Is this the Green camel's nose under the city tent?

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Above, you will find, in descending order, an ad, authored by the St. Marys Citizens' Advisory Board, and run by the T&G for free as a public service announcement on page 9A of their Friday, September 11, 2009 issue; the list of members of the St. Marys Citizens' Advisory Board, taken from the city website; and, finally, the list of the St. Marys EarthKeepers Board of Directors. City council creates two essentially different kinds of bodies of non-elected citizens: the "authority" and the "board." Authorities, such as the Downtown Development Authority, the Hospital Authority, etc, enjoy a large degree of autonomy once created. They can receive and expend funds independent of approval from the elected body that created them. Of course, they can enter into contracts which do not obligate the city. They can run ads in the paper if they so choose. Boards are different. They remain - or at leas they are supposed to -creatures of the elected, legislative body of the particular government which created them. They do not enjoy the autonomous independence of action of authorities.

Have you ever seen a board run an ad before? You would think that the members of an advisory board would know - or at least have a clue - that their legitimate role was to advise the ELECTED mayor and council who would then act (or not) upon their recommendations. When I saw this ad in the paper, I was at first surprised to learn that the exclusive bailiwick of this board is "environmental concerns." While I was vaguely aware that a citizens' advisory board had recently been formed, I was under the impression that their function was to consider and advise the mayor and council on any and all issues facing St. Mary - not just the narrow environmental interests of a few. My next thought was, Oh, yeah, I know who wrote this!" Sure enough, Alex Kearns is on the St. Marys Citizens Advisory Board. She is, of course, the founder and "chair" of the St. Marys EarthKeepers. I would not be at all surpised if it turns out that it was she who concocted this board and sold it or shoved it down the politically cowering throats of one or more members of council during this election cycle. Remember, it was just stood up in August. If you are not familiar with Alex and her local chapter of EarthKeeprs, International, a worldwide network of radical, leftist, anti-capitalist, Green eco-weenies, see

http://camdencommentary.blogspot.com/2009/09/trust-me-these-people-bear-watching.html As a result of my sending an e-mail Friday to the city clerk,with copies to the mayor and council, asking if they had approved or paid for this ad, there has been a subsequent snow-storm of e-mails. First, I heard from City Manager Bill Shanahan, who informed me that he know nothing about it until it appeared in the paper. The city did not pay for it. I learned from another 100% reliable source, who must remain unnamed, that the T&G has agreed to run a series of 6 of these ads. Cookie Johnson, a board member, informs me that a total of 12 ads were written and submitted, of which the T&G agreed to run 6 as free PSA's. While Cookie did not confirm that Alex Kearns wrote the ads, she did not deny it either. She did say Alex was involved in the process. Trust me - she wrote them. I recognize her writing style. It will be very interesting to see the content and the subliminal political messages in the remaining five to be published between now and city elections. Now, what is the message in the current ad? Well, first, you should know that Alex Kearns has written extensively in favor of defeating the proposed new airport on environmental grounds. She has apparently been in contact with numerous intra and interstate fellow traveling Green eco-weenie organizations in pursuit of advice on how to defeat it on those grounds. She apparently first published all of her diatribes on TOPIX under the nom de guerre, "Greenery." When I recognized her inimitable writing style, I outed her, She has since apparently published under the name "Rochester." http://www.topix.com/forum/city/kingsland-ga/TPBLQJNHO6RDNQ9N5 Given that fact, re-read the ad and ask yourself which side of the airport issue the ad most favors? Do you think that this series of unauthorized ads beginning just the week after qualifying and being scheduled to run throughout the time remaining until the November elections is just coincidence? I would hope that our "city fathers" would now muster up the political courage to rein in Ms. Kearns and her political creature, the St. Marys Citizens' Advisory Board, the de facto political arm of the St, Marys EarthKeepers, but obviously, they will not. Not only because Kearns has cleverly timed this just after qualifying week, when incumbents are walking on egg shells, but based upon their history of capitulation to this woman and her group. With regard to the Kearns Memorial Park, next to the cemetery, council already has kicked the DMA to the curb, fearing the EarthKeepers more. Then we have the EarthKeeeprs' "community garden." In the more "progressive" cities, where EarthKeepers International affiliates have set these up, they are primarily provided for homeless people. Perhaps, in future, council can be talked into a co-located homeless tent city on city property. And of course, we now pay more for our garbage collection thanks to EarthKeeper -demanded recycling. As I wrote yesterday, these people bear watching. They are gaining more political clout. There is no doubt that if they have the political power by the time the county lands another manufacturer, they will kill it on environmental grounds. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camel's_nose