Special to the News-Herald

Mr. Damiani and I filmed his monthly Round Table Talk TV show in the Rev. Milton Boone’s beautiful yard on East Washington. This gentleman has a talent for growing lawns and flowers and presents to the street a botanical garden .You are welcome to come in and pray. You can’t miss it when driving by and it’s a perfect setting for Andy’s show. Unfortunately the camera devoured the film and no amount of delicate effort could save it. So I’ll point out some of our discussion subjects that may be of interest to you.

Andy does his best to keep me in line but I’m always tempted to ask questions even though there might not be an answer. For instance, on the subject of a half-million dollar bike path that someone suggests we need, which will provide a trail of sorts from Suffolk to far points east. This at a time when the state is closing DMV offices across the Common-wealth forcing many to sit on their butts long periods of time waiting to renew something or other, in order to provide a path so other butts can be peddled to the ocean. Andy ignored the question and moved on to more important subjects like establishing better communication between the City and the citizens.

We hear, and can be corrected, that the current Suffolk Public Relations Director is too tied up with less important duties and we must now hire someone, with a different title, to establish better communication between City and citizens. Probably no one has forgotten that the new Mayor and new City Manager both said their first goal was to keep the public better informed. The City appears not to want to merely replace the current

director; perhaps it’s easier to double the personnel than to cause ill feelings somewhere. Oh well, Manager Herbert did eliminate a need for a third assistant manager, so far that is.

Although Chris Jones has far more money collected, $80,000, than he needs to be re-elected, the party stalwarts are still passing the plate. The Republicans muster now and then to see who is still interested, and refresh names of attendees. I am, but they don’t get a dollar from me. Our good man Chris is at all times ready to step up to a more esteemed position, as is Mayor Dickens, but a senator is still stubbornly in the way. Republican Women can’t arrange everything but God knows they try. Hang in there as no races are shoo-ins. But nationally the Democrats don’t have a chance even though at the moment it is impossible to ascertain the candidate or what their crusade will be. It won’t matter.

Talk about slow smart growth – up in the northern haughtier sections of the city 500 new homes are approved and slated for exotic places like Governors Pointe, notice the &uot;e,&uot; Harbor Breeze, and Bell Harbor, all three locations smell of waterfront; 256 of these are apartments and assuming only two kids per new household it adds up to new schools. We refer to these schools as PLEA, Planned Livermore Expansions Again.

Still many complaints are heard about tearing down Louise Obici Memorial Hospital and the nursing school. We salute the last graduating nurses and hope they stay in town. Wachovia Bank closing 42 branches but it won’t affect me. I left them a long time ago when they charged me for deposit tickets. I moved to the local Bank of Suffolk, which since has changed its name twice and I don’t know with whom I’m dealing. I have CDs in the same building with three different bank names. I won’t move to Farmers’ Bank, even though it sounds local, until they have gone 10 years without buying or selling or changing their name. You just can’t trust banks to remain static. They might guarantee your deposit forever but not your friendly banker or your favorite teller.

There is war smoke coming from the recently organized Nansemond Indian teepees, probably because the appointed Task Force appears to have deserted them, or let them down, and allowed the City Manager to take the reins. He is still opposed to those warriors gathering up in Lone Star Lakes, maybe anywhere. His absolutely vital City Marina appears to weigh heavy on his mind so he is squeezing those red devils from 104 acres down to 4 and rubbing salt in the wound by reducing ownership to leasing. Getting General Custer was not enough and the tribes might be better off today if they had wiped out all the white-eyes in the beginning. Now they are being scalped.

Robert Pocklington is a resident of Suffolk and a regular News-Herald columnist.