There were several issues that crossed my thoughts this week. I have chosen to briefly address a few and hope that it encourages you to give some extra thought to the issue.

Supreme Court—President Biden nominated Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court. She would be the first Black female to sit on that Court. I may disagree with her perceived left of center political views, but so what. Biden is the President and it is his nomination to make, subject to Senate confirmation. That is what the Constitution outlines.

She appears to be a very intelligent person who is married to a surgeon. If Ruth Bader Ginsberg and Antonin Scalia could work together, even when they disagreed, I would anticipate that Jackson and Justice Thomas will have a similar relationship. Let the system work and in a short time we will see if we have a new Supreme Court Justice.

City Administrator—Less than six months into his tenure as Clinton City Administrator, the new city administrator has resigned. That is a problem for the City of Clinton.

The problem is not insurmountable, but there will be problems. Clinton is a commission form of government, which is a rarity in Illinois. Each Commissioner is responsible for his/her specific area as contrasted with an aldermanic form in which the entire council is responsible for all governance. The City Administrator in Clinton is also responsible for the administration of the cemetery and zoning.

This position, in part due to the size of the community and its form of government, is much more hands on than a delegation of duties administrator. It can more easily be described as a manager with a lot of people skills.

This writer and others voiced concern that whoever was to be the new City Administrator that person should be afforded significant time to train with outgoing and retiring City Administrator Tim Followell. Unfortunately, the named person only got about a month of training. Can the City Commissioners run the City without an Administrator? Yes, they can. BUT, they will have to put in a lot more personal time and effort.

Any prospective Administrator will be asking some tough questions about why the previous Administrator left in such a short period of time. This position may now be viewed as toxic by many qualified applicants. That is not a good position for the City of Clinton.

Added to that is the factor that municipal elections are about a year off, which creates additional concerns for applicants. Resolving this issue needs to be a priority of the City Council. 

Ukraine—David is holding his own with Goliath. Ukraine today is demonstrating that freedom is worth dying for. That thought is so foreign to many Americans, especially those on the far left. To his credit, President Biden is now providing lethal aid to Ukraine. Putin is now being defined world wide as a pariah.

The problem with dictators is that they lash out to save themselves personally. Is America prepared to respond if Putin goes nuclear, chemical or biological? I don’t know. The stakes are getting bigger. With a now global economy, we have a national security interest in what happens in Ukraine.

Friends—Two friends celebrated their lives in entirely different ways this week. One achieved his 90^th birthday and the other lost his life at 70. Both have led fulfilling lives. Ray Moss turned 90 and celebrated with a party at the Country Club on Sunday. Ray has practiced law with dignity and integrity for over 50 years. He is now the patriarch of the local bar association.

Ray and his wife were very kind to my wife and me when we moved to town and I have yet to meet anyone who has anything negative to say about Ray. You practice law as long as Ray, you make some enemies. Not Ray. Always the gentleman and diplomat. Wish Ray a Happy Birthday when you see him about town this week.

Tony Schlosser passed away on Sunday from brain tumors. Many of you have never met Tony as he kept a very low profile in DeWitt County. I met Tony over 30 years ago in a courtroom. Tony wore a lot of leather then. His hair was in a long pony tail to his belt. He rode a Harley and put himself out as one of the meanest biker gang members you will ever meet.

Tony was one of the meanest/nicest guys I have ever known. Tony was a McLean County Deputy Sheriff who went deep undercover with the Illinois State Police drug task force. Tony was a cop’s cop. When Tony retired he met and married Sandy Moody and he moved to DeWitt County. Tony said the best years of his life were in retirement.

My last conversation with Tony was a few weeks ago when he expressed how blessed he was to be living here and that death had no hold on him. The text I received announcing his passing said it all, Tony is now “running the streets of gold.” I can see it now, Tony is teaching St. Peter how to ride a Harley. Rest in peace my friend.