   |
|
State & Local News Vol. 22, No. 3, Spring 1999
Chair’s MessageBy Larry C. EthridgeThe responses to my second "Chair’s Message" were somewhat less enthusiastic than those received after the first, primarily due to the fact that I forgot to send a copy to my Dad. However, the intrepid chair of our Finance Committee, Roy J. Koegen, did find the time to write as follows: "Amid the otherwise normally drab and mundane world of municipal bond law, I found your article enormously humorous and uplifting." In addition to these kind words, Roy also offered to buy me a drink in Bermuda (and he followed through on it!). Accordingly, I am sufficiently encouraged to continue with the format used in my previous columns, and I hereby announce the following topics to be discussed herein, along with a humor injection in honor of the above-mentioned Mr. Koegen:
Bermuda Over 125 hardy souls made their way to the Sonesta Beach Hotel in Bermuda for the Spring Meeting in late March, making an all out assault on Goal IX (To Have Fun) the likes of which we’ve seldom seen. The CLE Sessions were outstanding, and the camaraderie throughout was especially invigorating. From the Opening Reception through the Farewell Beach Party, complete with Gombey Dancers (where did Baird and Cardwell get those costumes?), we got to know a lot of new folks a whole lot better and we look forward to the increased participation of these individuals in the work of the Section. You might want to start making your plans now for next year’s Spring Meeting, when Sholem Friedman will take us to sunny Scottsdale, Arizona (again at a bargain basement price). Special congratulations go to Otto Hetzel and his valiant croquet team, winners of the First Annual "Beat Bubba" Tournament. Thanks to all of those who made this meeting such a success, particularly our hard-working staff, Director Jackie Baker and our new Administrative Assistant, Kim Gordon. As Secretary Dan Curtin wrote to them after the meeting, "I believe it was one of the best association meetings that I have ever attended in my forty-plus years of practice!" Atlanta Annual Meeting , August 5-9 Friday, August 6, will be a very special day for the Section in Atlanta. At press time, we have received a commitment from Atlanta Mayor Bill Campbell to speak at the Jefferson Fordham Society Luncheon at the Commerce Club; and Georgia Governor Roy Barnes will join us as our special guest speaker for the Friday evening reception and dinner at the Carter Presidential Center, to be held in conjunction with the Public Sector and Government Lawyers Division under the leadership of our Council Member, John Copelan. Special thanks go to Marva Brooks, John Mobley, and Dean Janice Griffith for their combined efforts in securing these distinguished speakers. In addition to the annual Frielich Report on recent Supreme Court cases, and Joe Fleming’s usual excellent panel presentation of local interest, we will have a Presidential Showcase Program on Census 2000 thanks to the good work of Ben Griffith and his Government Operations Committee (the title should get you there on Monday Morning if nothing else-"Race, Sex, and Money by the Numbers-Census 2000’s Impact on State and Local Government"). The Land Use Committee will be putting on a program on the anticipated Supreme Court ruling in the Del Monte Dunes case, in co-sponsorship with the Real Property Section, and Carl Coan has organized a very interesting NIMBY Program. Chair Roy Koegen, Pat Arey, Howard Zucker, and others from the Public Finance Committee are putting together a program on the status of the now famous "Pay to Play" issue, an area where our Section has taken an ABA leadership role. With the aforementioned speakers and functions at the Atlanta meeting, it promises to be a memorable gathering and we hope you will all be able to join us in the Peach City. Visit to UMKC On a rainy day in early March, Chair-Elect Sholem Friedman, ABA Publishing Editor Rick Bright, and I visited with Editor Bob Freilich and The Urban Lawyer staff at the UMKC Law School. There is a great deal of exciting activity taking place there these days, and we had a series of good meetings with Dean Burnele Powell, Faculty Advisor Julie Cheslik, and, of course, the energetic staff members led by Editor-in-Chief ReneJ Parsons and Managing Editor Brandee Bower. We also learned that Professor Bill Eckhardt has taken charge of the "Urban Issues Data Bank" at the Law School, which will serve as the vehicle for the Brief Bank that we have discussed in so many different versions at any number of past Council Meetings. If you are interested in contributing to this Brief Bank, please contact Professor Eckhardt at the following locations: Professor William G. Eckhardt Sholem also did some excellent planning for next fall’s Council Meeting in Kansas City commemorating the thirtieth anniversary of The Urban Lawyer, where we will be hosted by Bob Frielich, Dean Powell, and the good folks of The Urban Lawyer staff and its Alumni Association (now 1,500 strong!). More information on the Fall Council Meeting will be forthcoming in Atlanta. Now for the humor injection (which is dedicated to Roy Koegen as it emanates from his home state), taken from last year’s Darwin Awards: RENTON, Washington-On February 3, 1990, a Renton, Washington man tried to commit a robbery. This was probably his first attempt, as suggested by the fact that he had no previous record of violent crime, and by his terminally stupid choices as listed below.
Upon seeing the officer, the would-be robber announced a holdup and fired a few wild shots. The officer and clerk promptly returned fire, removing him from the gene pool. Several other customers also drew their guns, but didn’t fire. No one else was hurt. See you in Atlanta!
Larry C. Ethridge is Chair of the Section and practices law with Ackerson, Mosley & Yann in Louisville, Kentucky.
|