Kaye Hartman is a keeper

So far, Newark City Council has delayed action on the mayor's proposal to dump Kaye Hartman from her job as superintendent of Cedar Hill Cemetery. Should that come to pass before the election, it would be interesting to see how it might affect Bain's already-dim prospects.

Having Kaye Hartman as a sort-of neighbor gives me a close-up view of her performance that other citizens don't have. My property borders Cedar Hill Cemetery and I have a wide view of most of the 125 acres therein. I know when it's being taken care of and how well it's been taken care of and I can testify that Kaye is taking care of it well as can be expected, given the administration's reduction of her employees.

Also, I know when I see a set of headlights cruising the roadways after dark that it's Kaye, checking the grounds, ensuring that visitors have cleared out, that there are no troublesome punks on the loose.

She's providing security for the cemetery that is implied by the work agreement she has with the city, which says she must live there in the city-owned house. In fact, she said there is an ordinance on the books since 1909 which mandates that as well.

But here comes Mayor Bain with yet another knee-jerk proposal to add to his knee-jerk trophy case. He would not only end the job of cemetery superintendency, but move into that superintendent's home some other city offices. He mentioned this in his rambling "investigation" report to WCLT, which that station played - with no balance or rebuttal from anyone - for an entire day, I'm told.

I suspect that Bain's antics on this matter are pissing off a lot more folks than just me. There are something like 38,000 families with relatives buried at Cedar Hill, according to the city's web site. Many of them are still active in the upkeep of graves, and there appears to be thousands. Likely, many of them know Kaye and know that she's a fine lady as well as a competent city employee.

So if Bain proceeds with this plan, watch the pot parties begin and the tombstones tumble. It will demonstrate - again - the disadvantage of pulling city administrative decisions from one's rectum.

As for the sex predator that lived in the superintendent's residence for five weeks, here's what that's about, straight from my conversation yesterday with Kaye - since neither the Advocate nor WCLT have given it proper balance.

The man in question is the son of one of Kaye's friends, 45-year-old Danny Mains, whom Kaye has known since he was about six. His mother told Kaye that Danny, who had served eight years in prison, had no place to live, no food, no job, and asked if Kaye could help.

Kaye has for 40-some years dedicated a lot of her time and energy to the work of the Salvation Army, growing up under a mother whose picture hangs at the Army headquarters in Newark in honor of her dedication and effort. People who were down and out were forever being brought to Kaye's family home and helped. That mind-set kicked in when Kaye was asked for help with Danny.

She took him in and helped him find work for a while. During his stay at the home on cemetery grounds he lived by Kaye's rules: no drinking, no drugs, no smoking inside the house, and no bringing his girlfriend into the house.

As has been said over and over, there is no city policy to regulate such use of the house, nor is there a violation of predator residency laws. In other words, nothing illegal or immoral occurred. A man was aided by a Good Samaritan, and I think the real people of Newark have nothing but admiration for that person.

Kaye told me yesterday: Jesus said - when you've done it to the least of them, you've done it to me. "That's how I live."

Would that city fathers could do as well.