Cornell McCleary, Former 610 - WTVN Radio Bad Boy

The Titan's blessing may not be able to shield Mayor Coleman this time

Coleman's opponent William Todd might be the right man at the right time to exploit Coleman's weaknesses

Recently the Franklin County Republican Party officially endorsed a slate of city and county candidates for public office races this November.  Generally speaking, the move made by one of the weakest Republican county Party's in the state was no big deal.  However, the brain dead leadership of the Party accidentally made a good political move and gave long-time Party loyalist and attorney, William M. Todd the Party's endorsement to oppose Mayor Michael B. Coleman in November.

In The past, the Titans, Columbus's shadow government has used campaign donations or should I say withholding campaign donations to keep Coleman and Columbus city council members in office and away from stiff competition.  William Todd is a political insider but a local outsider that may prove to be both Coleman and the Titian's worse nightmare.

Todd has a history with two very powerful activist organizations that appear to have access to a lot of cash for political adventures or misadventures - the Ohio Chamber of Commerce's political arm, Citizens for a Strong Ohio and Common Sense Ohio, a non-profit group that took a few bites out of Ted Strickland's butt during his run for governor.

What is significant about these two groups is that they are not intimidated by the media.  Make no mistake about it, this time around that soft glow painted around Michael Coleman is going to turn into a ring of fire.  Have you ever noticed that when something good happens in Central Ohio Michael Coleman gets the credit and when something goes wrong then it just a matter of circumstances that the Mayor has to deal with.  An even better example of the media's painting Coleman as the Saint of all Good Intentions, is the issue of Red Light Cameras.  The city is screwing the public big time with those super hefty fines in the name of safety when the city's traffic signaling is messed up and, all but forcing you to run Red Lights because the Yellow Lights are intentionally set at different times so you don't know how much time you have to pass through the intersection.  The media gave St. Michael Coleman a lot of play for his forceful advocacy of our safety with the city's hand in our pocket.

Anyway, back to William Todd.  I've met with Todd a time or two in the past.  He did not strike me as an original thinker or a rocket scientist but he did strike me as a believer, committed to doing what ever it is he sat out to do and thats why I think Coleman and the Titans are in trouble.  If Todd can get outside Central Ohio money to flow his way, a Mayoral campaign ran on character issues will potentially destroy Coleman.  I'm not trying to say that Mayor Michael Coleman is a bad or shady character but, I am saying that the media has not let the public, for whatever reason, see Coleman's character.  When many issues in the past have occurred that are character defining Coleman was let off the hook or not pressed for a response like what is he going to about black-on-black crime in the city since his so-called committees and task forces are not getting the job done.  I predict that the Mayoral contest between William Todd and Michael Coleman is going to change all of that.

Every day that 6 year old went to school death was waiting on him

Scottwood Elementary School student did not stand a long-term chance, it was just a matter of time before he got hit by a school bus

On Friday, January 5, 2007, the Columbus Dispatch published a front page headline story that scared the hell out of me.  The story was wrote by reporters Theodore Decker and Bill Bush about a 6 year old boy killed by a school bus while trying to cross street while his grandmother watched from her warm and cozy seat in the car. If I sound pissed its because I am.  My 5 year old son goes to that school and, the picture of 6 year old Asa Mayle in the Dispatch article, too close for comfort, looks like that of the face of my 5 year old son.

Every morning that I drop my son off at school, looking at the traffic pattern on Scottwood Road, with mostly everyone in the auto-pilot mode, with some parents in a too-big-of-a-hurry mode and, the ambush crosswalk that was waiting on little Asa or someone like him, my head and my heart fills with dread as I issue a stern warning to my son each and every day since he started to going to Scottwood Elementary School as he gets out of the car and, I am right there beside him, with his hand in my hand "Look both ways for cars before you cross the street OK?"

When I heard news reports of the little Asa incident, I was filled with rage and fear, mostly rage because I felt that little boy did not have to die.  When I read the Dispatch article I really hit the ceiling.  In the article, police said the investigation could take months.  I found that incredible.  So I'm writing this article in the interest of justice and the memory of little Asa, and I'm going to let the sticks fall where they may.

First, Grandma McCarey, you should have got your butt out of the car every morning and walked little Asa to his bus stop.  Even a damn fool could see that Scottwood Road is very dangerous in the morning.

The flashing warning light compelling people to slow down to 20 miles per hour that was on the day after little Asa's death at the time of his death, should be on all day until the last kid leaves the school and the last kids that are going to arrive in the area have come and gone.  Its called traffic calming.

Here is the biggie and this should help the police get their investigation completed faster.  Scottwood Elementary and Columbus Public Schools, stop letting school buses pick up children in front of a crosswalk.  When a bus driver takes off they are accelerating and looking for other cars, and changing lanes and not looking for children who will be trying to do what they were trained to do.  Cross at the crosswalk.

Little Asa is dead in part because the bus driver was trying to stay on schedule, navigate down a narrow, 2-way street with parking allowed on both sides of the street, change lanes and accelerating with her starting point just a few feet from the crosswalk which was in her direction of travel.  Little Asa did not stand a chance.

When the mighty have fallen what comes next is opportunity or chaos

From a political perspective, the Democrats can be viewed as children of a lesser God.

Happy New Year.  I guess I'll start the new year off being me.  Anyway you look at it, 2006 was a mother.  The world has turned a corner, good, bad or indifferent.  The average everyday citizen has been empowered to a level previously unknown in America's history.

The stars have aligned in a manner that only some power of a divine greatness good affect the affairs of man that the weak can conquer the strong and a chance for justice prevails while the once mighty scratch their heads in wonderment.  If there is a God of victory, be it one of chance or of destiny, then truly, the Democrat's God of victory has to be a lesser God.  Having said that, the victors should be cautious.

The Grand Old Party's (GOP) team  now, former statewide officeholders J. Kenneth Blackwell, Secretary of State, Betty Montgomery, State Auditor, Jim Petro, Attorney General and Jennatte Bradley, State Treasurer, by all measures a dream team, seemingly invincible, politically bloodies and maybe, politically mortally wounded.  A black male, a black female, a white female and a white male.  Hell, they had to be the chosen ones, but they were not.  What happened?  The GOP called on God and God moved, right out of the way and let the weak carry the day, who for the most part for the right things, against the strong who for the most part for themselves.

About seven years ago I had a vision of greatness and a message for the Ohio Republican Party.  Now, so that we are all on the same page, understand, this vision and message for the Republican Party was a formal vision and message.  Also, this formal vision and message for the Republican Party would be shared, embraced and acknowledged by someone no less than the President of the United States, George Bush, the screwup.  What was the vision?  Campaign America.  What was the message?  Country and community first, the Party second.  Give the people leadership not politics and the people will make the Republican Party the great party that it once was.  My official vision and message (Ohio Republican Party Statewide Minority Outreach Coordinator) became lost to the President, lost to the Ohio Congressional delegation and lost to the leadership of the Ohio Republican Party which spelled victory for the children of a lesser God.

The GOP''s former dream team had both the tools and the talent to be great and do great things but, individually and collectively they choose to be Republicans first in deeds, both omission and commission, and image, neither black nor white, male nor female.  Somebody should have told them besides me, that what one is, is a big part of what one has become, and what one has become is a source for pride for many as evidence of the true American experience.

For want of an explanation, I say that the Democrats are the children of a lesser God because its my experience with Democrats that they pretty much have an everything and everyone is OK attitude.  You don't have to do much to get on the good side of their almighty, be it Bruce or whoever.  But, personally, there are Democrats that I know and believe do stand for something and they, along with progressive Republicans like Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O'Brien, are the future that I  also believe the people will accept and follow as our political leaders.