Friday, January 20, 2012
News First Slice 1/20/12: Never mix Buckhead and lobbyists
Posted by Thomas Wheatley @thomaswheatley on Fri, Jan 20, 2012 at 8:14 AM
- Joeff Davis/CL File
- Republican state lawmaker Kip Smith
1. Lobbyist disclosures say Kip Smith, the Republican state lawmaker arrested for DUI in Buckhead earlier this week, was dining with handshake artists — including one from the beer industry — and other elected officials before he was pulled over by Atlanta Police.
2. The confessed killer of Canton seven-year-old Jorelys Rivera was found dead yesterday from an apparent suicide in his prison cell.
3. Former Clayton County Sheriff Victor Hill, who on Wednesday was indicted by a county grand jury on 37 counts, is still sitting in jail on $50,000 bond. He maintains the legal actions are a dirty political trick instigated by current Sheriff Kem Kimbrough.
4. State transportation officials today are expected to release their investigation into last year's 17th Street railing collapse. Possible cause: That damn epoxy!
5. And in case you missed it: the city finally unveiled a new website. Let the criticism begin!
Comments (6)
Showing 1-6 of 6
Re: item #1 -- Funny that they don't mention the after dinner drinks at the Dollhouse.
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Kip Smith looks like he needs to be hanging out more with the pharmaceutical lobby, particularly the company that makes Propecia.
At the risk of dating myself and sounding like a heathen, when I grew up the DUI level was .10 , its largely the over reactionary movements of the mad group that got the limits lowered to .08 . I suppose it could vary by the person but .091 I don't think means he was incapacitated. Guess the question is did he go through a solid red light or run a yellow?
If this was his first I don't think it would merit supporting switching votes. Now the incredible amounts of gifts/dinners etc. since 2009? That is troubling, though I suspect he is in line with the rest of the GA legislators. For a part time job that seems like a lot of coin - and that's the reported stuff.
On the Epoxy... Its taken this long to figure out that like the Boston Tunnel, the reason the railing/fence fell was because the Glue didn't hold?
Meanwhile this so called "Pedestrian Friendly" (cough cough) bridge has had the sidewalk on that side of the street closed entirely since the fence fell.
The utter lack of respect or consideration for pedestrians in the region is evidenced by practices like this. Similarly on 12th and West Peachtree they have the entire sidewalk closed on the south side for a private development of the abutting parcel. I assume they are going to have it shut down for many months. This one way street has 5 lanes for cars, that are not all needed so if they want to give the developer the space why not close one lane and and give pedestrians on their way to wait at the W. Peacthree Post Office http://clatl.com/freshloaf/archives/2012/0… a safe passage.
it's worth mentioning that kip smith is one of the guys who introduced a bill which would make drug testing mandatory before you can get state welfare
they tried testing recipients in florida, it ended up costing florida more money than they saved (because the majority of people on welfare don't do drugs)
if anything we should mandatory drug test legislators. and pay them minimum wage
"At the risk of dating myself and sounding like a heathen, when I grew up the DUI level was .10 , its largely the over reactionary movements of the mad group that got the limits lowered to .08 . I suppose it could vary by the person but .091 I don't think means he was incapacitated."
the law's the law. it applies to everyone equally, but especially so to a hypocrite who is trying to make it harder to be poor
drug testing welfare recipients isn't just a dick move, it's a bad idea and probably illegal
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