Friday, August 15, 2008
By the Way / Hannan / Hicks From the Sticks Franklin Mayor Confused on Definition of “Post-Partum”
Posted by Caleb Hannan on Fri, Aug 15, 2008 at 5:48 AM
See? They can multi-task
Memo to Franklin Mayor John Schroer: Just because a gal’s given birth doesn’t mean she can’t pick up her phone.
The backstory: A paint manufacturer in Franklin has copped to polluting a nearby river and is asking for the state’s help in cleaning up. But at a public meeting last week, a parent from a nearby school said that her daughters often complained of an odd smell coming from the water. Schroer responded that the woman was exposing the city to "liability issues" by recklessly worrying about her kids. So he grabbed a page from the autocrat's handbook, canceling a rebroadcast of the meeting on public access TV.
After all, what you don't see can't hurt you. Ask any three-year-old.
But considering that the manufacturers have already admitted to the leak, Schroer's claim seems dubious. Could it be that he's just covering for the company? And could the problem involve more than one leak?
Equally vexing is why Schroer didn't consult with interim city attorney Shauna Billingsley. According to Franklin's law department, Billingsley just gave birth and is on maternity leave. But moms, being the Toughest Species the World Has Ever Known (TM), are perfectly capable of picking up the phone. So one might think the mayor would have consulted his counsel on the wholesale illegality of his censorship. After all, the woman was hired to educate him on open record laws.
Someone needs to explain to Schroer that giving birth care doesn’t involve full-body casts.
