Unsolicited advice to new Fayetteville aldermen
I’ve been watching the Coody administration for some years now, and feel I can safely offer some advice. It has nothing to do with sewer plants, or trails, or issue forums, or Sustainability or “green jobs” - whatever they turn out to be, in the end.
Don’t whine.
Don’t indulge in public displays of self-pity.
You’re going to get beaten up in the newspapers - don’t go charging down to their offices and complain. Same for calling and whining over the phone to the editor.
Bloggers will attack you - don’t, whatever you do - engage them on their own turf. There is a medical term for people who do this - it is “idiot.” You come in from a weak position and leave weaker - and looking even sillier.
People will write nasty letters about you to the newspapers. So what? Deal with it.
Whatever you do, don’t ever get up in a public meeting, and preface your remarks by saying, “Well, I’ve been made into some sort of monster by local bloggers/editorialists/C.A.T. producers . . .”
Show a little backbone. After all, you get paid, and except for those who write for newspapers, most of your critics write for free.
And yes, I’ve said it before, but it’s worth repeating, I think, before you take office:
In the world of politics, if you want love, buy a dog.
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The race for the Prize: the Steve Clark Vote
I’d love to be a fly on the wall when Dan Coody approaches Steve Clark and asks for his support in the mayoral run-off, considering how many Clark supporters (some under the cover of darkness, it is said) discarded their Clark signs for Coody signs once Brother Dan decided that he needed to strap on the old-six shooters once again and “protect” Fayetteville from the forces of darkness.
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Quote of the Day
When I no longer thrill to the first snow of the season, I'll know I'm getting old. - Lady Bird Johnson
