MIRABEAU: Forget grills, what about the foundation? (9.14.08)

Mirabeau B. Lamar

Mirabeau congratulates Marc Olive, the W.C. Bradley Co.’s new president and CEO. He's the first person outside the Bradley family tree to lead the company. Steve Butler remains chairman but Brad Turner retires. Those moves are news worthy but Mirabeau is more interested in the future leadership of the Bradley-Turner Foundation than he is who makes the grills. Columbus should be keeping up with one that too.

Mirabeau wonders how Columbus High could have a PTA meeting last week and not discuss recent newspaper articles about the handling of the Jim Cypert case. Some people wish the issue would take I-185 out of town. But insiders tell Mirabeau that the faculty and even the student body is dangerously divided. Now Mirabeau awaits Monday’s meeting of the Muscogee County School Board to see if the 5-4 crowd deals with the questions.

Mirabeau recommends Otis White’s speech to Midtown Inc. on Sept. 24. White, president of Civic Strategies Inc, is a former Columbus Ledger reporter and well-known consultant on issues pertaining to cities.

After hearing Lt. Gen. Russel Honore at last week's Jim Blanchard Leadership Forum, Mirabeau thinks the retired Army officer could be president. What fun that would be, though Mirabeau acknowledges a State of the Union with that many bleeps would be unusual.

Mirabeau continues to keep score on the shuffling deck at the Ledger-Enquirer. Advertising Director Jodi Bell is leaving and so is staff writer Brad Barnes. Like several other people from the newsroom, Barnes is getting out of the news business entirely. He’s going to feed the duck at AFLAC.

Mirabeau can’t believe Radio 1580 dumped ESPN Radio’s Mike Tirico and Scott Van Pelt for those clowns from Sporting News Radio. Ending up with the Two Live Stews is like trading a Lexus for a bicycle with two flat tires. Are you listening Craig Davis?

Mirabeau listened to more of a Columbus Council replay than he wanted to waiting to hear gadfly Paul Olson blame retired newspaperman Richard Hyatt for the controversy over where to put the panel’s weekly public agenda. Olson, who delivers roses for a living, said it was a conspiracy cooked up by Hyatt, Mayor Jim Wetherington, mayoral staffer Judy Thomas and political advisor Frank Myers. Don't tell Olson, but Mirabeau once saw those same conspirators huddling on a grassy knoll in Dallas.

It is Mirabeau’s opinion that Columbus Council and the Muscogee County School Board wastes too much time before getting down to business at its meetings. Mirabeau is blunt. Eliminate the feel-good resolutions and presentations and shorten their meetings by a big chunk of time.

Mirabeau will miss Columbus State University archivist Reagan Grimsley who has left CSU to join the history department at Auburn University. Giselle Remy Bratcher and Dalton Royer will hold down the fort until a new archivist can be hired. With budget cuts, Mirabeau knows that is code for a long wait.

Mirabeau is impressed with the early reviews of WTVM-TV’s anchor Barbara Gautier. But wasn’t a news segment welcoming her home to Harris County a little much? The next step, Mirabeau thinks, is to teach co-anchor Wayne Bennett how to pronounce her last name.