Time: 05-17-2010 16:59 User: sford PubDate: 05-18-2010 Zone: KY Edition: 1 Page Name: A 6 Color: Black

ENDORSEMENT
EDITORIALS A6 TUESDAY
MAY 18, 2010

COMMUNITY
CHECKLIST READERS’ FORUM
Here are the candidates in selected races in ‘We must act now!’
Tuesday’s primary election in which The Throughout the year,
Courier-Journal has made endorsements. A thousands of Louisvillians
precedes the boldfaced names of endorsed gather, run and walk for nu-
merous causes. Louisville,
candidates. An * designates incumbents. Jud- one of America’s beautiful,
icial races are non-partisan. historic cities is going to lose
much of what we are proud
U.S. SENATE of because of one man’s
District 17 greed and disrespect of what
Republicans many citizens of Louisville
Republicans
(The newspaper makes hold dear.
Tony Wheeler
no endorsement) It’s ironic that at a time
GLEN E. STUCKEL*
C.M. “Trey” Grayson when many of Louisville’s
Bill Johnson Main Street historical build-
District 17
Gurley L. Martin ings are being restored to
Democrats
Rand Paul house condos and apart-
William D. Cohen
Jon J. Scribner ments, Todd Blue claims that
DERWIN LAMONT WEBB
John Stephenson his seven buildings from
District 19 105-119 West Main Street are
Democrats not suitable for restoration.
Republicans
James Buckmaster Yet, these are some of the
Jerry T. Miller
JACK CONWAY most magnificent jewels
DANIEL OSBORNE
Daniel Mongiardo along the Main Street corri-
Kaven Rumpel
Darlene F. Price dor. Thank heavens he didn’t
Maurice M. Sweeney own the crowning jewel on
District 25
U.S. CONGRESS Republicans the corner of Second and Nick Anderson in The Houston Chronicle
Doug Hawkins* Main streets that is now be-
Third District ROBERT G. THRASHER ing restored to house the
Republicans Whiskey Flats. to preserve these precious I have been a high school street is one-way, the next
Larry Hausman Something must be done resources. Local designation teacher in both private and will send you in the other di-
Todd Lally JEFFERSON COUNTY to stop this man from his pro- of a property and/or struc- public sectors for 36 years, rection. To get to a business
JEFF REETZ ATTORNEY posed carnage. Citizens of ture is a powerful tool that and there is definitely one on a street going the “other”
Brooks Wicker Louisville, I urge you to come
Democrats can be initiated by 200 citi- thing I can attest to: It’s not way, you just drove around
MICHAEL O’CONNELL* together in a march to gather zens of Louisville and is a the teachers. Oh, sure. There the block. No waiting for
in front of these buildings in lasting measure of protec- is a bad one here and there, cross traffic to turn a corner.
MAYOR of LOUISVILLE Glenda Bradshaw
protest. Unfortunately, I am tion. but to actually state with a For example, now going
Republicans not schooled in the know- Equally important is en- straight face that a school south on Second Street you
Jonathan Robertson JEFFERSON DISTRICT how of forming such a pro- gaging the current owners of needs to change a large per- sit in your car and wait, and
Chris Thieneman test, but I can assure you that
HAL HEINER COURT these properties in a positive centage of its teachers be- wait, and wait at a (stop light
I will be there, along with and educational discussion cause it fails to reach an ar- or not) for your opportunity
Nonpartisan friends, should such an event of the historic value of the bitrary numeric goal based to turn on an eastbound
Democrats Jan Brightwell occur. We must act now. properties, the importance on a statistically invalid test street. I’m talking wait!
GREG FISCHER Mason Trenaman WARD HARRISON of their preservation, and de-
STEPHANIE PEARCE BURKE is completely ridiculous. Louisville messed up
Burrel Charles Farnsley Jeffersonville, Ind. 47130 veloping constructive and If you traded all the teach- making streets two-way.
David Tandy creative ways to do so. ers at the highest-performing Their reasoning? More
Lisa Moxley Survey under way DAVID R. MARCHAL school with those of the low- neighborly? Increase busi-
Jim King KENTUCKY STATE SENATE
We are heartened to see Louisville Metro Urban Design est-performing one, you ness visibility? Nope. Now
Shannon White District 26 your support of the preserva- Administrator & would see no difference at it’s such a hassle to get
Tyler N. Allen Republicans tion of the 100 block of West Landmarks Staff Supervisor either school. It’s not the around I just avoid down-
Connie Marshall ERNIE HARRIS* Main Street as a vital compo- RICHARD JETT teachers. town. I used to quickly run
Don Godfrey nent of Louisville’s historic Louisville Metro Historic I’ve read the letters to the over to FedEx, Borders, res-
LOUISVILLE METRO fabric. Your recent editorial Preservation Officer editor. Fire the teacher! Give taurants, Bats games and
COUNCIL District 36 makes a comment that we Louisville 40202 ’em pink slips! The people shops. I love Louisville, its
District 1 Republicans hear often — that a citywide who say these things are ut- ambience, its historic feeling
Democrats JULIE ROSE DENTON* survey would be extremely Don’t blame teachers terly devoid of any knowl- while offering the newest in
JUDITH “Judy” GREEN* Shawn Slone helpful for everyone to un- My confidence in the ed- edge of how the process of great food, arts and shop-
Ray “Sir Friendly” derstand where the historic ucational leadership at the teaching children works. ping. But now it just takes too
Barker resources are, what they are, national, state and local lev- There are only two things long and is too much trouble
KENTUCKY HOUSE OF why they are important and els in our country drops low- which determine how well a trying to drive around.
District 5 REPRESENTATIVES if/how we should proactive- er every day. These so-called school performs: demo- Thank goodness, Jeffer-
Democrats District 28 ly plan for their preservation. leaders apparently have no graphics and principals. sonville and Clarksville are
Mark D. Mitchell Republicans We are extremely pleased clue how to resolve our cur- Teachers are the same wher- growing with businesses and
CHERI BRYANT HAMIL- John Brewer to be able to say that such a rent educational issues. ever you go. eateries. Even with all the
TON* ED SPRINGSTON survey is indeed in progress, When asked, they can quote RICHARD ESAREY traffic in St Matthews, it’s
thanks to the commitment of dire statistics based on ques- Louisville 40214 easier to get around there
District 9 District 32 Mayor Jerry Abramson and tionable data and they can now than downtown. I think
Republicans Republicans the Metro Council. parrot educational buzz- Keep one-way streets city government should con-
William Jaggers JULIE RAQUE ADAMS Phase1of the survey is as- words created by the latest Regarding “Louisville sider shoppers/eaters/art en-
PATRICK JOSEPH DUERR Jimmy Yancy sociated with the Ohio River batch of hit-and-run “educa- may expand two-way street thusiasts (and soon basket-
Bridges Project and encom- tional experts” who collect plan” (May 14, C-J): What are ball fans) and put the streets
District 9 District 41 passes nearly 1,200 struc- large fees for doing nothing the city decision makers back to the logical one-way
Democrats Democrats tures in the immediate vicin- at all. But, that’s about it. thinking? system. Two-way streets is a
John G. Miller TOM RINER* ities of the bridges work. They can do one thing well, I used to brag when in definite change that wasn’t
TINA WARD-PUGH* Mike Slaton This survey is being under- however. They can find other cities that Louisville logical and isn’t a good thing.
taken by the Transportation scapegoats for their own in- had it right. It was easy and CONNI WILLIAMS
District 13 District 46 Cabinet, the Kentucky Ar- adequacies: the teachers. quick to get around — if this Clarksville, Ind. 47131
Democrats Republicans chaeological Survey and the
VICKI AUBREY WELCH* Robert L. DeVore Landmarks Commission.
Larry Roger Price

District 15
BRIAN SIMPSON This phase is nearly com-
plete and will be published
this year.
Democrats Phase 2 will cover the rest
Arthur B. Raine of Louisville Metro and will
MARIANNE BUTLER* be carried out by the Ken-
tucky Archaeological Survey
in concert with the Land-
marks Commission. This
was started in May 2008 with
a projected completion date
of May 2011.
A proactive plan for Lou-
isville would involve careful
Arnold Garson, president and publisher
study of these surveys by the
A GANNETT NEWSPAPER | FOUNDED 1826 Bennie L. Ivory, executive editor
citizens of Louisville, identi-
fication of important historic
Jean M. Porter, managing editor Keith L. Runyon, editor of Opinion Pages
Stephen J. Ford, editor of Editorials resources that are currently
Read the editorials online:
www.courier- Betty Winston Bayé, editorial writer unprotected, and then a pub-
journal.com/opinion Pam Platt, editorial writer lic dialogue about how best
Thieneman responds to editorial
I wasn’t surprised you are
endorsing my opponent in
the Republican mayoral pri-
mary. Let me remind the
readers that C-J endorse-
ments often do not coincide
with Election Day results
and reveal some misconcep-
tions.
Although The C-J indi-
cates that I “lack communi-
cation skills,” I won’t apolo-
gize for not speaking as a
“polished politician.” I agree
that I do not sound like an
ostentatious career politi-
cian, because I am not one
and don’t intend to be. My
goal is to share the truth, ex-
pose corruption, and run
government in an accounta-
ble and transparent manner.
I protested the forgivable
loan to the Cordish Cos. sup-
ported by Hal Heiner and
the Metro Council. Yet, he’s
still giving away loans to out-
of-town developers. Mean-
while, I’ve been helping
launch local businesses and
directly promote economic
development.
Initially, I supported the
library tax, because I be-
lieved the rhetoric, but when
I learned of the intentions
for the tax, I made it my pri-
ority to inform the public. If
not for my leadership, our
citizens would be paying an
unnecessary tax.
I did not withdraw from
the congressional race in
2008. I never changed party
affiliation or supported a
Democrat.
I am determined to con-
front the establishment. Vis-
it www.thienemanformayor-
.com.
CHRIS THIENEMAN
Republican candidate for mayor
of Louisville
Louisville 40222

In our narratives, we explain ourselves to ourselves

H
istory is not a Hall-
mark card. Some-
times, history
breaks your heart.
I know this because I
have often recounted his-
tory in this space, tales of
black men and women
bought and sold, cheated
and mistreated, maimed
and lynched. And whenev-
er I do this, I can be as-
sured of e-mails and calls
of chastisement.
I still remember one of
the first, an earnest lady
who pleaded with me to
leave this history behind.
Telling such tales, she
said, could not help but
make black people resent
white ones.
Her complaint present-
ed a quandary. I find the
same value in recounting
those stories that my for-
mer boss Bert used to find
in remembering Holo-
Leonard caust bru-
talities and
speak it really the best re-
sponse to that hurt?
Specifically, the law
bans classes that “promote
mote resentment”?
Like the lady who called
cial matter in a nation that
is, after all, bound not by
Pitts my friend Should a hard truth not be the overthrow of the Unit- me, the governor seems to common blood or ances-
John finds uttered for fear it might ed States government, pro- prefer that hard stories not try, but by common fealty
in recalling cause somebody, some- mote resentment toward a be told, that doing so de- to a set of revolutionary
Irish suffer- where to resent? race or class of people, are tracts from American uni- ideals that begins, “We
ing at Brit- Her answer, I suspect, designed primarily for pu- ty. As one online observer hold these truths to be
ish hands. would be yes. In that, she pils of a particular ethnic put it, “We need to focus self-evident …”
Under- would be much like the group, advocate ethnic on America instead of pro- To those ideals have
standing state of Arizona, where solidarity instead of the moting everyone else.” flocked men and women
the past Gov. Jan Brewer just treatment of pupils as in- The problem with that from every other nation on
provides signed a law restricting dividuals.” And you won- reasoning is obvious: earth, each with stories of
context to understand the ethnic studies courses in der: What sort of ethnic America is everyone else, their own.
present and predict the fu- public schools. Having ap- studies classes did she at- a nation composed of Granted, the challenge
ture. Moreover, history is parently decided she had tend? Is that really what other nations, a culture of incorporating those sto-
identity. These stories tell not done enough to peeve people think those classes made of other cultures, a ries into the larger Amer-
me who I am. Latino voters by signing a are about? history built of other his- ican story is daunting. The
But there’s a difference, Draconian immigration Worse, the restrictions tories. And yes, some- governor seems to fear
isn’t there? Bert’s history bill a few days back, the are so broad, so void of le- times, those histories will what kind of nation we’ll
indicts Germans in Eu- governor went after a gal precision, as to be be hard to hear. be if we accept that chal-
rope; John’s indicts Brit- Mexican-American stud- meaningless. How does But silence does not lenge.
ons in the United King- ies program in Tucson. But one decide to a legal cer- make a hard story go away. I fear what kind we’ll be
dom. Mine indicts white the prohibitions in the tainty whether a class is Silence only makes it fes- if we don’t.
people, here. new law seem to say more “designed primarily for ter, grow and, sometimes,
So I’m not without sym- about the mind-set of the pupils of a particular eth- explode. Leonard Pitts is a columnist
pathy for people like that governor than about any nic group?” How can one It is in our narratives for the Miami Herald. His e-
lady. This history hurts. real danger posed by eth- know with legal exactness that we explain ourselves mail address is lpitts@mi-
But is requiring me not to nic studies. whether a class will “pro- to ourselves. That’s a cru- amiherald.com.