Comments (0) | |

Saturday, Dec. 20, 2008

POLITICAL NOTEBOOK: Bishop gives two weeks notice

Bibb County Commission Chairman Charlie Bishop asked human resources director Marilu Cowan to stay a little longer after her committee meeting Tuesday.

He had something to tell her.

That morning, Bishop said, he went to grab some coffee and ran into “the plumber.” (No, not Joe the Plumber of presidential election fame.)

The plumber asked Bishop how much he was paid as chairman.

Bishop told him.

Upon hearing that his salary was about $24,000, the plumber said, “If I were you, I’d quit!”

Bishop, who already lost his bid for re-election to Sam Hart, then turned to Cowan.

“So on his advice today, Marilu, I give you two weeks notice,” he said. “I’m going to quit.”

Dunk Joe Allen

Anyone who has pent up frustration with Bibb Commissioner Joe Allen may want to head out to Wal-Mart in Eastman today.

There, Allen will take a turn sitting in a dunking booth from 1 to 3 p.m. to help raise money for the Eastman Fire Department’s annual Christmas toy drive, which is in conjunction with Allen’s charity, Kids Yule Love.

A toy or $5 donation will get you three shots at sinking the District 4 commissioner, said Mark Sheffield, a fire fighter who is coordinating the toy drive. Radio station 104.9 WMCG’s deejays Rick Knight and Charly Day also are expected to take turns in the dunking booth.

Allen said he’s well aware some people might make the one-hour drive just to take a shot at him.

“If anybody found out in Bibb County and they didn’t like me, they might spend $100 to $200 to dunk me,” he said. “I can think of a couple people right now.”

Any commissioners on that list? “Yeah, maybe,” he said.

Erick Erickson is huge

Just when you think Macon City Councilman, blogger and seemingly ubiquitous political pundit Erick Erickson can’t achieve a higher level of media saturation and still live in good old Macon, he does.

Erickson, who heads popular political Web sites www.redstate.com and www.peachpundit.com, will soon be a regular on Fox News Channel’s “Hannity & Colmes” show, now that Alan Colmes is leaving and Sean Hannity will be something of a solo act. Erickson said he got the call Friday, and that Fox plans to fly him to New York City twice a month for tapings. He’ll be a conservative third of a rotating panel that will also include a liberal and a “wildcard,” he said.

Erickson already has been on the show several times, but it wasn’t a regular gig. The call from Fox was a nice addition to a banner month for the Ericksons. He and his wife, Christy, welcomed their second child, a boy named Gunnar, earlier this month.

“Die Hard II” actor, former Tennessee senator and recent Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson sent a nice gift. And on Friday, the same day Fox called, Erickson said he was “flabbergasted to get a note from the president for my son’s scrapbook.” Said Erickson, who enjoys arguing with various city council members and political activists in his spare time: “I lead a weird life.”

Bibb commissioners conspire against chairman, and he’s OK with it

Bibb County commissioners surprised outgoing Chairman Charlie Bishop on Tuesday with a special resolution and plaque to honor his eight years on the commission.

“Without your knowledge or permission, I signed this thing,” Commissioner Bert Bivins, the board’s vice chairman, said as he presented the resolution to Bishop. Bishop, who was presiding over his last meeting, didn’t seem to mind.

“I want to make sure we get a vote to ratify this thing,” he said, as commissioners quickly called for a vote. “Commissioner Bivins might change his mind.”

Ho! Ho! Ho!

Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture Tommy Irvin sent out a news release this week announcing that his department has granted a special 24-hour permit waiving the routine identification and other health requirements for nine flying reindeer slated to visit Georgia on the evening of Dec. 24 and in the early morning hours of Dec. 25.

The permit application was filed this week by North Pole toy maker Kris Kringle, according to the release.

Normally, the state requires identification, laboratory testing and certificates of veterinary inspection to protect animals in the state from the introduction of exotic disease.

“After consulting with our state veterinarian, Dr. Carter Black, I concluded these reindeer did not pose any threat to Georgia agriculture or violate any of our biosecurity measures to keep out animal diseases,” Irvin said in the release, noting that the reindeer will not intermingle with Georgia livestock.

“Usually, few creatures are stirring that night,” Black added. “Not even a mouse.”

Telegraph staff writers Travis Fain, Jennifer Burk and S. Heather Duncan contributed to this report.