Tuesday, June 07, 2005
More Waltzing Questions
(UPDATE: What is up with John Wilson putting Ward's resignation under "Student Scene"? I know he's a trusted source, and John plays by the old Free Press rules of helping people who help you, but really - talk about burying the story.)
I'm sure that as time goes on this will change, but the Tennessee Waltz indictments just keep leaving me with more questions than answers. Today's piece in the Times Free Press on Ward Crutchfield claiming his innocence triggered some thoughts:
1) Why is Ward being so out there in publicly claiming his innocence? As a PR person myself, I commend him for being proactive, but still. It seems like a big-time game of brinksmanship, given the kind of evidence they had on Ford. While Ford may have been the big fish in the investigation, Ward presents a mighty nice target. At the same time, given the gravity of the charges, brinksmanship may be the only viable strategy.
2) With Republicans in charge, how do they handle removing Ward from committee positions? At this point, they have a bit of a catch-22. If they move to have the Ethics Committee hearing ASAP, Republicans potentially open themselves up to beating a dead horse, or at least moving unnecessarily, as you see the point made in the article above. If they don't act, they open themselves up to being soft on corrupt legislators. I've said it before, but it seems potentially advantageous for Democrats to not have sway over the Senate given the hornet's nest of the indictments.
3) What is Marty Puryear's angle? He is quoted a ton in articles like today's about the School Board aspect of the Waltz. We know that he has wanted to run for some larger County-wide offices, including Trustee, before. Is he going out of his way to be the voice on this stuff?
When this whole thing finally unravels, I think that we'll be looking at an amazingly changed political landscape in Hamilton County without a doubt. At the very least, the Crutchfield machine will be weakened, especially with Charles Love being almost surely neutralized. With Puryear and other Republicans smelling the chance to make moves, along with a seemingly likely Claude Ramsey retirement, the next two to four years could bring sea change to county politics.
I'm sure that as time goes on this will change, but the Tennessee Waltz indictments just keep leaving me with more questions than answers. Today's piece in the Times Free Press on Ward Crutchfield claiming his innocence triggered some thoughts:
1) Why is Ward being so out there in publicly claiming his innocence? As a PR person myself, I commend him for being proactive, but still. It seems like a big-time game of brinksmanship, given the kind of evidence they had on Ford. While Ford may have been the big fish in the investigation, Ward presents a mighty nice target. At the same time, given the gravity of the charges, brinksmanship may be the only viable strategy.
2) With Republicans in charge, how do they handle removing Ward from committee positions? At this point, they have a bit of a catch-22. If they move to have the Ethics Committee hearing ASAP, Republicans potentially open themselves up to beating a dead horse, or at least moving unnecessarily, as you see the point made in the article above. If they don't act, they open themselves up to being soft on corrupt legislators. I've said it before, but it seems potentially advantageous for Democrats to not have sway over the Senate given the hornet's nest of the indictments.
3) What is Marty Puryear's angle? He is quoted a ton in articles like today's about the School Board aspect of the Waltz. We know that he has wanted to run for some larger County-wide offices, including Trustee, before. Is he going out of his way to be the voice on this stuff?
When this whole thing finally unravels, I think that we'll be looking at an amazingly changed political landscape in Hamilton County without a doubt. At the very least, the Crutchfield machine will be weakened, especially with Charles Love being almost surely neutralized. With Puryear and other Republicans smelling the chance to make moves, along with a seemingly likely Claude Ramsey retirement, the next two to four years could bring sea change to county politics.
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