Odds and ends, 7/13/07

A reporter wanted to mention in a story today that something bad may have happened because today is Friday the 13th. I told him that someone actually went through all 14 possible calendars that we could have in any given year and figured out that the 13th is more likely to fall on Friday than any other day. His enthusiasm waned.

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Okay, tell me what I'm missing here:

Authorities plan to deport illegal immigrants

LOGAN, W.Va. (AP) — Authorities plan to deport seven suspected illegal immigrants caught working on a hospital construction project, according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

The workers were taken into custody Tuesday at Logan Regional Medical Center, state and federal authorities said. Now they are awaiting deportation, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services spokeswoman Ernestine Fobbs said.

The men were working for a contractor hired to perform minor renovation work, according to the hospital.

The contractor, Nashville, Tenn.-based Batten & Shaw Inc., said a drywall firm hired for the job was responsible for verifying the men were working legally.

In turn, the subcontractor, Nashville-based Rocklyn-Thomas, said it thought the men were working legally.

“This all got started because people up there didn’t want Mexicans in the area,” Rocklyn-Thomas owner Rocky Sizemore said. “If not for immigrant workers, there would be no construction in this country.” ...

Deport seven "suspected" illegal immigrants? I want illegal immigrants out of the US for the most part, but I didn't know they deported people they suspect of being here illegally. They can give them welfare, a free public education, health benefits and financial aid for college, but they can be deported on suspicion of being here illegally?

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There is a minister of a church in or near Huntington, I am told, who has been approached about running for local political office next year. Whether it’s mayor, city council or school board, there are people who think this person -- who they respect for his service to his congregation -- would do well as a public servant in elected office.

I'm not sure he should run. I've never met the guy, but I'm not sure a political race would be right for him. Not because of separation of church and state, and not because of the divisiveness, prejudice and bigotry that could surface in such a campaign.

My reason: This minister might not have the skill set to be a successful politician.

Running a church is different than running a city.

Even running different kinds of churches require different skills. I assume a minister in a hierarchical organization needs a different skill set than the leader of what might be termed more of an independent or even freelance church organization.

Such a person might work well on a collective body such as a school board. But I don’t know about a stand-alone administrative job such as mayor or county commissioner. (There are three commissioners, but they often function as three mayor-type people building coalitions to get their work done).

All this got me thinking about the skills we need in our elected officials. I myself might have some great ideas for Huntington, but do I know how to manage a $40 million budget, and should people trust me to assemble the best team of advisers that can be found? I'm not sure they should, and I don't think the mayor's office or a similar position is the place for on-the-job training.

This is something to think about as next year’s primary election draws closer. In many cases, people feel they must vote against a candidate rather than for the other one.

So what will I be looking for next year? I really don’t know yet. I have ideas, but nothing certain.

I do know that I don’t want to hear school board candidates talk about how they’re for the teachers. I want school board members who are for the children.

But children don’t vote. Teachers do.

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You have to give it to Gov. Joe Manchin. The guy can smell a check and a news camera 50 miles away.

Tuesday morning, as editors discussed what would be in the newspaper on Wednesday and Thursday, someone said the governor would be in town on Wednesday (July 11) to hand out the checks for proceeds from the "We Are Marshall" premiere. I asked, "What did the governor have to do with it, and why is he handing out the money?" No one had an answer. And the story in Thursday’s paper didn’t answer my question, either.

But the folks at Marshall are politically savvy enough to allow the governor and a state senator to get in the photo and, in effect, take part of the credit for the success of the movie premiere.

Okay, you can talk about how the governor and the senator came up with some taxpayer money to restore the Keith-Albee, where the premiere was held. But that doesn’t mean they collected the money and paid the expenses before distributing the cash, does it?

With an election next year, there will be more checks passed and more news cameras to pose in front of.