February 16, 2009 - Signs, The Chief and more!

Here's what's been happening. It's been a busy month since I filed my petition with Sheela Amin, the City Clerk. I've met a lot of interesting people and am scheduled to meet many more. It's been a real learning experience for me. I love my family and I've taken time away from them. My wife has been great and her support is vital. In the end I believe it will be worth it, if for no other reason than to teach my kids that when I began to see things happening in Columbia that I thought could have an adverse affect on their quality of life, I took action. I decided to run for City Council to try and make a change. For my family, and for me.

Today I had a great conversation with acting Chief of Police, Tom Dresner. We talked about many issues facing the Police Department, both in their struggles with the budget constraints the City is dealing with and in simple, day-to-day operations. While I've always supported the police department and generally trusted them to do a good job and protect me, I came away today with am impression I was not expecting to leave with.

I met folks who are just like you and me. They go to work, many of them to support families just like we do. For whatever reason, they've decided to work in a job that requires them to make personal safety sacrifices that most of us would never consider. Shaking an officer's hand and actually seeing the person "behind the badge" for a moment really makes you think about things like that.

As I walked through the halls of the Police Administration building, then to the Joint Communications room, down to the locker facilities and evidence rooms, I got a good feel for the conditions that our "sworn" and civilian police department employees work in everyday. They are doing a fantastic job given what they have to work with as best I can tell. Cramped quarters, inefficient workspaces and disconnected departments all exist due to a lack of planning, adequate space and funding as the department has grown over the years.

It is safe to say that as a City Councilman, I would be supportive of looking for ways to help with this problem.