Siftings
Jan
27
Cold Hard Cash
The sidewalk is a sheet of ice. We decided to walk from the hotel to our 9:00 a.m. meeting at Moodys and I’m wondering if hailing a cab would have been a better idea. I’m in standard protective mode, walking just behind Assistant Finance Director Linda Folland and Mayor Gluba, ready to grab them...
Jan
27
James Madison Meets Thomas Edison
It’s a stalemate. Friday on my lunch break. She won’t take my money. I won’t leave without paying. I have to be in Chicago Monday morning to meet with Moodys and Standard and Poors, so I’ll miss the counter demonstration at West High. The idea to use a traffic message board in lieu of the...
Jan
24
Play Too
The number behind the jeep is 14. There’s a somewhat amusing story to tell how my assigned parking space behind City Hall was numbered out of sequence to be #14, but the how will wait for another day. The why is simple. Ernie Banks’ number was 14.
Mr. Cub has passed away. To think I wasn’t...
Jan
21
Newton’s First Law
Snow atop steel equals something more slippery than ice. Eye-foot reaction time is longer than hand-eye by about two tenths of a second. That’s one reason batters get drilled with fastballs they can otherwise hit. I’m in Louisville, but there’s no slugger in my hand. We’re touring riverfront...
Jan
17
James Madison On The Sidewalk
Faded but still legible, original copies of the Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights are enshrined at the National Archives. Created in the heat of a revolution that still inspires freedom around the world, the precious papers lie immersed in argon gas at a constant...
Jan
16
Craig’s Friday Countdown - Your Countdown
A draft of the semi-annual community survey is in and rather than my ranking of something, here's Davenport citizens (the 403 responses to the 1,500 randomly mailed surveys with a +/- 4.9% confidence interval) ranking community issues that should be the City's top priorities.
1.7% - None (these...
Jan
14
Hammer Down
A very smart man, Dad was able to go to college for six hours. His first visit lasted just over an hour. An educrat at Western Illinois University demanded I produce the parent I said lived with me at 603 West Adams Street. He wanted dad in his office tomorrow morning, or I’d have to move into a...
Jan
13
Snow Blind
“Good luck summarizing that” I said to QCTimes reporter Brian Wellner as Saturday’s strategic planning worksession concluded. Mayor Gluba and the City Council had devoted another three hours to an open discussion of our challenges and opportunities and the Times and WQAD were there to report on...
Jan
13
Durable Goods
The conference table is quartersawn white oak. Governor Branstad greets Mayor Gluba first, and shakes hands with Aldermen Gordon and Edmond next. I go last, cause I’m the hired help. The non-partisan hired help so, with the Governor’s Legislative Liaison Jake Ketzner with us, the room has four...
Jan
10
Tick Tock
Easy is inversely correlated to distance. Resisting ice-cream. Making a putt. Spelling on a whiteboard. Terminating someone’s employment. Peace in the Middle East. On second thought, easy is inversely correlated to the cube of distance.
SAU professor Dan Ebener is facilitating a strategic...
