If You're In Business And You Are Making New Year's Resolutions, Make This One

"The problem with these food-related accounts" said my interlocutor, "is the people I open the account with tend to leave and be replaced by people who don't know me and give the account to one of my competitors. I have to keep going back in and reselling the same account over and over."

"How often do you get a call from one of your old contacts asking you to come and service his new employer?" I asked. 

"Almost never."

"Instead of losing accounts every time your old contacts change jobs" I said, "you should actually be so close to them that when they go to a new employer you sign up the new employer while also retaining their old employer. The fact that this isn’t happening in your business tells me you aren't staying close enough to your contacts to know when they change jobs or keep their loyalty when they go to work for a new company."

"Tell me something,” I said, "how much does it cost you to acquire a new account? Food. Lodging. Gas. Technology. Estimated cost of your time or an account executive's time. What's the total cost to your business of acquiring a new account?"

My interlocutor didn't know. Therefore, he had no idea how much time and money he should be prepared to spend to better retain his accounts, and, he had no idea how much he could lower his cost of acquiring a new account if he was close enough to his contacts to stay in touch with them as they transition to new companies where they can become his "insiders" who help him land the new account.

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If you're in business and you are making New Year's Resolutions, make this one: "I resolve that in 2015 I will learn my cost of acquiring a new account and that I will spend the necessary time and money to retain the accounts I have."

I wish all my readers a prosperous 2015.





Higginbotham At Large does not read or publish pseudonymous or anonymous comments. When you click the "submit" button your comment is not yet published it is merely sent to me for my approval or deletion. Commenters who hide behind "handles", nicknames or other pseudonyms will not see their comments published here. If readers won't know who you are, I will delete your comment. No Ring of Gyges for you. I like email addresses that include the submitter's actual name like mine does: JosephHigginbotham@gmail.com.

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Open Letter To New Kanawha County Prosecutor, Chuck MIller

In December 2013 I invited former Prosecutor Mark Plants to speak to my neighborhood watch about  what prosecutors and judges can do to rid our neighborhoods of drug dealers. In a crowd of about 30 people, Prosecutor Plants was asked about my ward's two most notorious drug dealers. Mr. Plants didn't recognize their names but he promised to get back to us with the disposition of their cases. He didn't. 

When some time had elapsed and I didn't see an indictment in the first Timothy Basham case I made a phone call to the courthouse and was informed that Judge Webster had dismissed the case because Prosecutor Plants' office didn't have their case ready. It was a slam dunk case. The SAPD did everything right. They arrested two Detroit drug dealers and seized thousands of dollars in drugs and drug money. Plants simply botched it. 

And since Prosecutor Plants had no mechanism in place to keep police departments informed of the status of their drug bust cases, Chief Michael Matthews didn't know the Basham case had been botched and all his man-hours and great police work squandered until he got a phone call from me. 

In a later phone call with Prosecutor Plants, I asked Plants if he had regular staff meetings at which his staff were required to update him on the status of pending cases. He admitted that he didn't. I told Prosecutor Plants that he was failing Management 101 and that the taxpayers and the police deserve to have a prosecutor who holds his staff accountable so that the solid police work of our local police is not squandered and so that our neighborhoods get some relief from the break-ins, the home invasions, the burglaries and even the murders that almost always turn out to be drug-related.

At our next neighborhood watch meeting I told my group that it is no longer enough for neighborhood watch groups to watch bad guys. I told them that we now have to watch the good guys, too.

So now Kanawha County has some new good guys to watch. Chuck Miller is the new prosecutor. Maryclaire Akers, who was fired by Prosecutor Plants, is now back at the Prosecutor's office. 

The police I've spoken to are happy about these changes. Prosecutor Miller, don't let them down. Don't let the taxpayers down. When the police hand you a slam dunk case, do everything you can to put the drug dealer out of business. And by "out of business" I certainly don't mean ankle monitors and home confinement because these things don't stop the drug dealing. 

Ask the judges to sentence drug dealers to community service where they will be unable to continue business as usual. Ask judges to use creative sentencing. If the prisons are full ask judges to sentence the dealers to 16 hours per day chained to a chair at their local police department if that's what it takes to stop the drug dealing. 

Use the power of shame and humiliation. Hire a PR person to bring as much media attention to convictions as is brought to perp walks and arrests. Saturate media with the names and faces of convicted drug dealers. 

I've already written letters to every 13th circuit judge asking them to use creative sentencing. 

I've also written letters to the media asking them to start following up on the arrests that make such good TV. Oh, how TV reporters love shining blue lights and swarms of police cruisers. And exploding South Hills mailboxes. Reporters may have to be taught to report on convictions but if you hire a PR person who Tweets and emails the media making it easy for them to report your court victories you can condition them to report the convictions as well as the arrests. 

Higginbotham At Large does not read or publish pseudonymous or anonymous comments. When you click the "submit" button your comment is not yet published it is merely sent to me for my approval or deletion. Commenters who hide behind "handles", nicknames or other pseudonyms will not see their comments published here. If readers won't know who you are, I will delete your comment. No Ring of Gyges for you. I like email addresses that include the submitter's actual name like mine does: JosephHigginbotham@gmail.com.

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So Why Didn't Judge Johnston Sentence Animal Abuser, Thomas Pepin, To A Little Starvation and Asphyxiation?

I've long believed in "in kind" punishment for criminals so when I read Kate White's Gazette news story about District Court Judge Thomas Johnston sentencing Thomas Pepin to a month in prison after Pepin starved and suffocated turtles he had illegally captured and shipped to customers I wondered why Johnston, who clearly understood that the real crime here was the torture, not to the illegal shipping, didn't make Pepin suffer, too.

"Quite frankly, the worst part for me is the cruelty exhibited to the turtles" said Johnston. 

So why didn't Johnston hand down a sentence that would remind Pepin of what he did to those turtles?

The prisons are full of people whose incarcerations have nothing to do with the crimes that put them behind bars. Judges have the power to change that. So why don't they? 

Judge Johnston, next time you have an animal abuser before you, do to the abuser what the abuser did to the animal. Pepin could have been starved, deprived of water and suffocated a little.

And why don't judges use the power of shame and humiliation to punish monsters like Pepin? As a taxpayer I'd be willing to pay for it if judges would publish photos of animal abusers like Pepin in their hometown newspapers along with a headline stating what they did. 

Higginbotham At Large does not read or publish pseudonymous or anonymous comments. When you click the "submit" button your comment is not yet published it is merely sent to me for my approval or deletion. Commenters who hide behind "handles", nicknames or other pseudonyms will not see their comments published here. If readers won't know who you are, I will delete your comment. No Ring of Gyges for you. I like email addresses that include the submitter's actual name like mine does: JosephHigginbotham@gmail.com.

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Sweeping New Changes to Compensable Working Time and Rounding Coming in 2015

Why aren't Charleston area reporters reporting these seeping changes to West Virginia wage and hour law beginning Jan 1 2015?

It has gone almost unnoticed by Charleston area reporters but the Huntington Herald-Dispatch and two law firms have reported it. See the links below.

Here's the ream of paper filed at the Secretary of State's office about it:
http://apps.sos.wv.gov/adlaw/csr/readfile.aspx?DocId=26358&Format=PDF

Rodney Bean, employment lawyer blogged about it:
http://www.sjlaboremploymentblog.com

The Law firm of Martin and Seibert wrote about it:
http://www.martinandseibert.com/emergency-rules.php

Ben Fields of the Huntington Herald-Dispatch wrote about it:
http://www.herald-dispatch.com/news/x1753195186/Concerns-raised-over-new-labor-rules

Higginbotham At Large does not read or publish pseudonymous or anonymous comments. When you click the "submit" button your comment is not yet published it is merely sent to me for my approval or deletion. Commenters who hide behind "handles", nicknames or other pseudonyms will not see their comments published here. If readers won't know who you are, I will delete your comment. No Ring of Gyges for you. I like email addresses that include the submitter's actual name like mine does: JosephHigginbotham@gmail.com.

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Why Ending The Cruel Dog Racing Industry In West Virginia Will Never Be Easier Than It Is Now

It's a road map for ending cruel dog racing in WV so I recommend today's Phil Kabler column to all my readers. 

For those of you who think of yourselves as animal protectors but haven't followed this issue, let me give you just a little background.

- Dog racing is cruel. Dogs suffer horrible injuries and don't get out of their cages except to race. If the dogs don't win, they are killed. 

- Dog racing loses money. Dog racing in West Virginia survives for two reasons - both of which the 2015 legislature can remedy: (1) $86 million in subsidies and (2) a state law that requires casinos to offer live animal racing, too. The casinos would gladly close their dog racing tracks if the WV legislature would allow them to provide casino gambling without the live animal racing. 

To the members of the 2015 legislature who told me on the phone that I can count on you to vote for animal protection legislation: it'll never be easier for you to prove it than it is now. It's right for the dogs and for WV taxpayers to let dog racing die. All you have to do is end the $86 million subsidy to dog racing and then repeal the law that requires casinos to also provide live animal racing. 

Here's the link to Phil Kabler's column: http://www.wvgazette.com/article/20141207/ARTICLE/141209449

Higginbotham At Large does not read or publish pseudonymous or anonymous comments. When you click the "submit" button your comment is not yet published it is merely sent to me for my approval or deletion. Commenters who hide behind "handles", nicknames or other pseudonyms will not see their comments published here. If readers won't know who you are, I will delete your comment. No Ring of Gyges for you. I like email addresses that include the submitter's actual name like mine does: JosephHigginbotham@gmail.com.

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Why I Quit And Why You Will Thank Me Later

My most reliable critic, Naydeen Wolf, called me a "quitter" when I resigned from my various neighborhood watch roles, but that's OK partly because I expected nothing  less than that from somebody who seldom misses a chance to criticize me and partly because it's my fault for not telling my neighborhood watch associates what I plan to do in place of neighborhood watch. You see, I haven't quit at all. No. I'm just getting started and I plan to give Naydeen plenty of reasons to keep criticizing me.

So, to those of you who have been asking why I left neighborhood watch, here it is:

My departure has nothing to do with neighborhood watch. 

I left neighborhood watch because I plan to do some things that could harm or polarize the neighborhood watch program due to my strong identification with it. 

One thing I plan to do is to work behind the scenes to bring back the old, now-defunct Peoples Party so that St. Albans will have a 2-party system again and so that in 2017 all city council members will face a challenge instead of running unopposed as 6 of them did in 2013.

St. Albans won't get better city government until we get better candidates.

No, I will not be a candidate for elected office. I am willing to serve as one of the ward 4 Peoples Party representatives if the resurrected party asks me to do so but I'll be in my 60s in 2017 and I have consistently said that what this city needs is more young adults in office because the young adults still have skin in the game and reasons to care about the future of the town. 

And what some of you may not have noticed is that the 2017 race has really already begun. People whose names you never heard until a few months ago are everywhere now, attending every public gathering and telling all attendees what they want to hear. One unannounced candidate for mayor has already demonstrated the lack of integrity and character to be a ruthless politician and I'm afraid I'm going to have a lot more to say about that. If I do, I can't be your neighborhood watch coordinator or a member of the neighborhood watch advisory board when I say it. You can thank me later. 

I will continue to write letters and send emails to politicians, judges and prosecutors and ask them when they are going to start behaving as if illegal drugs and drug dealers are the serious problem they all say.  


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Higginbotham At Large does not read or publish pseudonymous or anonymous comments. When you click the "submit" button your comment is not yet published it is merely sent to me for my approval or deletion. Commenters who hide behind "handles", nicknames or other pseudonyms will not see their comments published here. If readers won't know who you are, I will delete your comment. No Ring of Gyges for you. I like email addresses that include the submitter's actual name like mine does: JosephHigginbotham@gmail.com.

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Bylaws of the Peoples Party of St. Albans

In yesterday's post I told you that St. Albans only has one political party now. Want to help re-build the old Peoples Party? Read the bylaws and learn how. (Expect what appear to be typos. These are artifacts of the conversion from .pdf to .text by the OCR software.)

BYLAWS OF THE PEOPLES PARTY CITY OF ST. ALBANS 

ST. ALBANS, WEST VIRGINIA 

I. 

NAME 

The name of the organization shall be "Peoples Party." 

II. 

PURPOSE 

The Peoples Party is established to promote public awareness 

of and participation in discussion of the issues of the day, to 

encourage public participation in the electoral and governmental 

processes of the City of St. Albans, to encourage and develop 

interest in seeking public office, and to develop quality 

candidates to seek public office, all for the enhancement of the 

quality of life in the City of St. Albans, Kanawha County, West 

Virginia. 

III. 

NOTICE OF ELECTION 

The Peoples Party shall certify to the City Clerk the names 

and addresses of members of the Executive Committee of the Peoples 

Party on or before February 15, in each year in which a general 

election is to be held. Names so certified by the Peoples Party 

shall be the official and only Executive Committee of the Peoples. 

Party and shall be accompanied by an affidavit of two credible 

persons certifying, under oath, that more than ten (10) days prior 

to the selection of the Executive Committee notice was posted at .. 

every voting precinct .i.n the city, such notice stating the time, 

date, and place where the meeting would be held for the purpose of electing an Executive Committee and proof that the posting of such notice was published in a newspaper of general circulation in the City of St. Albans three (3) days prior to the holding of such meeting. 

IV. 

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 

The Executive Committee shall be comprised of two (2) representatives from each Ward in the City, elected by a caucus of each respective Ward at the general party meeting or convention called for that purpose. Each member of the Executive Committee shall be a qualified voter in the City of St. Albans, West Virginia, as that term is defined consistent with the laws of the United States of America, State of West Virginia, and Ordinances of the City of St. Albans. The Executive Committee shall also be comprised of the duly elected officers of the Peoples Party elected at the convention called for that purpose and the officers of the party elected by the party convention shall also be the officers of the Executive Committee. No elected official within the City of St. Albans shall serve on the Executive Committee or as an officer of the Peoples Party. No more than three (3) members of the Executive Committee shall reside in any single Ward. It is the intent of this process to have the Executive Committee represent the diversity of citizenship within the City of St. Albans. 

V. 

OFFICERS 

The officers of the Peoples Party shall be elected by the party convention called for that purpose once every four (4) years and shall be a Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, Secretary and Treasurer. The Secretary and Treasurer's office may be filled by the election of one individual. The term of office for the Executive Committee and officers shall be four (4) years. 

VI. 

POWERS 

The Executive Committee shall have jurisdiction and power over all matters relating to the Peoples Party and its welfare in the City of St. Albans, West Virginia. It shall specifically have the power and authority to authorize the opening of bank accounts, solicitation and distribution of funds in the promotion of the Peoples Party, consistent with law and upon approval and direction of the Executive Committee. 

VII. 

QUORUM 

The Executive Committee may conduct proper and appropriate business upon any meeting duly called by the Chairperson or as scheduled by the Executive Committee upon three (3) days notice to all members of the Executive Committee and posting of said notice in at least three (3) conspicuous areas in the City of st. Albans, including but not limited to, the front door of City Hall and the Mayor's office. A quorum shall be considered present when anyone 

-~----- ------ 

officer and at least an additional ten (10) members of the Executive Committee are present. 

VIII. 

SELECTION OF POLL WORKERS 

The Executive Committee members from each respective Ward shall select poll workers for city elections and shall present those names to the Executive Committee of the Peoples Party. The Peoples Party shall thereafter certify those names to the City Clerk's office of the City of St. Albans for appropriate appointment, consistent with law. 

IX. 

MEETINGS OF THE PARTY 

The Peoples Party of St. "Albans, as herein formulated, shall meet a minimum of two (2) times a year. Officers and the Executive Committee shall he elected at the January meeting immediately preceding scheduled spring elections during a regular four (4) year election cycle. 

X. 

VACANCIES 

In the case of a vacancy in the office of Chairperson of the 

Party, the Vice Chairperson shall assume such position until the next duly called election in the January meeting immediately preceding the general election in the City of St. Albans. If the Vice Chairperson fails or refuses to serve, then an appropriate meeting of the Peoples Party shall be called consistent with 

notice requirements hereinabove set forth for the sole purpose of election of a new Chairperson. 

Any other vacancy on the Executive Committee shall be filled at the next regularly scheduled or specially called meeting of the Peoples Party. Any such special meeting shall be called by the Chairperson or any six (6) members of the Executive Committee, complying with notice provisions contained herein relating to elections to the Executive Committee. 

XI. 

VACANCIES IN NOMINATION 

Any vacancy happening or existing in the Peoples Party nomination preceding any general election in any office to be voted upon by the voters in the City of St. Albans, by reason of death, withdrawal of a candidate, failure to nominate at the primary, or otherwise, shall be filled by the calling of a special session of the Executive Committee and such vacancy shall be forthwith filled and certified to the City Clerk in compliance with the Ordinances of the City of St. Albans. 

XII. 

AMENDMENTS 

Amendments to these Bylaws may be had at any time upon appropriate notice, consistent with the provisions set forth herein, specifically called for such purpose. Such notice shall contain or suggest the language and meaning of the proposed amendment. 

XIII. 

ADDITIONAL POWERS AND AUTHORITIES 

The Executive Committee is hereby vested with all additional 

power and authority to do whatever is necessary, convenient and 

proper to carry out the purposes and principles of the Peoples 

Party and to comply with all laws and ordinances of the United 

States of America, State of West Virginia, Kanawha County, and the 

City of St. Albans, concerning the duties and responsibilities of 

campaigns, elections, and promotion of candidates. 

These bylaws adopted at a duly called general meeting of the Peoples Party or convention on the Q7dJtljday of J;qNuM V 

7 

2001. 

Taken, sworn to or affirmed, and subscribed before me this 

d5~1... day of 

afM t ,2001. 

My commission expires: 

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Higginbotham At Large does not read or publish pseudonymous or anonymous comments. When you click the "submit" button your comment is not yet published it is merely sent to me for my approval or deletion. Commenters who hide behind "handles", nicknames or other pseudonyms will not see their comments published here. If readers won't know who you are, I will delete your comment. No Ring of Gyges for you. I like email addresses that include the submitter's actual name like mine does: JosephHigginbotham@gmail.com.

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It's Official: St. Albans Has Only One Political Party Now

"St. Albans Peoples Party In Need of People" screamed the April 8 2009 story by WSAZ's Kallie Cart. 

There is still no Peoples Party in St. Albans. 

The last person I knew of who was the leader of the Peoples Party was Twila Harris. So I got in touch with  her and she told me there was no Peoples Party and that she no longer lives in St. Albans.

So I went to City Hall to find out why. I got my answer when City Clerk, Barb Hughes (some of you know her as Barb Cunningham), gave me a copy of the Peoples Party Bylaws: There's work involved in maintaining the existence of a party with authority to get candidates on the ballot. 

And since the People Party officially doesn't exist at all right now, getting some candidates on the ballot in 2017 is no longer a matter of maintenance, it's a matter of literally building a party from the ground up. 

Here are a few of the requirements for building the non-existent Peoples Party:

1. Certify an executive committee comprised of at least two representatives from each ward. No member of the executive committee can be an office holder. All members of the executive committee must live in the city limits of St. Albans and be eligible, registered voters. 
2. Part officers must be elected.
3. The Party must meet at least twice each year.
4. The party must select poll workers. 

Other requirements include the posting of official notices in every precinct of the city, the posting of notices in a newspaper, and more. 

Man, this is all a lot of work for a city infamous for its apathy.

Since there is no Peoples Party executive committee and since there are no Peoples Party meetings, notices, ward representatives or poll workers there is no Peoples Party and there won't be until and unless some people do some work. 

I'm willing. Who's with me? 

Email me at JosephHigginbotham@gmail.com and I'll send you a copy of the Peoples Party Bylaws. Or, you can get it at city hall from Barb Hughes. Or you can stay on the couch while most of St. Albans' city council members run unopposed again in 2017. 


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Higginbotham At Large does not read or publish pseudonymous or anonymous comments. When you click the "submit" button your comment is not yet published it is merely sent to me for my approval or deletion. Commenters who hide behind "handles", nicknames or other pseudonyms will not see their comments published here. If readers won't know who you are, I will delete your comment. No Ring of Gyges for you. I like email addresses that include the submitter's actual name like mine does: JosephHigginbotham@gmail.com.

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Congratulations, West Virginia, In 2 Weeks You Elect Congress Members And A US Senator Who Promise NOT To Do What We Desperately Need Them To Do

West Virginia is only weeks away from electing a brand new US senator and electing or re-electing US Congress representatives and, I'm sad to say, they are all looking earnestly  into the camera and promising not to do the very thing we desperately need them to do. They are promising that they will not change West Virginia's way of life. That's a shame. West Virginia desperately needs elected leaders who will tell us the truth about why we can't attract business, why we are one of the few states with a declining population and why we lead the nation in bad things like smoking and obesity and why we lag behind in good things like the college graduation rate. 

We're losing population and failing to attract business investment precisely because our way of life needs to change. For that to happen, we need politicians with the courage to refuse to validate the way of life that our children and grandchildren flee and businesses avoid. 


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Higginbotham At Large does not read or publish pseudonymous or anonymous comments. When you click the "submit" button your comment is not yet published it is merely sent to me for my approval or deletion. Commenters who hide behind "handles", nicknames or other pseudonyms will not see their comments published here. If readers won't know who you are, I will delete your comment. No Ring of Gyges for you. I like email addresses that include the submitter's actual name like mine does: JosephHigginbotham@gmail.com.

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Making The Opaqracy Transparent In St. Albans

St. Albans city government is an opaqracy, the opposite of a transparent democracy. Committee meetings (where the real decisions get made) are held at times and places which are both inconvenient and unknown to the vast majority of St. Albans' residents. When you choose the time and place of a meeting you have also chosen that meeting's attendees. 

The opaqracy which keeps St. Albans in the dark gets away with it because the residents of St. Albans are an apathariat, not an electorate. Six of St. Albans' 9 wards were uncontested races in 2013 meaning that the incumbent had only to go vote for himself to win the race. In 2009's ward 2 race a grand total of 4 votes were cast. Since the race was uncontested, political newcomer, Xris Hess, won that race with only 4 votes. All she needed was 1. Yes, the apathariat of St. Albans complains that their council members don't represent them, don't inform them and don't do anything for them but very few citizens vote against the do-nothings and almost nobody runs for office. In every city election, the Apathy Party wins by a landslide. 

St. Albans city government is not only opaque to the apathetic citizenry, it's even opaque to members of the government. City department heads are not notified about committee decisions that affect them. Members of council who weren't at a committee meeting don't get so much as an email telling them what a committee discussed and what was decided. 

At the end of this submission I'll post the names and the phone numbers of St. Albans city council members. I urge the residents of St. Albans to contact their council representatives and tell them to start a blog, a website, a facebook page or other means of informing residents when and where various committee meetings occur, what was discussed and decided in the last meeting and what will be discussed in the next meeting.

Councilwoman Cheryl Thomas has already taken that challenge with a Facebook page called St. Albans Direct but, frankly, she hasn't yet posted much on it. As a member of her ward I have asked her to rectify that and she has assured me she will do so.

St Albans City Council

Next election : 2017
Mayor
Dick Callaway
2325 Washington Avenue
1499 MacCorkle Avenue
Home)  304/722-1273
(Work)  304/727-2971
Council-at-LargeJohn Boles, Jr.
2330 Jefferson Avenue
(Home)  304/722-3612
Council-at-Large
Jerry C. Cogar
441 Kanawha Terrace
(Home)  304/727-6785
Council-at-Large
John Caudill IV
2014 Adams Avenue
Home)  304/727-2038
Ward 1
Robert J. Keiffer (note: Mr Keiffer ran UNOPPOSED in 2013)
822 Fifth Avenue(Mailing Address:  324 Sixth Avenue)
(Home)  304/722-6473
Ward 2
Jason Philabaun414 Weimer Avenue
(Home)  304/767-4874
Ward 3
Ronald K. Colby, III (Note: Mr. Colby ran UNOPPOSED in 2013)
366 Scenic Drive
(Home)  304/727-2667
Ward 4
Cheryl Thomas (note: Ms. Thomas ran UNOPPOSED in 2013)
220 Vine Street
Home)  304/552-3377
Ward 5
Christopher Withrow (Mr. Withrow was appointed after the resignation of Dan Cain who ran UNOPPOSED in 2013)
2028 Lincoln Avenue
(Home)  304/722-1789
Ward 6
Loretta Griffith
919 Baier Street
(Home)  304/727-9153
Ward 7
Desper Lemon (Mr. Lemon ran UNOPPOSED in 2013)
2737 Forrestal Avenue
(Home)  304/727-5344
Ward 8
Kevin Pennington (Mr. Pennington ran UNOPPOSED in 2013)
2843 Madison Avenue
(Home)  304/727-5790
Ward 9
Garry Pennington
926 South Walnut Street

(Home)  304/727-2748

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Higginbotham At Large does not read or publish pseudonymous or anonymous comments. When you click the "submit" button your comment is not yet published it is merely sent to me for my approval or deletion. Commenters who hide behind "handles", nicknames or other pseudonyms will not see their comments published here. If readers won't know who you are, I will delete your comment. No Ring of Gyges for you. I like email addresses that include the submitter's actual name like mine does: JosephHigginbotham@gmail.com.

West Virginia, Saint Albans, St. Albans, Dunbar, Charleston, Kanawha, Speaker bureau, speakers bureau, speaker's bureau, speakers' bureau, guest speaker, 25177, 25143, 25303, 25309, 25301, 25302, 25305, 25311, 25314, 25304, neighborhood watch, animal rights, animal welfare, no-kill, shelters, crime watch, neighborhood crime watch, ward 4,vegan, vegetarian, liberal, liberalism, progressive, branding, naming, home rule, Charles Riffee, Chuck Riffee, dog tethering, Betty Knighton, Paul Gilmer, Mar Parsaye, Catherine Moore, What's Next, WV? , What's Next, St. Albans?, Emily Wall, Cheryl Thomas, Chris Withrow, Destination 2040, Speak out Lexington, Vision 2030, visioning , Kay and Associates, 

Apathariat, Apathocracy, Callagarchy, Opaqracy; New Words For Old Problems In St. Albans, WV

New Words For Old Problems In St. Albans, WV: Apathariat, Apathocracy, Callagarchy, Opaqracy (First posted on 12 April 2011)

Here are some new words for some old problems in St. Albans, WV:

Apathariat - Those ruled by a government whose power is dependent on the apathy of the governed.

Apathocracy - The government that results from an apathetic citizenry. An apathocracy is arrogant, unaccountable, opaque, unresponsive and perpetuates itself by restricting the flow of information in the well-founded belief that the apathariat won't notice or won't care.

Callagarchy - Rule by the few St. Albans residents who agree with or fear Mayor Dick Callaway. This includes council members who think they work for Dick Callaway and not for the people.

Opaqracy - The opposite of a transparent government. In an opaqracy, such basic information as which ward you're in, who your council person is, what's going on in your ward, how to participate in your city's war on crime, where your neighborhood watch meets,  audio and video (or at least minutes) of the last city council meeting, and an org chart of who does what in city government are not made available on the taxpayer supported website.
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In my weekend posts I called upon St. Albans city council members to insist that the Callagarchy upload the ward map to the city website so residents can figure out which ward they're in and who their council members is. I'm happy to report that one city council member emailed me to say he supports my "suggestion". We'll see. If he's willing to go on the record as a supporter of uploading a ward map to the city website, I'll publish his name so that voters who Google him in the next election year will find that he is a transparent government man, not an advocate of opaqracy. 

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Higginbotham At Large does not read or publish pseudonymous or anonymous comments. When you click the "submit" button your comment is not yet published it is merely sent to me for my approval or deletion. Commenters who hide behind "handles", nicknames or other pseudonyms will not see their comments published here. If readers won't know who you are, I will delete your comment. No Ring of Gyges for you. I like email addresses that include the submitter's actual name like mine does: JosephHigginbotham@gmail.com.

West Virginia, Saint Albans, St. Albans, Dunbar, Charleston, Kanawha, Speaker bureau, speakers bureau, speaker's bureau, speakers' bureau, guest speaker, 25177, 25143, 25303, 25309, 25301, 25302, 25305, 25311, 25314, 25304, neighborhood watch, animal rights, animal welfare, no-kill, shelters, crime watch, neighborhood crime watch, ward 4,vegan, vegetarian, liberal, liberalism, progressive, branding, naming, home rule, Charles Riffee, Chuck Riffee, dog tethering, Betty Knighton, Paul Gilmer, Mar Parsaye, Catherine Moore, What's Next, WV? , What's Next, St. Albans?, Emily Wall, Cheryl Thomas, Chris Withrow, Destination 2040, Speak out Lexington, Vision 2030, visioning , Kay and Associates,