Power grab: Gahan and Caesar want to install a convenient “emergency” dictatorship (NEW ALBANY WEEK IN REVIEW for Friday, March 27).

Don’t look now, but Jeff Gahan’s seeking to declare the dictatorship this afternoon — and as always, Bullet Bobby Caesar’s head is far up hizzoner’s asp.

To wit: If COVID-19 keeps boards from meeting, let’s just hand Gahan complete power over everything, because it’s an emergency and we need to give those checks and balances a rest during a crisis.

For eight years I’ve been telling you that we’d get the truest glimpse of Gahan’s character deficiencies if he ever had to face a genuine crisis. The coronavirus is, and we are: Gahan’s predictable response is to grab more power (and the control of more money) while he can, taking advantage of the curve-flattening measures to fluff himself and the same old cronies. As Josh Turner (5th district) wrote:

(The resolution) will essentially give the controller, at the direction of the mayor, free rein to do whatever the mayor would like in the city with in regard to public works and safety. This type of power no one in government should have. This resolution should only be an option in the event of a major disaster like earthquake, major flood, nuclear disaster, etc. Not for when we are ordered to stay at home.

Here’s the list of council persons who’ll be asked to vote by Caesar, the ethically bankrupt council president who functions as a sort of obliging mistress to Gahan’s every whim. Call them and remind them that democracies don’t need dictators.

At-Large – David Aebersold
1202 Aebersold Drive
(812) 944-9823, daebersold@cityofnewalbany.com

At-Large – Jason Applegate
P.O. Box 1578
(502) 338-5083, japplegate@cityofnewalbany.com

At-Large – Al Knable, MD
2241 Green Valley Road
(502) 386-5051, aknable@cityofnewalbany.com

1st District – Jennie Collier
624 W. 8th Street
(812) 207-0476, jcollier@cityofnewalbany.com

2nd District – Robert Caesar (President)
614 Camp Ave.
(502) 552-7969, rcaesar@cityofnewalbany.com

3rd District – Greg Phipps (Vice President)
1105 E Spring Street
(812) 949-8317, gphipps@cityofnewalbany.com

4th District – Patrick McLaughlin
1739 Florence Ave.
(812) 949-9140, pmclaughlin@cityofnewalbany.com

5th District – Josh Turner
1851 McDonald Lane
(812) 641-1221, jturner@cityofnewalbany.com

6th District – Scott Blair
3925 Rainbow Drive
(812) 697-0128, sblair@cityofnewalbany.com