Shenanigans on the Boulevard
Retrospective

by Dennis Evanosky

I began writing this column 11 years ago under the moniker "Junkyard Dog." Then-Councilmember Dick Spees, now retired, bestowed this title on me after we met in 1993. I had just dealt with local criminals' use of pay phones in the Laurel for drug sales and pimping. Metro editor Toni Locke thought this a great title for a column, and our graphic designer Andreas Jones devised a heading with a barking Doberman pinscher. The design lived for some years. In 1997 at a Laurel street festival, the Laurel Community Action Project gave me an award. My name was not on the certificate, however. It just said "Junkyard Dog." Everyone knew who L-CAP meant.

Sad to say, a local Doberman breeder protested the "misrepresentation" of the breed, and we chose instead "Shenanigans on the Boulevard."

The essence of my role in writing this column has remained the same. "Listen, civic leaders," I said then and will continue to say, "Here's what I think is wrong." The press is not here to serve the government. The press is here to point out what needs to be fixed.

This column is not the news. This column is my opinion. Some years back, a subject of the column chose to launch a libel suit against me and the Metro. The courts rendered a decision in our favor, saying that it is clear that what you read under my photo is my opinion opinion I have a right to express and the Metro to publish, the court confirmed. The facts checked out as well.

I will always remember the late Jeannette Sherwin of OaklandNews.com and her "stick it to 'em" style. This warning to our civil servants bears repeating. "If you don't want to see it in print, don't let it happen." They were elected to be accountable, and "Shenanigans" is here to help them in this regard.