SC

Columbia’s “Mayor-In-Waiting” Wants Benefits For Politicians

TAMEIKA ISAAC DEVINE: POLITICIANS GOTTA GET PAID || By FITSNEWS || With the consequences of scandal reportedly closing in on Columbia, S.C. “mayorhood” Steve Benjamin, his heir apparent is sticking her hand in the taxpayer-funded cookie jar. Tameika Isaac Devine – no stranger to scandal herself – wants to give city council…

TAMEIKA ISAAC DEVINE: POLITICIANS GOTTA GET PAID

|| By FITSNEWS || With the consequences of scandal reportedly closing in on Columbia, S.C. “mayorhood” Steve Benjamin, his heir apparent is sticking her hand in the taxpayer-funded cookie jar.

Tameika Isaac Devineno stranger to scandal herself – wants to give city council members new insurance benefits and salary increases.  She also wants to make council members eligible for government retirement benefits after just three terms of service (or 12 years).

All for a part-time job …

“I don’t believe anybody (on council) doesn’t actually believe we don’t deserve to be looking at an increase,” Devine told The (Columbia, S.C.) State newspaper recently. “We are tasked with looking at city staff. No one else is tasked with looking at us. And if we don’t look at us, we get ignored.”

City workers aren’t happy …

“Full-time employees have to work twenty-eight years for retirement benefits,” one employee told us.

Ah, political math … you gotta love it!

Devine is widely viewed as the frontrunner to become Columbia’s next mayor in the event Benjamin is forced to resign his office (or hatches some other exit strategy) in the aftermath of his, um, “issues.”

Frankly we’re amazed she still has a job after it was revealed her mother, Veronica Isaac, procured a 2009 “stimulus” loan – the proceeds of which went to build a new office for Devine’s law firm.

Talk about “shovel-ready.”

We’ve said it before we’ll say it again: Columbia, S.C.’s government is a thugocracy, pure and simple.  Its leaders should be in jail, not running a municipality.

***

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59 comments

CayceMan September 15, 2015 at 9:18 am

If there is one person on earth who would sink Columbia lower than Mayor TBone, it is Tar Baby Devine.

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Thank you Captain Obvious September 15, 2015 at 9:25 am

“I don’t believe anybody (on council) doesn’t actually believe we don’t deserve to be looking at an increase,”

I wonder how many employees in the public or private sector don’t believe they deserve a raise.

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Triple Negatives September 15, 2015 at 9:50 am

“I don’t believe anybody (on council) doesn’t actually believe we don’t deserve to be looking at an increase,”

This sentence makes my head hurt.

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CorruptionInColumbia September 15, 2015 at 9:36 am

I saw either that article or one like it , somewhere recently. All I could think was, “bitch, you make more than enough money under the table, as is”. Who the hell does she think she is?

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Quietus September 15, 2015 at 2:51 pm

Is she knocked up again? Maybe she needs more $$$ for diapers and teething rings.

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Willie is real Sic September 15, 2015 at 9:37 am

“thugocracy”
Willie has pulled the racists’ card. It must be a slow day at FITS or he needs attention (more page views). Great Repub code!

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flip September 15, 2015 at 10:01 am

Nothing racist about the BLACK DEMOCRATS destroying and bankrupting EVERY major urban city in this country with shit like this.

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Racists! September 15, 2015 at 10:02 am

Some people see racism in every situation that arises. Paranoia is rarely self limiting.

I knew someone that was once hauled into a sensitivity meeting over suggesting a black colleague should buy his young son a “Curious George” when informed his son liked stuffed animals.

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Squishy123 September 15, 2015 at 10:51 am

Shut the fuck up Jesse/Al-wannabe.

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Flip/flop September 15, 2015 at 11:22 am

If one throws a rock into a bunch of dogs, the ones that are hit are the ones that bark and whine the loudest

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Quietus September 15, 2015 at 11:23 am

Good Morning T-Bone;

You’re out early, hope you didn’t drink too much last night.

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Doris September 15, 2015 at 9:46 am

But for her great friendship (Democrats) with Jean Toal – who runs the attorney grievance committee as her own personal reward and punish chamber – Devine would not have a law license.

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Old RC lawyer September 15, 2015 at 9:48 am

More benefits for city councilmen? I thought that’s what they had the Water Department for. Or did Coble and Cromatie completely deplete those reserves?

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"on council" September 15, 2015 at 9:56 am

“I don’t believe anybody (on council) doesn’t actually believe we don’t deserve to be looking at an increase,”

I’m glad the “on council” was added in because you know you have approximately 133,358 people not on the council that all say they really actually believe they DONT deserve to be looking at an increase. Its criminal how they act, how they vote, how they work, how they get kick backs, and in old EW’s case criminal is a EXACT word.

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Nölff September 15, 2015 at 10:09 am

Take take take

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The Colonel September 15, 2015 at 11:20 am

Take, take Take

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The Colonel September 15, 2015 at 11:20 am

I’m you booty man

that’s what I am

Reply
The Colonel September 15, 2015 at 11:20 am

Shake

Shake

Reply
The Colonel September 15, 2015 at 11:21 am
Col.Flagg September 15, 2015 at 11:32 am

They got you RINO’s to take the confederate flag down NOW they want a raise! Appeasement of the enemy never produces results. Was the flag worth it?

The Colonel September 15, 2015 at 11:54 am

Was taking down the flag worth it? Yes.

In 1867, Thaddeus Stevens sponsored a bill for the redistribution of land to African Americans – it didn’t pass. The argument comes up every few years to this day.

On July 28, 1951, Father M.J. Divine (Father Divine) issued a “peace stamp” that proclaimed: “Peace! All nations and peoples who have suppressed and oppressed the under-privileged, they will be obliged to pay the African slaves and their descendants for all uncompensated servitude and for all unjust compensation, whereby they have been unjustly deprived of compensation on the account of previous condition of servitude and the present condition of servitude. This is to be accomplished in the defense of all other under-privileged subjects and must be paid retroactive up-to-date”. – it didn’t happen. The argument comes up every few years.

Various times in state history: The Confederate Flag is raised over the state house to celebrate Confederate memorial day.

1938: The Confederate flag is raised in the South Carolina House chambers. NAACP complains.

1956 : The flag is raised in the Senate. NAACP Complains.

1962: The Confederate flag is raised over the State House to commemorate the Civil War centennial. The resolution calling for this doesn’t specify when the flag will come down. NAACP Complains

1970s-1980s: Black lawmakers and others call for the flag’s removal. NAACP Complains.

1993: State Attorney General Travis Medlock says there’s no legal reason to keep flying the flag. NAACP Complains.

1994: Black ministers and National NAACP Chairman William Gibson of Greenville threaten a boycott. Columbia Mayor Bob Coble and business leaders sue to force the flag’s removal. Lawmakers fail to pass legislation to remove the flag from the capitol dome and put two Confederate flags on the grounds. NAACP complains.

1995: Legislators pass a law to protect the flag during renovations of the capitol building and give lawmakers sole power to remove it. Coble drops his lawsuit. NAACP complains

1996: Republican Gov. David Beasley proposes moving the flag to a State House monument. NAACP Complains.

1997: The House rejects Beasley’s plan but passes a flag bill that the Senate lets die. In March, Beasley concedes defeat on the issue. NAACP complains.

1998: In September, Beasley repeats his pledge to never again try to remove flag. Democratic challenger Jim Hodges also promises not to revive the issue. Hodges defeats Beasley, thanks in part to the influence of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. In October, the NAACP demonstrates at the State House.

1999: In June, black lawmakers find that legislative manual covers are printed with images showing the flag in the background. On July 15, the national NAACP passes a boycott resolution. Five days later, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference moves its annual 2000 convention from Charleston. Hodges meets with NAACP leaders and begins polling lawmakers. NAACP complains.

2000: The NAACP boycott begins Jan. 1. At a presidential debate, a question on the flag prompts boos. The next day, Jan. 8, more than 6,000 flag supporters march on the capitol. On Jan. 17, more than 45,000 flag opponents march on the State House in a Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration. A month later, Hodges proposes moving the flag to an out-of-the-way monument, but that goes nowhere. In April, Charleston Mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr. walks 120 miles to Columbia in a five-day anti-flag protest. NAACP complains.

The Senate votes to take the flag down April 12. The House does so May 10. A compromise version of the bills is worked out. Hodges signs it May 23.

The Senate removes its Confederate flag June 30. The House follows July 1. The Confederate flag is lowered from the State House dome. Moments later, Civil War re-enactors raise a smaller, square version of the flag nearby. It’s the South Carolina Infantry battle flag, and it’s on a 30-foot flagpole at the Confederate Soldier Monument directly in front of the capitol, along busy Gervais Street. NAACP complains.

The compromise says the flag can be lowered only with approval of the Legislature. NAACP complains.

2001: The NCAA says South Carolina can’t hold any post-season sporting events whose locations are pre-determined as long as the flag flies. NAACP complains.

January 2004: About 2,000 people march to the State House on MLK Day, renewing calls for the flag’s removal.

January 2008: Republican presidential candidate John McCain defends his opposition eight years earlier to the flag flying in South Carolina. Republican presidential contender Mike Huckabee says South Carolina should decide whether to fly the flag. NAACP complains.

May 2010: Only two of the six Democrat and Republican governor hopefuls say they would consider moving the flag. NAACP complains.

October 2014: Democratic gubernatorial candidate Vincent Sheheen tries to shake up the race, calling for the flag to come down. NAACP complains.

November 2014: A survey of 852 South Carolina residents by Winthrop University asks whether the flag should continue to fly. The results: 42.4 percent strongly believe it should stay put. Further, 53.3 percent of whites feel strongly that it should stay, and 51.1 percent of blacks feel strongly that it should be removed.

June 17, 2015: Nine people are killed in a shooting massacre at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston. Police charge Dylann Roof, who is white. NAACP complains.

June 18, 2015: Gov. Nikki Haley orders the state and U.S. flags at the State House lowered to half-staff for nine days to honor the dead. The Confederate flag doesn’t move because of the 2000 compromise, which requires Legislature approval to lower it. NAACP complains.

June 20, 2015: Republican Rep. Doug Brannon says he’ll file a bill in December, the first opportunity to do so, to move the flag and pole to the state’s Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum. That evening, flag opponents rally in Columbia. NAACP complains.

June 22, 2015: Gov. Nikki Haley reverses her position and says the Confederate flag should be removed from the State House grounds: “One hundred and fifty years after the end of the Civil War, the time has come.” Several national and state legislators and leaders say they agree with Haley.

Also, the White House says President Barack Obama believes the flag should no longer be flown anywhere, but he doesn’t have authority over that decision.

Shortly after Haley’s announcement, Mississippi’s Republican House speaker, Philip Gunn, says the Confederate battle emblem is offensive and should be removed from the state flag, and GOP and Democratic lawmakers in Tennessee call for a bust of Confederate general and early KKK leader Nathan Bedford Forrest to be removed from an alcove outside Senate chambers. And Wal-Mart says it’s removing items featuring the flag from shelves and its website.

June 23, 2015: South Carolina lawmakers take their first step toward removing the flag from their State House grounds. The measure enabling lawmakers to debate the flag removal later this summer passes the House by a vote of 103-10. The Senate later approves it with a voice vote. NAACP finally has to STFU about it.

If for no other reason than shutting Dr. Lonnie”diabetes” Randolph Jr. up, it was worth it.

Col.Flagg September 15, 2015 at 12:34 pm

You surrendered sir. Why do you think all these law enforcement officers are being killed? Taking that confederate flag down after being blackmailed by the race hustlers and social agitators seeking to destroy this country only emboldened groups like Black Lives Matter.

Debbie WasserMAN Shultz THANKED Black Lives Matter for getting that flag taken down.

The Colonel September 15, 2015 at 1:05 pm

Yep you’re right I did it its all my fault you can blame me I’ll never be able to show my face in public again…

Col. Flagg September 15, 2015 at 1:21 pm

Na.You seem like a good guy.Carry on.

The Colonel September 15, 2015 at 1:31 pm

Oh, thank you, thank you I don’t know what I would have done without your blessing.

I Know! September 15, 2015 at 4:48 pm

Probably more than what you could do with it.

Mandingo September 15, 2015 at 5:25 pm

We will hold you to that promise…..now if there was some way to ban your ignorant, racist ass from this website!

Col.Flagg September 15, 2015 at 12:41 pm

Standing tall upon the soapbox, the throaty purveyor of pluralism with the overprocessed perm started out with some praise for young misinformed activists: “I’m proud of the young people who have been pushing the Black Lives Matter movement. We brought the Confederate flag down. We made sure that symbols of hate are unacceptable in America.”

Read more: http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2015/08/debbie_wasserman_schultz_redefines_vulgar.html#ixzz3lpHRJhEP
Follow us: @AmericanThinker on Twitter | AmericanThinker on Facebook

Stand with the socialists and American haters Colonel….rest of us left to defend this great nation from the destruction of the moral and cultural foundations that this country was founded on will FIGHT on at the ballot box of TRUTH.

Squishy123 September 15, 2015 at 2:03 pm

And that is why Disco sucked.

FED UP!! September 15, 2015 at 10:28 am

It’s what these BASTARDS do best! The General Ass. gets benefits after only 8 years!!
They get outlandish taxpayer funded retirements, taxpayer gets higher taxes!
They get gold plated medical. benefits, taxpayers get higher co-pays and higher taxes!
They get free travel, taxpayers get crappy roads and higher taxes!
They get free meals, taxpayers get crumbs and higher taxes!
They get Lobbyist goodies, taxpayers get the shaft and higher fees and taxes!

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Quietus September 15, 2015 at 10:34 am

The city is falling apart at the seams and the people that caused it and are refusing to fix it are asking for a raise?

The entire outside plant of the water and waste water systems in most areas inside the city need to be completely rebuilt they’ve been neglected so long.

The moral of the fire department it’s below ground and still digging. The fire chief isn’t qualified to fight a Kleenex fire in the middle of Lake Murray, and half the command staff isn’t much better. All the experienced people retired, or were ran of by this and the previous incompetent administration. Engine and ladder companies are short staffed everyday because Irmo now pays better than Columbia so keeping good firefighters is almost impossible. Any know who’s running short today? Engine 4, 6, 8, 9, 14, 16, 24, 31, 32??? Ladder 7, 8, 9, 14? Rescue 2, 3, 4, 5? How long before they are all running short and not just rotating “blackouts” how long before Rescue 1 and Engine 1 runs short. How long before ISO figures out the slight of hand and takes the Class 2 rating away and replaces it with a 3, 4, or 5. (Since water service and fire both play in to ratings) How long before someone gets killed due to lack of personnel?

The police department is in much the same shape as the fire department. Their chief is obviously using Columbia as a stepping stone to something bigger and more grand. All the experience is gone, hacks run the place and the council still can’t stop meddling in day to day operational affairs.

Why is Whaley St, Main St and Five-Points always flooding? The city gets more rain per year than many rain forests. This problem has been going on for years. Why isn’t it fixed? Why isn’t traffic engineering and storm water engineering working on the problem. It’s not that complex, more water needs to be moved away faster. Bigger pipes, better openings. The people in these departments can’t be that stupid, obviously the city doesn’t want to pay for it.

The city is being sued to the tune of 100s of millions of dollars by retired FD and PD personnel for reneging on promised benefits. Because of incompetence and mismanagement the city cut benefits that were promised from the 1960s going forward in to the 2000s. Now that Jean has been kicked out of her Toal House on Assembly St it looks like the Columbia will lose the lawsuit and be further up the creek or down the hole.

Of course all of the above are real problems, and solving those aren’t things they city is interested in. They are interested in dog parks, baseball stadiums, buy more land to build roads to the baseball stadium and build a park (complete with indoor pool) on Bull Street, and streetscaping every damn road in Columbia to hide the blight they caused rather than spend money to fix it.

These 6 Council people and the mayor along with their City Mis-Manager Theresa WIlson don’t deserve raises, they need their pay cut to nothing and an all expense paid vacation courtesy of The State of South Carolina in the Grey Bar Hotel located at – Lieber Correctional Institute 136 Wilborn Ave, Ridgeville, SC 29472.

The city should be placed in receivership and ran by a competent manager overseen by an appointed tribunal consisting of one Circuit Court Judge, one Civil Engineer and one Member of the local Clergy until such time as a functional form of government can be reinstated in elections held.

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Squishy123 September 15, 2015 at 10:50 am

But they’re buying up land in the hood regions for basketball courts.

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Quietus September 15, 2015 at 11:32 am

They can get all the free land in the hood areas they want. It’s easy condemn more crack houses.

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Rodney C. Queen September 15, 2015 at 11:33 am

This place was such a nicer place until you came back and started posting racist comments.

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Quietus September 15, 2015 at 11:44 am

That wasn’t racist, it was the truth. There is a difference. I can take you to crack house alley and heroin alley. You really don’t want to be in those hoods though.

Squishy123 September 15, 2015 at 2:03 pm

That would take jobs away from the people in those neighborhoods.

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Town Crier September 15, 2015 at 12:27 pm

Quietus…thank you!

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Soft Sigh from Hell September 15, 2015 at 5:00 pm

Should be a guest editorial in The State.

Deserves a wider audience. Deserves further discussion.

Sadly, Columbia, like not a few state agencies, can’t ever seem to solve anything.

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BrigidBernadette September 16, 2015 at 11:18 pm

or a guest editorial here.

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Squishy123 September 15, 2015 at 10:50 am

Chocolate City gets what it deserves. You vote those crooks into office election after election. It’s one reason why people move out of Columbia.

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what do you expect? September 15, 2015 at 5:41 pm

its not like most people have a choice. the council has rigged the out com of the elections based on district lines.

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rwwllms September 15, 2015 at 11:02 am

Change the city’s name to New Detroit.

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Columbia September 15, 2015 at 11:06 am

Look into west Columbia and the benefits they get for being on council. And look at who is taking them while working at another job. Tax papers getting the screws put to them

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Tazmaniac September 15, 2015 at 11:24 am

What is it with our National and State’s Capitals? The majority are progressive run ghetto shit holes. It makes zero sense to me, especially in so called ” Red ” states.

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erneba September 15, 2015 at 11:35 am

They will cause an exodus from the city and that means all the producers will leave and the city will be full of takers. That has been the syndrome in just about every major city taken over by Democrats.
Let them wallow in what they have created, it will be a bigger version of SC State University.

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flip September 15, 2015 at 11:39 am

Same thing is happening in all the major cities.They all use the same blueprint-enslave the people in poverty,hopelessness,crime and make damn sure they vote Democrat so the cycle is NEVER broken.

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erneba September 15, 2015 at 11:47 am

Yeah, Columbia will evolve into a mini Baltimore, Chicago, Birmingham, etc. Corruption and fiscal irresponsibility will abound. If you think Columbia is the pits now, just wait till the real party starts. People will think that they can simply vote and steal their way to prosperity.

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bobbyfischer September 15, 2015 at 12:53 pm

It’s sad but this article is point on. And the constituency of Bengi & Isaac will suffer the most.

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Rocky Verdad September 15, 2015 at 12:53 pm

Wil, might want to check up on GE. Seems they’re pulling some of those crony capitalist jobs out of SC because of the delay on Ex-Im. Glad we won’t have those crony salaries for crony familes.

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Yelsewh September 15, 2015 at 12:54 pm

“Devine is widely viewed as the frontrunner to become Columbia’s next mayor in the event Benjamin is forced to resign his office…”

The only person who believes that line of bs is Tameika Devine.

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Centrist View September 15, 2015 at 3:42 pm

Politicians-with-Benefits

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Elfego September 15, 2015 at 7:00 pm

These folks are in politics for one reason,to fill their pockets. If they truly cared for the people they represent most would do it for nothing. I think we should get a group of retired people to run these jobs anyway.Politicians are nothing but leeches!

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Lone Ranger September 15, 2015 at 7:11 pm

Tameika also thought it would be devine if Columbia’s finest hid Ben’s DUI report
She said…long as we kin tax them white folk outta the city–reelect us–we good sports !!!

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Mom September 15, 2015 at 8:01 pm

She forgot about dental insurance, paid maternity leave, company cell phone, company car, and in-house massage therapists.

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Slartibartfast September 15, 2015 at 8:27 pm

“I don’t believe anybody doesn’t actually believe we don’t deserve to be looking at an increase.”

Well.. Nobody doesn’t like Sara Lee..

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Soft Sigh from Hell September 15, 2015 at 8:29 pm

Race? It was just as bad when Mayor Blob was running things. And the whites on the council have been less than great shakes.

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Town Crier September 15, 2015 at 9:19 pm

Y’all have a bunch of Republicans to thank for helping get her elected in the first damn place. Their leader? JOE WILSON.

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Toyota Kawaski September 16, 2015 at 8:53 am

A Tamekia is exactly what Columbia needs!!!! I mean soon Nimrata is gone why not bring in a Tamekia?

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