This Week with Mayor Wilder Volume 1

Now I know how David Lettermen feels about President Bush. He makes his job easy. The President writes his own material



I don't feel the same way about our mayor. I would prefer he take an early retirement and go on a long cruise. I hear China is nice. In the meantime, since he must be dealt with, he is good for political fodder. He's not likely to change at his age. He's developed his persona to a fine art and seems pretty well pleased with himself, so he might as well be made fun of. At least I will report on him and you can decide if it's funny. Here goes.



A Rough Diamond


Sunday's paper carried a feature editorial written by the mayor. After steadily nitpicking every stadium proposal to death and having his own proposal largely ignored he has decided to "listen to the people", so gracious of him. More often he prefers to speak on behalf of "the people". It kind of reminds me of the famous actress who likes to thank all the "little people" who help make her famous. Anyway he has decided, or more rather the people have decided that the best solution to the stadium dilemma in Richmond is to renovate the existing stadium, known better as the Diamond. Rather than show a little imagination and leadership, we are right back to where we started, which is nowhere. The Braves don't want to stay there and the people have spoken by not going there. It is in one of the ugliest sections of Richmond and to date has had almost zero benefit to the surrounding region. While there are nice neighborhoods in all directions, the industrial park that surrounds the Diamond saw it's best days 50 years ago. If the Diamond was going to benefit the surrounding area, it would have done so by now.



What a bear does in the woods


The mayor is very concerned about bears. After our Maymont Park bears were needly sacrificed after mildly scratching a child who wandered to close to their enclosure hizzoner has put on quite a display. Along the way he has slandered a distraught single mom, his own Health Director, and insulted the new governor and former Richmond mayor, Tim Kaine and ignored Maymont parks rules on naming wild animals in one step. It a very impressive record for something that should have been handled with some dignity and thought.



I think that's enough for today, but it's only Wednesday and a lot could happen before Sunday.