick Quinn pretty much captures my thoughts on the matter:

“You guys have got to fix whatever is going on, communication-wise,” said state Rep. Rick Quinn, R-Lexington. “Otherwise, I’m going to start assigning blame. It’s very troubling. We have to have belief in the process. If not, it’s going to hurt voter confidence.”

Also, if there are zombies out there. I may need to stock up on some ammo. If you're looking for something to do the job on the undead, I recommend Hornady Zombie Max. Yeah, you heard me right.

May I see your Voter Registration Card, please?

Read 

 

Alldkfjdmore here: dhttp://www.thestate.com/2012/01/26/2128459/charge-of-dead-voters-disputed.html#storylink=cpy

Porn Store on Devine Street

Brad has the full run-down here, with lots of fun in the comments. I don't really care one way or the other if the store sets up. I would rather it be something else, but part of living in America is tolerating stuff you don't like and being an mature adult about it.

Personally, I would rather it be a firearms store. I hate having to drive all the way out to Shooter's Choice or Palmetto State Armory.

Occupy Columbia: Day 11

Breaking Hard: Our PP reporter in the field sends us a picture from the Occupy Columbia protest movement as of 10/25.

As you can see, it's Day 11. There are a few people milling about on the right-front area of the statehouse steps, and they appear to have some camping gear. Perhaps they're in this for the long-haul. I'm still not 100% on what their demands are, but at this point, one of their demands ought to be for more protesters. They don't even have enough people to need a "people's microphone" yet, and that's one of the trademarks of the Occupy movement. Stay tuned to PP for all your Occupy Columbia news.

Columbia Food Trucks Under Assault

Think that job-killing regulations are just a Federal problem? Think again. Columbia is just recently experiencing a food truck revival, which has brought great food and a wonderful sense of style to our little town. However, the City Council has passed a stupid regulation:

Starting in February, any vendor who wants to set up shop on private property to sell anything from puppies to produce must have written permission from the landowner. They also must provide city officials with drawings of the sites they frequent and must meet zoning requirements, especially having sufficient parking spaces.

This is ridiculous. If I, as a private property owner, want to invite a food truck to come to my business, I have to draft and execute a written agreement. Then, the food truck has to go down to the City of Columbia and provide a government clerk with a copy of that agreement, provide a drawing of the site, and must jump through other hoops, and probably fill out a couple forms...and probably pay some sort of fee. I would think that permission from the property owner should be sufficient.

Keep in mind that the government is only open Monday - Friday from 8:30AM to 5:00PM, also. If I (as a business owner) wanted to do an event with a Food Truck on a Saturday as a spontaneous event because I had an unexpectedly large turnout at my store, that would be illegal. Heaven forbid the City of Columbia doesn't get to approve a little form saying that I can have some people over to sell tacos from a truck.

Don't forget, the food trucks are already licensed. They have a business license and they pay sales taxes, so they're already generating money for the government. Now they're going to have get an additional license and jump through more hoops: to sell food out of a truck. Seriously guys? Can I just eat my BBQ in peace?

Our City Government needs to focus on the serious problems facing Columbia. Food trucks selling me delicious BBQ are not one of them. The City is saying that this is an "unintended consequence", and that they're trying to get at other people, but what's the deal with that? Are we having an epidemic of moving flea markets? Is that the biggest problem we have now as a City? This is just another example of the over-regulation that is running rampant at every level of government in America. Keep your regulations off my food truck!