repubgazette2-4-07mayorjonesojmayo

Most people like Charleston Mayor Danny Jones -- not all, but most. His frankness of style, his colorful personality and the many roles he has played over the years have won him friends and admirers.

Sometimes, Jones' reputation for outrageousness or for being a unique character tend to overshadow his most important trait -- his intelligence; or, better said, his political savvy. Jones understand politics, and has a firm grasp on his own unique position in Charleston history and society.

With all this, it has always been disappointing that he tends to overreact to those who disagree with him on any given issue. Considering his popularity and record of success, you would think he could shrug off his critics or treat his occasional opponents with more respect than he chooses to exhibit.

There are countless examples, just during his first term as mayor, demonstrating Jones' habit of insulting anyone who takes a position in contrast to his own.

A couple of weeks ago when Delegate Patrick Lane, a fellow Republican, discussed offering a bill that would exclude non-residents from paying Charleston's dollar a week user fee, Jones was not content to disagree with Lane, but had to get in a shot, saying, "Lane's bill is so completely flawed, it's surprising that it comes from a lawyer." It was an unnecessary insult directed toward one of the nicest guys in politics.

When local Circuit Judge Jennifer Bailey Walker delayed yet again (admittedly for the umpteenth time) a case Jones was anxious to have adjudicated, he again made it personal, saying, "Perhaps it's too much for her."

When a local health official, Dr. Steven Artz, questioned whether the mayor had met food service standards in preparing and serving his well-regarded barbecue for a Civic Center event, Jones again attacked not the issue, but the individual, saying, "I think it's a personal thing with Dr. Artz. He has a problem with me... I know the guy doesn't like me and he never has. I don't think it'd be a good idea for him to show up at my house."

The mayor's latest cause is the push for table games, and he was the most aggressive and vocal at a rally eariler this week to promote the issue. As Associated Press reporter Lawrence Messina said on his blog, "Charleston Mayor Danny Jones was particularly pointed in his remarks targeting table games opponents." Jones challenged those opposed to the expansion of gambling, saying, "Where are your 500 jobs -- because we're putting them on the table today."

The mayor has never been a particularly partisan Republican, which is fine, and which has served him well. But again, it's sometimes not enough for him to play the maverick; he has to take a swipe once in a while. His favorite saying lately has been to proclaim, "I'm from the electable wing of the Republican Party."

What does that mean? Betty Ireland is from the electable wing of the GOP. So is Kelli Sobonya. So is Patrick Lane. So is Vic Sprouse. So is Brent Benjamin. So is John Overington, and so is George W. Bush and Shelley Moore Capito, etc., etc. A varied and diverse cast of characters with widely different philosophies and opinions are all from the "electable wing" of the Republican Party. Why the need to make such a comment?

Danny Jones is well on his way to coasting into a second term as Mayor of Charleston, and that's a good thing for the city. He has confounded many skeptics who never thought he would finish serving one term. I have heard him say that he feels he is where he should be, that he is very content -- happy in his job, happy with his family -- and all who know and like him are happy for him. Danny Jones has had a sometimes controversial and colorful life, and today he has indeed seemed to find a comfort level personally and professionally.

That's what makes it so puzzling when he lashes out against those who simply don't agree with him. It's a legitimate position to oppose the user fee, just as it is legitimate to support it. It is legitimate to oppose table games. It is legitimate to raise questions and sometimes end up on the other side of the fence from the mayor's position on any given subject or action. But something inside him seems not to be satisfied until he has made every battle personal.

Danny Jones wins much more often than he loses, and maybe someday the mayor will feel that is satisfaction enough.

O.J. Mayo, a vaunted West Virginia high school basketball star who many have already slated for NBA immortality someday, was tossed from a game and suspended for two more, causing a statewide panic.

Allegations were made that a referee targeted Mayo from the beginning. Mayo's future college and pro career could be jeopardized by having to miss two upcoming games, said some.

The issue actually landed in court, and a judge temporarily halted the suspension, allowing Mayo to compete for now.

I am a huge basketball fan, but particularly of the NBA, because I like to watch the best play against the best. I have little use for high school or college basketball, in part because the referees tend to inject themselves too much into the action, usually turning it into a free throw contest.

O.J. Mayo might be the next Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant or Dwyane Wade, who knows. But for now, he's a high school student and athlete subject to the laws of mere mortals, and the rules of high school competition in West Virginia, fair or unfair. Would we be so concerned if a science student was suspended from competing in an upcoming scholastic competition, possibly damaging his ability to have a successful career someday? Doubtful.

High school sports is supposed to be about teaching life lessons more than about winning, losing, or making sure someone gets a shot at the pros. Part of the lessons of sports, and of life, is that life is not always fair. Learning to handle that is an important lesson.

What O.J. Mayo will learn from this experience is that he is already beyond the rules that would apply to a lesser player. He has supporters willing to go to court on his behalf to forestall a simple rule of high school sports. It is a special kind of treatment he is likely already accustomed to receiving and will expect to receive throughout his life and career.

I have always avoided being one of those guys who talks endlessly about his own high school athletic achievements or experiences. But I'll break that rule to make a small point.

Eons ago, I was a hotshot high school basketball player at a little rural school in southern Ohio. I was no O.J. Mayo, but I led the team in scoring, assists, and most other categories, and won consecutive MVP awards my junior and senior years.

And for a while, I also had a bad attitude. During my junior year, I was in a game and was called for a foul in the first quarter. I moped and sulked and generally behaved badly, and received a technical foul. My coach took me out of the game and told me to get my head together. It was a tight game, and as the second quarter began, I waited for the coach to send me back in. He didn't. At halftime, I knew he couldn't afford to keep me on the bench. But as the third quarter began, that's where I was.

We were trailing by three or four points as the fourth quarter began, and I knew the coach had to put me in. But he never did. He kept me on the bench the rest of the game, which we lost by seven or eight points.

The experience gave me a major attitude adjustment. I thought I was too important for the coach to ever leave me out of a game. He showed me that I wasn't. He was willing to lose a game in order to make a bigger point to a young man in need of a lesson.

Throughout the rest of my junior year and all through my senior season, I never received another technical foul. When a foul was called on me, right or wrong, I turned and ran down the court and moved on. It got to where people would ask my parents in the stands how I stayed so cool when referees sometimes seemed to be targeting me.

Of all the points I scored or rebounds I grabbed or games we won, the best thing that ever happened to me as a high school basketball player was sitting on the bench for three quarters, learning that my behavior was hurting not just me, but costing my teammates.as well.

What happened to O.J. Mayo may not have been fair. But what is happening now supposedly on his behalf is not really in his best interests.