Should a Key to the City Still Mean Something?
November 30, 2009 | 10:24 pmRemember that goofy fellow who showed up in Decatur a few weeks ago and requested a key to the city in exchange for a little community service? No? Well the Decatur Minute documented the whole thing.
That was comedian Steve Hoffman and now he’s now found himself on the CBS Evening News, speaking about the 95 keys and counting that he’s collected from city’s all over the country.
And while Decatur escapes exposure in the televised segment that seems conflicted between laughing along with Hoffman and feigning upset at the devaluation of the honor of key-bestowing, Mayor Floyd’s photo with Hoffman is front and center in the accompanying website article. A similar photo below is from The Minute.
So, as only a national newscast can over-generalize, should a key to the city still mean something (in every single city across the country)?
Umm…well that sorta depends. Did your city only reserve keys for burning-building heroes and eight term mayors up until Hoffman came a knockin’? Or are keys kinda blase’ in your city these days?
In short, instead of asking “Should a key mean something?” perhaps the more appropriate question would be “DOES a key mean something?”
I mean, it’s not like Decatur gave him a Hometown Hero award.
wow, great alert on this. This is true to local news. Thanks DM.
LOL…you go Swanny!
Heh?
So, how long does Bill Floyd plan on serving as Mayor anyway? For life? Any plans to step down and let one of the other commissioners handle the job for awhile.
Let me preface my remarks by saying that I don’t know what a Decatur Mayor is supposed to do, especially the business side of the job. But from the point of view of the kids, he’s a perfect Mayor–tall, dignified, but very friendly, always seen walking around neighborhoods, always willing to be a mystery reader at schools or participate in an expeditionary learning event, always available for the Decatur 101 course, etc. He’s got the public presence part of the job down pat. I’ll bet 90% of Decatur kids can identify the mayor and 50% have met him. There can’t be too many towns for which that’s true.
Ooooh, I hope he stays mayor forever. I think he’s perfect. (crush on the mayor.)
Pete, care to elaborate on the ax you’re grinding?
No ax to grind, DM. Just wondering since he’s been on the Commission for 18 years, has been the Mayor for 12, and is up for re-election in 2 years.
Just asking out loud, when is enough, enough and time for someone new to take the position? How long does he plan on serving as Decatur’s Mayor? Would 14 years be enough? 20 years?
With the exception of the newly elected Patti Garrett, in January the shortest tenured Commissioner will be on the Commission 8 years. Surely someone else on the Commission would like the job.
Our five-person commission, with city manager tasked with the actual running of the city, was structured as a reform to the former “strong mayor” model that dominated the south. Other than possibly blinding citizens with his pearly white smile, the Mayor has no special powers over his colleagues. My guess — unsubstantiated — is that he has remained Mayor for as long as he has because he’s happier taking on the smiling, waving and other PR duties than the others. Anyone know for sure?
In order to determine whether the key to the city means anything, we must ask: What does the key to the city actually unlock? The Brick Store? The CSD star chamber? Naaman’s liquor cabinet?
Wait!
I have a liquor cabinet!? Guess I gotta call the wife…
What is the CSD star chamber? Does this have anything to do with the self-appointed ruling families in Decatur (btw, 10 of 12 Decatur parents think they are either from a ruling family or married into one). Or is this where gifted children go for “pull-out” instruction? Or is this related to the new CSD report cards–***means skill mastered, **means “in progress” , * means it’s a big problem but we don’t give Fs or zeros anymore, and **** means your kid ought to be in the gifted program but they didn’t score well enough on the MAP test?
The star chamber is the smoky war room where the nefarious administrators of City Schools of Decatur meet to plot their next attack on our children.
Throwing a few bags of trash while wearing a jaunty orange blazer for the sake of some publicity doesn’t seem to make someone very key-worthy to me.
Maybe he’s the one that threw out those toys at the park.