When David Botsko received a letter from the Davenport Civil Rights Commission (DCRC) dated March 16, 2000, notifying him that a former employee was suing him for discrimination and harassment, he could not have predicted that, nearly five years and approximately $40,000 later, he would still be defending his claim of innocence against a system that appears to simultaneously endow the DCRC with the powers and authority of a prosecutor, judge, and jury.

Now that the election is over, citizens can re-focus on the more immediate local issues that require their attention. Most important is the looming yet-to-be-officially-proposed-but-secretly-discussed-with-elected-officials "concept" of an 11-story casino hotel on downtown Davenport's limited riverfront.

This year's general election includes the race between incumbent Dennis Conard and former Davenport mayor Phil Yerington for Scott County sheriff. Both candidates boast long-term careers in criminal justice.

The sheriff's office has four primary areas of responsibility: jail management, courthouse security, service of all court orders, and rural-community policing.

It confounds me that many city leaders are framing the issue of a new casino hotel on Davenport's downtown riverfront as a remedy for the current riverboat casino facility, specifically the porte cochere that connects to the boat.