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Civic Skinny

Merry Christmas!

12/23/2015

Twelve drummers drumming…
…for Sara Boese at Polk County and Sarai Rice at the Des Moines Area Religious Council, who want to feed the hungry…and John Mauro and the Board of Supervisors, who will get that done…and shame on those who look the other way…and for the volunteers at Bidwell and everyone else who works at the food pantries…and, especially, for all those who depend on the pantries to feed their families. …

Eleven pipers piping…
…for the newcomers: Register publisher David Chivers, Drake President Marty Martin, Iowa’s president Bruce Harreld…and Tom Swank at American Enterprise Group…and ISU’s Steve Prohm and Matt Campbell… and Wally Bubar at Central Presbyterian Church…and Robert Warren at Hoyt Sherman…and for old-timers Bob Burnett and Stan Seidler and R.W. Nelson and Bill Knapp and John Pappajohn and George Turner and Chuck Betts and Buck Turnbull and the oldest old-timers of all, Neal Smith and Drake’s Paul Morrison. …

Ten lords-a-leaping……for Archie Brooks — and let’s put his name back on the south side community center…for those who have left the state — David and Maddie Maxwell, reporter Christopher Pratt, publisher Rick Green, Bruce Braley, Christopher Godfrey…and for Register retirees Rick Brown and Rox Laird, who left the newsroom with a lot of memories and a lot of knowledge…for John Knapp…for Kristi Knous at the Community Foundation…for Bryce Miller and Brice Oakley…for the hard-working Sinovics Stephanie and Matt…for Dennis Groenenboom…and Tony Timm…for Ben Page and Kevin Moran, the parks department guys who do so very much with so very little. …

Nine ladies dancing…
…to celebrate the victory of new City Councilwoman Linda Westergaard…and for Bob Mahaffey, who is stepping down…and for new school board winners Heather Anderson and Natasha Newcomb and Dionna Langford…for new judge-to-be Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger…and for every other judge in this state — men and women who keep the flame burning…especially the chiefs, Mark Cady and Art Gamble…and for former U.S. Attorney Nick Klinefeldt — thanks for the years of public service — and County Attorney John Sarcone…and Justices Marsha Ternus and Michael Streit and David Baker — Iowa heroes forever. …

Eight maids-a-milking…
…for Brian Sather at Channel 8…for Jeannette Hopson, baseball fan and jam-maker…and Bruce Kelley, a good citizen…for Michelle Book…for Ryan Lancaster, who can fix anything…and Mark Marturello and Brian Duffy…for Rich Eychaner, who made a dead downtown corner lively again…for the nation’s longest-serving governor, Terry Branstad (and are you going to run again, Guv?)…and Chris…for Tyler Steinke, who knows baseball, and his dad, who knows politics…for new neighbors Joe Crookham and Jeanie Bieri…for Dan Miller and Diane Graham, nice people. …

CNA - Stop HIV Iowa

Seven swans-a-swimming…
…in nitrate-free water for Bill Stowe and Graham Gillette… under sunny skies for Ed Wilson…for Christie Anderson, who takes care of people and cats…and Jenn Hirakawa, who takes care of people and dogs…for everyone at Beckley Automotive…and at Alba…and the Embers… and the Roosevelt Barber Shop…for Mike Draper at Raygun… for Max Hawkins and his grandma and Max Giller and his dad…for Brian Gentry — and his mom and dad… for photographer Chris Donahue…for everyone named Vilsack and everyone named Ray…for Rob Barron and Omar Padilla at the innovative Latino Political Network… and for Michelle, the world’s greatest daughter-in-law. …

Six geese-a-laying…
…golden eggs to help finish the Y pool…for Zachary and Mackenzie and Christopher and Maggie, who are growing like weeds…for Jackie Schmillen and her pals at Channel 23’s Great Day…and their boss, Ted Stephens…for Van and Bonnie at WHO, the best radio duo since Don Bell and Sam (ask your grandfather)…and Steve Deace, always right but not always correct…for Steve Schainker in Ames and Teri Goodmann in Dubuque and Tom Morain in Lamoni, who know their stuff…for new police chief Dana Wingert and old chief Judy Bradshaw. …

Five golden rings…
…for Iowa Olympians past and present: Shawn Johnson and Dan Gable and Natasha Kaiser-Brown and Lolo Jones and Jennifer Baringer Simpson and John Koncak and Nancy Meendering Metcalf and, of course, Caitlyn Jenner…and the ambassadors: Ken Quinn and Mary Kramer and Sally Novetzke and, now, Swati Dandekar… for Michelle Yeoman…for all those generous Hubbells — and the Ruans, too…for Zach Voss and those young people with big ideas for Waterworks Park…for Zach’s dad, Carl, who helped save the Green Bridge…and so did Matt McCoy…and for the old pro Randy Peterson, who should avoid crowds. …

Four collie birds…
…for Paul Rhoads, a gentleman in good times and bad… for Emily Abbas…for Jim Cooney and his kids, who aren’t exactly kids anymore…for Frank Fogarty…for Katie Miller, who does everything effortlessly, and Celeste Jones, who magically makes this column fit each week…and for her boss and my boss, Shane Goodman…for Art Cullen and Doug Burns, the two best newspapermen in Iowa — but we’d add Ken Fuson and Marc Hansen to the list if they were still writing…for Gordy Allen, who does good things…and broadcasters Deene Ehlis, who has sort of retired, and Andy Fales, who now has to get up early, and Jan Mickelson, who we hope gets back on the air soon. …

Three french hens…
…for all those Marys Seidler and Kelly and Bernabe and Lawyer and Andringa and Swander and Mosiman and Maloney and Ferentz and Beh and Sayre and Cownie and Sellers and Pappajohn and Nelson and Radia and Pick and Brubaker and McAdams and Raffensperger and Stuart and Chind and Chapman and Riche and Newton and Herman…and Rosemary Moody and Rose Mary Pratt and Mary Beth Tinker and Maryanne Beno and Mary Ann Nielsen and Mary Lou Neugent…and how come no one names babies Mary these days — how come Mary has dropped to the 120th most popular name for girls from the No. 1 position for most of the first 60 years of the 1900s?…Legislators Mary Gaskill and Mary Mascher and Mary Lynn Wolfe should look into this. …

Two turtle doves…
…for Jennie Lillis Baranczyk and her exciting Drake basketball team…and her dad, too…and her boss, Sandy Hatfield Clubb…for Jimmy Centers and Jill Kozeny… for Pat Civatotte at the Italian Cultural Center…and the clever Beth Giudicessi, again the Employee of the Year… and Oliver, too…for Kelly Morris…for Jennie Allbee and Myrt Levin and Art Filean and Bruce Carr and Tory Morelock and Bill Keck and Harry Moulton and Dorie Fisher and Sandy and Denny O’Brien and Beau Gamble and Joanie Middleton and Marilyn Book and Tom Holm and everyone else planning the 60th reunion of the Roosevelt High class of 1956…and for Jennie’s husband, the courtly Judge Bob Allbee…and for Justice David Wiggins, who knows good pizza, and Gil Hodges’ granddaughter and her relatives at Taste of New York, who make it. (Gil Hodges? Ask your grandfather.). …

And a partridge in a pear tree…
…in memory of the kind and generous Melva Bucksbaum… and Santa Claus, who sometimes went under the name Rich Gilman…and supervisor Jack Bishop… and football’s John Keck…and David Stanley and Mark Smith, whose names were seldom in the same paragraph… and announcer Milo Hamilton…and Judge Don O’Brien, who cared, and Mayor Gene Maddox…and Priscilla Witke and Gloria Burnett and Carol Flansburg and Kathie Coleman…and the very sweet Mary Bryson… and Harriett Anderson, beloved by people and dogs…and Tom Wormley and Joe Harris and Bill Stauffer…and Gary Turnbull…and the nice John and Ellen Hunter… and lawyer Larry Scalise…and Dean Kleckner…and, especially, the wonderful Art Neu, wise and witty…and, always, the first Christopher. CV

One Comment

  1. Chuck Seel says:

    And to Mike Gartner, not only for remembering all of these wonderful people, present and past, but for also continue to put forth something in CV worth reading on a regular basis.

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