“I had an interesting conversation with a public person. The gist of part of it was …… who knows what the real story was with Buie and the other recipients of funds and what’s the point in dwelling on things that have already happened, so let’s move on and not ‘nit-pick.’
I do not intend to disclose her name and I consider her to be a business friend, but I must acknowledge that there must indeed be a line of thinking that does not want to dig any deeper or hold parties to these events accountable.” – Peter Studl
Peter wrote these words over the weekend, and frankly they disgust me. I’m not angry at Peter over these words. He’s just repeating what he was told. What disgusts me is how “public” people can honestly argue from this position. We may not know the full story behind Don Buie and what I’ve dubbed Buie-gate. But that’s hardly a reason not to learn it.
I still remember people up in arms in regards to the Iran-Contra scandal. They should have been. Laws had been broken and the people wanted answers. The trust we had given our elected officials had been stomped on as if it were just an annoying bug on the floor. We were angry, and while many felt the same way as the public person Peter spoke with, it didn’t stop Congress from investigating.
Honestly, I’ll be glad when there’s nothing new to report. I honestly do. This is my home town. I grew up here. I want this town to be great, and this ain’t helping folks. But I sweeping the whole thing under the rug doesn’t solve anything.
Buie got caught because of pure luck. Nicole Brown’s mother calling Phil Cannon was just chance. She didn’t even know he was a member of the ADICA board. She was just worried about whether Nicole had broken the law or not. It’s not unlike the phone call that led the police to the Watergate office building that fateful night. And just like then, the people deserve answers.
The mayor and other public folks may argue that it’s time to move on, but that is as idiotic as Buie writing checks to his own wife. Instead, they should be looking to control the story. Launch an investigation into what controls were lacking and how they can be fixed. Be the first to step forward with new information. Most importantly, act like you’re as pissed off as the rest of us.
It was your tax dollars too after all! Act like you actually give a damn.
It’s attitudes like “Let’s move on.” that keep people doing this sort of thing over and over and over again. If this is wept under the rug, why wouldn’t the next guy think “I’m smarter than Don. I can walk outta here with loads of money. If they catch me….. so what! They won’t make a big deal out of it and blemish the good name of Albany!” Put him under the jail. By the way, is any of the money Federal?
For clarity, if needed, I do NOT favor neglecting to deal with the current and open past issues, such as investigating fully the Don Buie and related party acts. Yes we must hold persons accountable and we must learn and build systems to avoid more pitfalls.
A national businessman who has dealt with many cities and who spent substantial time creating a temporary installation in Albany and who had to deal with the powers that be, said to me “I’ve never seen a city so unwilling to help itself.” Interpret them how you will, but those words have rung in my ears for years now.
Many people spend a lot of time protecting turf, suspiciously eyeing anything new, dwelling on the negative, attacking people personally and making sure the hierarchy in the pond does not change. I say enough of that!
It is time to be smart, bold, courageous and forward thinking with due prudence, professionalism and insight.
Albany, more than most markets, backslides if nothing EFFECTIVE is done.
To HELL with the politics and the turf wars.
I continue to be utterly amazed how some in control seek to avoid real effective steps in moving forward. Here’s a tiny example, but perhaps a telling one. With so many issues to resolve and so much distrust by the public and so much economic progress to make, the ADICA board waits for the next scheduled MONTHLY meeting date to meet again.
Assign a person or two to take on a project. Delve into the funds given to a sitting board member creating public distruct. MEET WEEKLY OR DAILY UNTIL THESE MATTERS ARE UNDER CONTROL. Why isn’t there that burning desire to succeed???!!!! To make a difference. Given the challenge that board faces including being blamed by the administration, I wouldn’t let a day go by without dealing with the issues.
And so it is with economic progress in Albany. Where is the task force (heck, the leader) to tie together the efforts of the Chamber, the PDA, the EDC, ADDICA, the city administration, Albany Community Together (ACT), the County Administration, the RiverQuarium, the Civic Center …. all recipients of your taxpayer money????
To create a monumental effort and energy DAILY to bring new vitality this community! Time matters here.
Tick-Tock, tick-tock, tick-tock
Peter: I never said you did, and I think it’s pretty clear that you were only relaying a school of thought.
Tom….Yes….you were awesomely clear and I noticed that when I read your post. Thanks. I think there were some comments after my comment on another post that made me think there MIGHT have been a little misunderstanding….but in any event, my main point follows that little disclaimer above.
The are three choices:
1. Bury your head in the sand,
2. Dwell solely on everything that is “wrong” and never do anything progressive or take a risk.
3. Use all parts of the available human brain and investigate the facts, learn, and move forward with constructive change and toward bold goals.
Most of us will say, do number 3 or some variation of that, but how often do we get stuck in 1 or 2?
Unfortunately, there’s a forth choice, and one that many would prefer. Pretend it never happened. Frankly, that’s not acceptable either.