PERKINS DESECRATES GOOD FRIDAY
3-22-08
By announcing on Good Friday that he would seek re-election, Mayor Perkins has demonstrated again that nothing is sacred to him. Why did he choose one of the most sacred days in Christendom to make a political announcement? Was he attempting to draw attention to himself instead of letting people concentrate on the real significance of Good Friday? We believe his announcement on Good Friday was offensive to many and in poor taste.
We have a few observations on the Perkins announcement. First, we want to publicly warn him that we will not sit silently by and let him use all of the City resources - IN VIOLATION OF THE LAW - to get re-elected. The law is very clear about campaigning on City time, using City employees, facilities, equipment, etc to campaign. We are not going to have a repeat of the recent Bond Issue election where he and his supporters used everything the City had to get the Bond Issue passed. We want to remind the Mayor that HE HAS ALREADY VIOLATED THE LAW BY (1) sending out to the press on City stationary using the City fax machine and (2) by using the City sound system to make his announcement. We are going to document and expose every illegal use of City property, personnel, and facilities by Perkins and his supporters.
As for his announcement, we were surprised to see a seasoned newspaperman such as Al Benn snookered by Perkins uncle, Frank Smith. Benn quotes Smith saying that "I love him". Of course he loves him. Not only is he kin to Perkins, but Perkins put Smith on the Airport Authority Board at $500 a month. We do not know if Benn sought Smith out for the quote or if Smith sought Benn out, but the fact is that journalistic integrity required Benn to identify Smith as a relative of Perkins.
The interesting thing about Benn quoting Smith is that rookie WAKA newsman, George McDonald, fell into the same Smith trap after Perkins' State of the City Address. Who does McDonald interview about the Address? Frank Smith! And without identifying Smith as Perkins' kinsman. As a rookie, George was just taken advantage of, but a seasoned veteran like Al Benn should have known better.
And then Al has a quote from Ramada Inn General Manager Vinay Sharma about his support for Perkins. Isn't Sharma one of the people responsible for trying to gouge visitors to our fair city during the Jubilee? We are told that when Jubilee visitors checked out of the Ramada Inn, they were givens bills two or three times greater than they were lead to believe the rooms would cost. This appears to us to be price gouging and certainly does not help our city. Are these the kind of people Perkins wants associated with his campaign?
And all of this on Good Friday, which apparently made no difference to Vinay Sharma, Frank Smith, and James Perkins, all of who gathered with about 60 Perkins supporters on the steps of City Hall to make a political announcement on one of Christendom's most holy days. Is it any wonder that the Lord's judgement in the form of crime, violence, division, disunity, and other ills is upon our once lovely city? In closing, we wish everyone a HAPPY DAY OF OUR LORD'S RESURRECTION!
