rainydaynews

Last night the mayor in Carbondale took action. It’s too bad that Obama and McCain can’t learn from his example.

In the last week, within two days of one another, two shootings took place in the predominantly black northeast section of Carbondale. Residents there told the newspaper they heard gunfire on a regular basis and were concerned about the safety of their families.

The mayor didn’t issue statements or make promises. Instead, on Saturday night, just after dark, the mayor, armed with a flashlight and his cell phone spent about an hour and a half walking through the affected neighborhood. He stopped and talked to residents, got their opinions and listened to their complaints about everything from the city police department to his own office.

It was, without a doubt, a publicity stunt designed to give the appearance that something was being done in that neighborhood. He wasn’t alone, as at bare minimum a newspaper photographer and a reporter accompanied him on his patrol.

However, Mayor Cole did something that neither presidential candidate seems to be able to do. He led by example. He did something. If nothing else, seeing the mayor in their neighborhood gave the people there the impression he cared. It’s like going to the Gulf states after a hurricane or visiting the site of a killer tornado. it’s about the inspiration of the visit, the symbolism, not the visit itself.

Mayor Cole in tiny little Carbondale, Illinois, gets it. Why can’t Barack and John?

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