From The Beach To The Moon

Vive Le Tour!

The 96th edition of the greatest of all bike races kicks off in Monte Carlo tomorrow. Free up space on your DVR and settle in for the next three weeks.

This year's TDF offers a time trial in Monaco, a relapse of the notorious team time trial, a slew of classic climbs and of course the penultimate stage finish on Mt.Ventoux. That one will be epic.

The smart money is on 2007 champ Alberto Contador who is a teammate of The Boss, Lance Armstrong. I doubt the seven time winner will be able to contend in this field but I wouldn't be surprised to see him steal a stage or time trial win. My guess is that he will be relegated to super domestique for most of the tour.

My top three in no particular order:

1. Alberto Contador - has to be the favorite even though he missed last year

2. Cadel Evans - cuddles has been quiet so far but look for him to be in the hunt.

3. Andy Schleck - I think the younger of the brothers Schelck has GC potential this year.

I would put the over under on positive doping tests at three.

Divining Truth From The Palinisms

Sarah Palin is stepping down as Governor of AlASka and the talking heads on CNN are actually trying to discern some logical rationale for the move.

CNN also played the rambling ten minute speech given from the unofficial state capital of AlASka, the Palin residence. It went in more directions than a country crossroad at times sounding like a victory speech and then a polemic on Obamanomics. She's was also quick to lash out at the media and critics in her classic paranoid fashion even mentioning past ethics investigations of her administration.

I don't know what is more curious a thing to take away from the event. Trying to divine the actual motive behind Palin's quitting is perplexing enough. Then watching cable news guys assuming there is a calculated and strategic element to the announcement is just as curious.

I'm guessing she has either been offered her own show on Faux News or she is going to be indicted on some kind of ethics charges very shortly. Maybe she sees opportunity in a potential GOP contender for president being taken out of contention by his infidelity. Keep you eye on the ball.

Giant Purple People Movers Invade Akron

Akron METRO had unleashed new purple buses on the highways traversing the Akron-Cleveland highway corridor. The local transit authority has revamped the express bus fleet with newer more colorful rides.

Not only was the nearly $3 million cost of new buses covered with ARRA dollars but the purple machines come with bike drawers and will soon be WiFi equipped. Yet another move towards public internet connectivity in Akron. An email sent by METRO announced the rollout of Molly and her purple friends:

New NCX Buses Are Here

Six new buses are being put into service on the NCX express routes. The new buses have a vastly different look to them and will be eye catching, to say the least. Eventually they will be WiFi enabled. The bike racks are in a "drawer" under the bus and the operator will be able to show you how to use it.

If you haven't seen one yet and would like to see a photo of the bus email Molly at communications@akronmetro.org

Thank you for your patience with our current fleet and we hope you enjoy the new buses. Each bus cost $497,000 and was purchased with stimulus funds.

The use of stimulus dollars is good in a couple of ways. The purchase of new buses demonstrates how the dollars are finding their way down to the local level. And with $3 million freed up METRO can think about dialing back the rate they charge for riding the North Coast Express.

That wold be the rate that was increased even after voters approved a sales tax increase. Did you think we forgot?

Shedding The Taint of TARP

An interesting dichotomy is emerging in the banking industry as of late. Large money center banks are bowing out of the Treasury capital assistance program affectionately know as TARP. At the same time smaller regional banks are more than willing to hold on to the capital and are not concerned about blemishing their reputations.

Big banks are doing their best to jettison TARP dollars and repurchase the associated warrants the government took as a condition of assistance. Large banks are making it crystal clear they don't need the money and are giving a mission accomplished reason for the change in disposition.

Ditching TARP is being used to convey a sense of strength and independence to investors and customers alike. Big banks are making every case they can to wiggle out of the grand bargain offered to them in the darkest hours of the financial crisis of 2008. For example, the form letter below is being sent out by U.S Bank to it's commercial customers to extol the virtues of being TARP free.

US Bank TARP Memo - Get more Business Documents

Meanwhile in the realm of smaller more humble banks the landscape is much different. A article appearing in the WSJ and cited all over the internet reveals that smaller regional banks have been more than happy to hold on to their TARP allocations. Apparently the smaller more sensible banks have decided to meet one of the objectives of the program - provide credit for business investment.

The behemoths on the other hand are more concerned about demonstrating they can maintain adequate capital levels without help from Treasury. Extending credit to small businesses is ancillary at best. The other perk of course is the ability to dodge executive pay caps and somehow prevent the inevitable regulatory smack down that is on the horizon.

Another Don Dynasty

There's been oodles of attention paid to the failed recall attempt of Don Plusquellic but another Mayor Don has escaped recent notoriety from critics.

The chatter amongst the Dems and political elite in Cuyahoga Falls that Mayor Don Robart was looking vulnerable to a challenge from a Democrat. Abe Zaidan had written about the waning of the Robart's power back in January. The local opposition it seems, was adamant that this was the year to unseat the Don of CF.

I too had heard from people close to the situation that 2009 would be a watershed year in the city o f CF. There was a feeling Robart had overstayed his welcome on Second Street and there was supposedly some blood in the water (meters) after several Robart initiatives had met stiff resistance from the Democratically controlled council. The days of unchallenged directives have disappeared now that they controlled city council.

With the stars aligned and plenty of ammunition to go after Robart with in the general election there would be a strong chance of a challenger filing to take on Robart this fall. What's that you say? No Democrats filed at the Summit BOE to run against Robart? The most under reported story of the week is that there will be no Democratic challenge to the long-time Falls Mayor. So much for striking while the iron is hot.

There is a remote chance someone could file as an independent after the primary. Typically you don't see that sort of thing in local elections but, you never know. Maybe the banished Kevin Coughlin will abandon his quixotic campaign for governor and re-brand as an independent.

Photo: Falls News Press

Akron Recall: An Epilogue of Sorts

With the recall business in the rear view mirror it's time for Akronites to start the healing process or at least stop laughing about the results. There are some lessons learned from this odd detour from the rational discourse of our city's future into the bizarre obsession of one man.

Firstly, the mayor is not an infallible or unassailable political tour de force. Sure the guy has great hair and a square jaw but there was never a claim that he's perfect. There have been brash statements, public fits, feuds with the police and the failed sewer lease plan. Aside from the sewer thing (which I was critical of here, here here) there was nothing that warranted a bona fide public campaign to remove the mayor. That was accepted early on.

As dumb as the recall attempt was the process did afford the citizens of Akron a unique and comprehensive review of the Plusquellic years. Once observers were able to filter out the noise created by the Mendenhall Syndrome a reaffirming picture of Plusqeullic's tenure emerged. This cleansing was so pronounced that it actually resulted in nearly 5,000 more votes being registered in support for Don in the recall election than in the general election. Perhaps the lunacy of the recall effort also motivated people to get to the polls on a Tuesday in late June.

I mentioned in my last post that we should be devoid of Warner for at least three months. He has hinted at another attempt to hoist term limits on the voting populace. He is also trying to establish a puppet regime with his wife now planning to run for city council. I wouldn't rule out other forms of instigation involving the Akron FOP or maybe a caper involving Joe Finley. At any rate it may not matter what Warner's next act is. The recall debacle has cast a considerable shadow over his reputation, whatever that was.

Two more requiems on the Mendenhall Affair that are worth checking out were posted by The Pho and Abe Zaidan. Both contributions are much more eloquent than anything that I have attempted to convey on these pages.

High Noon In Columbus

The State General Assembly is still mulling, no agonizing over how to bring Ohio's next biennial budget into balance by next week. So far massive spending cuts and an anemic attempt at raising revenue from slot machines are the only means to achieve that end.

The cuts have hit just about every area of the State's operations including libraries and social programs. Of course there has been no serious push at rolling back at least part of the income tax cuts enacted in 2005. Although the Dispatch has reported on a small band of Dems that have requested a tax increase in lieu of the deep spending cuts. It looks like no new taxes and no new books will win out.

In a new development the Governor had requested a meeting with all elected State executives at noon today. I know this because State Treasurer Kevin Boyce was supposed to speak at a state sponsored training seminar today but was not able to attend. His staffer explained that Boyce and his elected colleagues had been summoned by Strickland to come and offer up "more blood from their respective turnips", the staffer's words not mine.

This move is interesting because much of the attention has been directed at cutting programs administered by the Governor's cabinet agencies. We'll see if the individual elected officials will be willing to sacrifice more of their kingdom to the alter of spending cuts.

Akron Recall: Game Over

I'm not waiting for the polls to close to call this thing. With very little knowledge or insight my gut tells me the recall is going down in flames.

As of now the recall of Mayor Don Plusquellic went down to a thirty point defeat. Total ballots cast 11,200 against, 4,800 for and 1 undecided (Joe Finley). God I hope I'm right about this.

Anyway, I voted at 6:30AM with about ten other inhabitants of 8's N and Q. The same crew was manning the polls but they were a tad confused. I find that the elderly function much better with an infusion of fiber to start the day.

The recall defeat should buy the citizens of Akron at least a three month reprieve from the minions of Mendenhall.

Update: I was a little off. The number of total votes cast was 24,133. It looks like the piker rebellion of 2009 will go down by 40 plus points. I'm sure Warner has already concocted a worthy conspiracy to explain the trouncing.

Akron Recall: The Mendenhall Syndrome

June 23rd can't come soon enough. At this point I'm not even concerned about the results of the special election. What the arrival of that day really means for me and other citizens of Akron is the removal of Recall Warner from our lives. As Lady Anne exclaimed in Richard III , "thou dost infect my eyes!", and Mendenhall has been infecting our eyes, ears and sensibilities for the past year.

We have all been exposed to the Mendenhall Syndrome. Aside from being an insufferable whiner Warner's symptoms also include a preoccupation with conspiratorial delusions about Mayor Plusquellic. The mayor shouldn't take it so personally, there have probably been scores of other people that have been directly exposed to this virulent strain.

The most recent example of the affliction was the immediate condemnation of the roll-out of the first phase of the Connect Akron venture. To the casual observer the introduction of a public wireless network is a good thing.

Those afflicted by the syndrome see a calculated plan to buy votes by timing the announcement. Somehow Don was able to cajole the dudes stringing fiber and installing access nodes all over Akron to finish right before the recall election. The guy has impeccable timing alright. If he is that good of a manger then sign me up for four more years.

Then the 1,000 or so new jobs announced by PlusOne Communications, a new call center start-up in downtown were identified as a transparent scheme to garner votes. To the mentally lucid observer the announced job openings are a desperately needed shot in the arm for an economy that continues to suffer from unemployment.

Perhaps Warner didn't see the latest unemployment numbers. I thought he was unemployed. You'd think he would be standing in that line at the old Firestone Bank building.

Comments Are Not News

Someone please inform the folks at the Beacon that reader comments on the paper's website are not news. This is true even if the comments are from the friends of Tom and Howie. Good taste would dictate to refrain from quoting a reader comment in a news story.