A rose to the American Wind Symphony Orchestra Committee, which released a detailed account of its income and expenditures from its concert in May. The concert organizers collected $24,801 against expenses of $25,035.05, with the outstanding balance of $234.05 being covered by a private donation. At a time when transparency is often a hit-and-miss proposition, it is refreshing to see groups such as this providing its financial information without prompting. We wish others would take note and follow their example.
A thorn to Columbus Councilman Kabir Karriem, for not recusing himself discussion and voting on a proposal to rename a section of Fourth Street in honor of his grandmother, Sallie Mae Jones. There could be no more obvious conflict of interest than this. Karriem’s choice to participate in the vote is not illegal, but it is certainly unethical. He should know better. Karriem puts much stock in insisting that he gets the respect he feels he deserves. But the truth is, respect is more easily lost than earned. The board will again address this proposal at its next meeting. We will see then what measure of respect he is entitled to.
A rose to the city of Columbus and the Link for taking a pre-emptive approach to the possibility of military base closings. Although the Base Realignment and Closure talks have just started, and no real moves will be made until 2015, the two groups’ decision to combine to apply for a grant to upgrade at maintain facilities at Columbus Air Force Base is timely. When CAFB does eventually come under BRAC scrutiny, a well-maintained, properly-funded facility will certainly strengthen its position.
A thorn to the city of West Point for street signage that is so badly faded that a visitor has little hope of gaining his bearing by looking at these signs. This is nothing the city can’t easily remedy. West Point, like most cities, encourages visitors and spends a lot of money toward that end. This is one move that makes practical sense and costs little.
A rose to our teachers, who returned to the classroom this week. Teachers are often under-paid, under-appreciated and made the scapegoats for failures not their own. And yet they return, year after year, to serve our children. We salute their dedication. They make a profoundly positive difference in our community.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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