Here we are back at it at The Landmark, printing on an accelerated schedule for the fourth consecutive week. Two of those were post office related, due to no mail service days falling mid-week for Veterans Day and Thanksgiving, and the two other early print dates were staff-related scheduling needs.
Anyway, this guy is looking forward to getting back to our ‘normal’ routine, not that there is anything ‘normal’ about running a weekly newspaper.
Our print day is now scheduled to head back to Wednesdays, at least until Christmas Week, when we might switch things up again.
Admit it, these days you can’t read Between the Lines without picturing Dave Rittman pulling out a pair of tiny scissors and a bottle of rubber cement from his pants, clipping the column, gluing it up all paper mache style and emailing it to Parkville’s legal counsel.
Rittman’s effort is further proof that everything you ever really need to know you learned in kindergarten.
I bet the attorneys grabbed a magnet and hung Rittman’s artwork on the office refrigerator like proud grandparents.
There’s really nothing wrong with using a tiny blue-handled pair of scissors, just don’t run with those bad boys.
Late on Monday evening we got our first look at Parkville Mayor Nan Johnston’s official response to the ethics complaint filed against her with the city ethics commission recently by a Parkville citizen. Nan’s response is, well, very Nan. By that I mean it’s a doozy, filled with mostly anger, emotional immaturity and lacking the professionalism that you might expect from most any other elected official placed in similar circumstances. It’s closer to a lashing out written by a dissed prom queen candidate, one of those things a high school kid might write in longhand in a spiral notebook during a late night meltdown while lying on their bed, then when finished would rip it up and throw it in the trash rather than sharing it with anyone. Not our Nan. She fills page after page with entitlement, anger, excuses, victimhood and attacks on virtually anyone she believes has not been a joyful passenger on the Nan train, then hits send on that unhinged stream of consciousness.
Sadly though, the tone and tenor of her response is a sign she isn’t really too worried about the city’s ethics commission. I suppose it’s tough to be fearful of a committee of three people who were appointed by you and/or your peers on the governing body that you lead.
Hope I’m not too early with this, but I’m gonna go out on a limb and say the lack of self-control has become a pattern.
Nan at one point in her 10-page manifesto refers to The Landmark as “my favorite local newspaper.”
Appreciate the love. I don’t know if it’s her favorite, but there’s no denying it’s the one she reads religiously while at the same time trying to convince her followers not to read it.
Later this week we’ll be placing the Nanifesto on our website, where it will be available for reading by the general public and interested therapists.
Since we know they’re reading Dave Rittman’s clippings, let’s pause here for a quick shout-out to Parkville’s attorneys at the law firm of Baty Otto Coronado, who got their asses kicked in court by a man serving as his own attorney.
You’re Real American Heroes. Giving hope to the little guy and whatnot. Appreciate your service. This deserves one of those Bud Light commercials.
Here’s hoping Parkville keeps you around a long, long time.
I told you I’d keep you posted, so time to keep that pledge.
Looks like Parkville alderman/de facto paralegal Dave Rittman will not be coming on Landmark Live or sitting down for a one-on-interview.
“Parkville legal counsel has requested that we not discuss current or pending issues you outline for obvious reasons,” Rittman emailed me in recent days, I’m assuming during a break in his arts and crafts class.
“I will be complying with our legal counsel position not to discuss ongoing ‘investigations’ and or litigations. Thus I see no point for an interview relating to the current or pending legal issues at this time,” he said, putting ‘investigations’ in quotes like criminal probes are an imaginary thing not to be taken seriously.
Brave Dave. You can tell he would really, really, love to sit down with me for a one-on-one live interview but shucky darn, those dang attorneys just won’t let him. Golly gee whiz, whatcha gonna do?
Be sure to head to plattecountylandmark.com to see who won Landmark Pick’em this week. Here’s a hint: There may be a celebratory music video coming, though it will be hard to top “Meet Me at the Speakeasy.”
(Lash out at Foley via email to ivan@plattecountylandmark.com)