WALB is reporting on a city employee being reprimanded for using a city vehicle for personal use. While this is a good start, it’s just a drop in the ocean of problems I’ve come across lately. While what Kieth Wingate has admitted to doing is wrong, and the punishment seems appropriate to me, there’s still a lot more that needs to be done in this town.
Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve slowly been hearing a lot of stories. Tales of favors being exchanged between powerful people of different stripes in in town. Stories of corruption, the likes of which one person described as sounding like it came from a Gresham novel. What’s worse, long-time residents confirm that this is hardly new.
Anyone who’s lived in Albany have heard the tales of someone who went to jail and took the full brunt of the charges to protect the powerful families of this community, or some similar variation. There are groups that seem to feel they warrant a protected status. What’s worse is that they’re getting it.
Most conversations start off with “you didn’t hear this from me but…”, and then reveal information that would frankly shock the soul. What’s worse is that this information is credible, from people who would well know, but they don’t want to be on the record. For a couple, I understand the reason. But most have a level of fear that seems odd to me, like they’re talking about the mafia.
Don Buie, Rod Jolivette, and whoever else is next all reveal something of the character of Albany. The reinstatement of Jolivette and the delay in removing purchase authority from Buie are a mere drop in the bucket as well though, a disguise from the bigger picture. They, and by extension Al Lott, aren’t the root of the problem. No, they’re mere symptoms of the deeper problems.
Lott, as a symptom, didn’t feel that it was necessary to do a thing with Buie until a week later. This is someone who’s accused of taking a kickback, and while I can accept fear of a lawsuit, there should have been a stripping of authority in financial matters from the onset. Something, somewhere, gave Lott the impression that it was unimportant and he acted accordingly. Was it the City Commission? I don’t really think so. In fact, Bob Langstaff may have been part of the catalyst for what actually did happen with Buie, since he started asking questions as well.
Until this underbelly of corruption, if it truly exists, is exposed we will continue to have problems. What if the reason so many blacks argue that the deck is stacked against them is because it truly is…not necessarily because they’re black, but because they’re not “in”? What if the reason Albany has problems retaining our young people because the powers that be prefer the town the way it is?
Yes, this sounds kind of “black helicopter” and all, but the credible information I’ve been given sounds that way too. But when I hear it from multiple sources, there’s a chance there’s something to it. So I’ll dig deeper. I’m not going to run with the rumor like I did with Buie and the hotel room. Again, that was from credible sources, and people were afraid for whatever reason to reveal the truth and I got nothing to back up the accusations on the record.
However, I’m going to do everything I can to find it. I live here, and I plan on my son growing up here. I don’t want to make another generation live in what seems to be a den of thieves if I can help it.
This is one step in the correct direction of accountability.
Of course, the election of Kenny-boy Hodges as Attorney General would send the opposite message.
People need to get out and vote.
Well, so far Hodges is behind in fund raising, which isn’t a good sign so far as his campaign is concerned. But Hodges isn’t the problem…instead, based on the accusations against him that haven’t made it to court just yet, he’s more likely just a symptom of the problem. Like a lot of people.