Hello

Hello to all you followers of this blog, and those who stumbled upon this blog in a failed attempt to book a hotel room or achieve some other productive task.

Let's get ourselves up to date. Since 2002, I've had a catering company, which I have operated in the pursuit of profit. About a year ago, I expanded those operations to include a restaurant, a move that crowded out my blogging time, amongst other things.

Recently, I learned that "restaurant" is an old Latin term meaning "the worst way to make a living other than jobs that put you in physical danger". Upon becoming aware of this disaster-in-the-making, I quickly shut down the restaurant operation, in favor of the safety and lack of consequences offered by the world of blogging!

I have also been involved in the Mayoral campaign of Chris Fox, managing to deliver photos such as this one:

and this one:

And, for those loyal readers of the blog, I am happy to inform you that Mrs. Politics is as cheeky as ever.

Hopefully, with any luck, I will now be able to provide more than 1 update per 3 months, so that you, the reading public, can enjoy the biased commentary that I enjoy providing!

Public Hearing 2/23/09: Live Blog

Here again, all is well.

Welcome to the bi-monthly live blog of the exiting municipal proceedings of the Annapolis City Government. As always, anybody correctly guessing the ending time of the meeting is entitled to a complimentary sandwich prepared by one of my minions from the catering conglomerate that bought the computer I am typing with right now.

The call of capitalism was extra loud and extra early today, but I had an emergency cup of coffee late in the afternoon and some frosted mini-wheats (no milk) while I was driving over here, so I should have enough energy to see this post through, provided we aren't here past 11 pm.

7:06

We are starting and all the Aldermen are here. No nonsense, and we are in to public testimony right away.

PUBLIC HEARINGS:

CA-01-09: Technical Correction Charter Amendment.

-nobody testified

O-02-09: Technical Amendments to City Election Code.

-nobody testified

O-43-08: Business Community Identification Sign in Non-Residential Zoning Districts.

-I don't know what a "business community identification sign" is.

-Apparently it's an unofficial title that a group of businesses may want to bestow upon themselves, such as the "Annapolis Design District" as suggested by the person testifying now. This would theoretically attract people to the area. The bill would allow these signs.

-The planning commission recommends against the ordinance for a lack of specificity and because we already have sign laws. Arnett doesn't like the bill because it changes the laws of the whole city to benefit one specific ward and in fact just a few specific businesses.

-I've reached my 7 minute maximum of paying attention to the City Sign Code so I will not be paying attention again until the next bill comes up.

7:37

Update: they are still talking about signs. I am making revisions to menus. You can contact the city clerk to find out what they were talking about.

7:45

Ok, we're back.

O-01-09: Notification of BPA by Retailers

-This bill was dead but now it's back in a different form.

-Pro-business lobbyists are lobbying against the bill because it would negatively affect sales and is a pain in the ass to comply with. The Mayor is arguing with these lobbyists because she likes to argue, and perhaps because of other reasons.

-Alderman Arnett just referenced the surgeon general.

(Update #2: the following Alderman have not said anything yet at all today: Israel, Cordle, Stankivic, Shropshire.)

-Chemist: "consensus about safety of BPA", plus FDA is currently assessing the situation so let them finish

-Canada: "the general public need not be worried (about BPA)....it does not pose a health risk"

-Arnett: what the rest of the world thinks doesn't matter because we have different consumption patterns than them

-Chemist: consumption patterns are close enough

-Blogger (passionately): report referenced by the city says that there isn't any data for what BPA would do to humans, and city doesn't have the resources or expertise to figure out what the data might be, plus there are a lot of things that are dangerous and we don't require signs for those, plus it's not the city's job to warn people about this.

8:26

O-07-09: Compensation of Mayor and Aldermen

-bill would increase mayoral pay by 70% and aldermanic pay by 50%

-aldermanic candidate: "strong opposition", "out of touch with current economic climate", "pure and simple economic irresponsibility"

-Cordle: "public service should not be penalized"

-It's somewhat stunning that many people are taking the position that $70,000 can't put food on the table. It might not buy you the life you want, but that's a decent living. That being said, I think these people need to make more money. If there isn't a city manager, the city administrator should be eliminated and the mayor should make $120,000 because that position would be doing everything. A major reason for supporting the city manager proposal is that by hiring a professional manager, you can make sure that your $120,000 buys someone qualified. But since the council killed that proposal, here we are.

-Most arguments about this are political, such as "they don't deserve this", or "this isn't the right time to be giving a raise of this amount". But the fact is, the pay won't be adjusted again for 4 years, and this recession will (knock on wood) be a distant memory at that point. The elected positions are underpaid now, even given the assumption that all elected positions will be underpaid in relation to the private market. And not only does the new compensation have to make up for the positions being underpaid, it has to cover a 4 year period, as it won't be raised each year.

-Arnett: "never a good time" for increases in elected official pay

-There seems to be some sensible discussion about having incremental increases (pre approved).

-There is a logical argument against the bill that we do not have a problem with recruiting, therefore we do not need to move along the demand curve (offer a bigger salary) to attract more people. The caveat would be that we are more likely to attract a qualified candidate if the offer is for more money.

-The mayor is quick to emphasize that the commission recommending a $120,000 mayoral salary was making a value recommendation, whereas the council clearly must make a political decision.

-Finlayson: "we need to stop thinking of paying our Mayor and Aldermen as something dirty or foul"

9:23

Alderman Sam just referred to his own quote in the newspaper, but this does not fulfill his quota of addressing the viewing public on television.

9:25

Alderman Paone just called out Alderman Sam for "BEGGING" the compensation committee to double his pay, then denying it in front of this television audience! Incredible! I mean Alderman Paone is really laying into him. Perhaps most impressive is how Alderman Paone worked in the viewing audience before Alderman Sam did!! "You are saying something 180 degrees different than what you said at that meeting"!! Tune in to the TV broadcast right now because my hands are tired and I can explain the drama that is going on.

9:30

Shout out to all my old homeboys in ward 5.

-Israel: we should be taking this up along with the budget process.

9:46

-The chairman of the compensation committee just said that she knows that there were people waiting to announce their candidacy for mayor because they were waiting to see how much it would pay.

We are about to start some voting.

R-60-08: Waiving $210,000 in permit fees for the Lighthouse Shelter. Amended to waiving only $123,000. PASSES 7-2 (Cordle, Stankivic)

O-08-09: Lease of City Property To Cricket Communications (allows a cell phone tower on the top of a water tank for 5 years for $42,000, it would appear): PASSES ON FIRST READER.

R-14-09: Requesting That The School Board Continue To Let Us Use Their Schools For Elections. PASSES ON FIRST READER, THEN RULES SUSPENDED AND PASSED FOR REAL. 9-0.

Meeting adjourns at 10:35.

Cordle To Make "Major Address"

Wasting no time after the defeat of the city manager proposal, Ward 5 Alderman Dave Cordle is set to make a big announcement at the Wednesday Republican Breakfast Club, which meets at the Eastport Yacht Club at exactly 7:30 every Wednesday morning.

The 'major address' will most certainly be Cordle's formal announcement of his candidacy for Mayor.

It has been theorized that Alderman Cordle would only run for Mayor if he had the prospect of the power that the office currently holds. With that power intact and a $50,000 mayoral pay raise on the table, it seems that Alderman Cordle is rushing to join the party, at least officially.

This is an interesting political move by the Alderman from the city's most glamorous ward. For about the past year, Alderman Cordle has been careful to support most of Ward 1's causes, correctly speculating that a successful Republican candidacy would need their support. With a
'no' vote on City Manager, Cordle has squarely abandoned this strategy, and it will be interesting to see the consequences that he might face.

If not the only Republican candidate, Corlde is still the most viable candidate for the primary election for his party.

City Council Meeting 2/9/09: Live Blog

Greetings and salutations. The pre-meeting festivities tonight began with the city elevator getting stuck while carrying the Mayor, the City Clerk, and myself, and continues now with a presentation of the history of this city hall building. Early hopes are for a quick meeting tonight, so anybody looking to win a pulled pork sandwich by guessing the correct time of the meeting's end should guess accordingly.

7:10

I have learned that the people giving the presentation about the building are actually part of the company that has been hired to fix the building. You may remember that parts of the council chambers actually fell from the ceiling some time ago. You may also remember the air conditioning fiasco.

7:30

Don't worry, we aren't starting on time. Just a heads up, we are scheduled to have a vote on the city manager tonight.

7:38

Ok, now we're starting. Everyone is here.

7:41

We are now in committee reports, the time of the meeting when I check my email.

7:43

Alderman Shropshire just "invited the public" to do something, which is not the same as addressing the viewing public on television, for those scoring at home.

7:48

No new emails. (I answered most of them on my Blackberry.)

8:01

The chair of the compensation committee reports that the "modest and incremental approach to compensation taken by the last committee has led to an erosion of the mayor's salary in constant dollars and may have contributed to salary inequities."

8:16

The compensation committee is still speaking. They are currently offering testimony on what I would consider the fringe of the purview of "compensation", just now suggesting that Aldermen should have access to meeting spaces, the right to purchase city health care, and the ability to hire interns.

8:24

The mayor suggests that the compensation committee recommendations reflect a 'value standard' of pay, as opposed to the political considerations of voting pay raises for elected officials, appropriately putting into perspective the dilemma attached to paying yourself with other people's money.

8:30

Scheduled for a vote tonight is a bill that would exempt the Lighthouse Shelter from paying permits on some new construction they are doing, in an amount north of $200,000 I think. There is a Lighthouse rep here appealing for its passage, probably because the idea was met with ample negativity during public hearing.

8:50

VOTING TIME!

CA-04-08: City Manager (The Better One)

Ok, it looks like the Aldermen are going to speak their minds before the actual vote happens. Paone says that his generation hated Nixon, but never contemplated changing the national government. Sounds like a negative vote from him upcoming. He acknowledged himself as being the "swing" vote on this measure, and seems to be pre-justifying what he is apparently about to do. He is also suggesting a the lobbying effort from both sides on him, and his disappointment that both sides were so entrenched on their views before public hearings that such rhetoric as the Magna Carta or the Declaration of Independence would not have swayed their viewpoint. He is expressing his loneliness at being the only person listening to both sides, only to be accused of waffling! "I did what I'm paid to do".

Alderman Paone is laying groundwork to suggest that a change of such magnitude should obtain the consent of the people through referendum, and seems unwilling to cast his vote in favor without that direct approval of the citizenry, which we won't get without quite a concerted effort. Looks like this bill is going down.

For those of you who may be watching, or not, there is an embarrassment of parliamentary procedure going on right now. What happened was there was a vote to end debate and call the question (meaning proceed to the vote on the bill), which passed. So, the bill was now on the table. The mayor asked for votes, there were several "yes" votes, and zero "no" votes. After that, they all said "what are we voting for", ignoring the fact that they had just voted the bill into law. But, they deliberated a while, and effectively voted again.

Here is the roll call:
Moyer: NO
Israel: YES
Paone: NO
Hoyle: NO
Finlayson: NO
Cordle: N0
Stankivic: YES
Shropshire:YES
Arnett:YES

CA 04-09 FAILS.

Now the other one, CA-06. This really wouldn't change that much. And it FAILS.

O-39-08: Later Closing Hours For Wine Bars In The MX Zone: PASSES 6-2 (Stankivic and Shropshire, Hoyle abstains.)

O-48-08: Temporary Parking Changes On Maryland Ave and Hanover St.: PASSES (I missed the roll call).

R-60-08: Wavier Of Fees For Lighhouse Shelter: POSTPONED.

R-62-08: Authorizing The Negotiation of a PILOT For Admiral Oaks: PASSES 6-3 (Paone, Stankivic, Shropshire).

R-04-09: Environmental Compliance Inspector: PASSES 8-1 (Stankvic)

FIRST READER PASSAGES:

O-04-09: Sandwich Board Signs
O-05-09: Invasive Plants
O-06-09: False Alarms
R-10-09: Fines For False Alarms
O-07-09: Compensation of Mayor And Aldermen
R-11-09: First Sundays 2009
R-12-09: March Madness Sidewalk Sale
R-13-09: Support of a Federal Carbon Tax and Dividend

Meeting ends at.......9:39 (ish).

Hefty Raises Proposed For Mayor And Aldermen

I haven't been following the newspapers or other blogs so I don't know if it has been already reported, but then again I don't care if you've already read about this because I feel like writing about it.

O-07-09, on first reader tonight proposes to increase the salary of the Mayor from $70,000 to $120,000, and the salary of the Aldermen from $12,600 to $18,500.

The 71.4% increase in the Mayor's salary and the 46.8% increase to the Aldermen would be large by any measure. However, the pay for Aldermen would still be woefully inadequate for the job they are asked to do. The Mayor's salary is up for debate. For a Mayor under the current power scheme, it's probably closer to appropriate than inappropriate. For a Mayor under a council-manager form of government, it's too much.

My guess is that the supporters of a strong mayor will try and pass this bill to assign more prestige to the office and try and keep things the way they are. My other guess is that the public will be furious to award the Mayor's office more money after the disappointments of the current office holder.

Israel Will Not Run For Mayor

Contrary to mounting suspicion, and the expectations of some Ward 1 higher-up's, Dick Israel will not run for Mayor. I recently renewed my Capital subscription, which allows me to publish the following:

Alderman Richard Israel, D-Ward 1, has revealed that he will not run for
mayor in this fall's municipal elections.

Rather, Mr. Israel, 66, said he will seek another term as alderman.

Mr. Israel, who has been fighting Parkinson's disease, said his health
would prevent him from serving as a full-time mayor.

He touted that he has never missed a council meeting, and said he still
wants to focus on strengthening the city.

In deference to Alderman Israel's potential bid for mayor, the Ward 1 Residents Assn. has heretofore declined to invite potential mayoral candidates to speak, a practice that will likely end given this news.

I can say with some (although not total) confidence that this comes as a surprise. I have heard election chatter involving strategy to compete with the good Alderman. I would surmise that the threat of a heated primary campaign with opponents assailing his health was a formidable factor, in addition to the actual hardships of such a disease.

I disagree with Alderman Israel's policy towards bars, amongst other things, but I find him to be the most prepared and knowledgeable Alderman on the council. Every time he sponsors a bill, most of the other Alderman immediately ask to be named as co-sponsors, presumably because they can be assured that the bill is well researched and will probably be helpful to the city.

I wish him luck in his next campaign.

City Council Meeting 1/12/09: Live Blog

Welcome to the first live blog of 2009! I have immediately exploited my VIP contacts, learning that the boat show lease is due to be given without at least one of the parties being heard by the economic matters committee. The agenda for today's meeting confirms that the bills containing the underlying leases have not been given a recommendation by committee, a process that usually takes place prior to a bill receiving a final vote.

Also, I asked Tony Evans what he thought about Aldermanic term limits, and he said "We have term limits--they are called elections." I laughed*.

(*With political humor, you have to take what you can get.)

7:27

Pretty sparse attendance tonight. The mayor and Alderman Paone just walked in together, and both are wearing light blue shirts. I like to think they met for an afternoon tea and coordinated their attire.

All the Alderman are here, as is the city attorney, having recently regained his certification.

7:33

Attendance has picked up a bit. Amongst the audience are a baby and a dog, prompting a race between the Republican and Democrat Central Committees to get new voter registrations.

While I have a chance, allow me to introduce a new game. Anybody correctly guessing the ending time (to the minute) of a city council meeting will receive a complimentary tray of pulled pork bbq from my restaurant! Additionally, anybody correctly guessing the amount of next year's budget (within $20,000) will win a fully catered party!

7:39

The dogs in the audience are actually fire department dogs, and each of them won first place in one of the past 2 years (respectively) in a fire dog competition in Florida. We witnessed a demonstration where one of the dogs found and removed a tennis ball from a floor grate, an act that certainly must have been approved by city engineers so as not to damage the structural integrity of City Hall.

7:50

The Mayor announced that the city settled a lawsuit against it regarding Moreland Parkway. Basically, Moreland Pkwy was a road that nobody wanted to take responsibility for, and potholes would happen all the time because neither the city, nor the county, nor any private interests maintained the road. I remember one day where one of the business owners from that street stood in the middle of the road in protest, and I imagine that the lawsuit was soon to follow. The Mayor informs us that, as a result of the settlement, the city is taking title to the street, and has to pay $60,000 to somebody--implicitly to make up for the fact that they were wrong in the matter.

7:55

Alderman Israel, on behalf of the rules committee, has endorsed the consideration and juxtaposition of two city manager bills before the council: CA-5 and CA-6. (The better one is CA-5). He recommends quick action, so if the voters want to try and petition the matter to a referendum, they can do so before the election.

On a side note, the committees are actually reporting today, which is in stark contrast to the norm, where they say when they are meeting next, and why the last meeting was cancelled.

7:57

I have been informed by a blog follower that Alderman Sam announced his candidacy for Mayor on Facebook today, and plans to announce formally at the City Dock on Friday. Sadly, I cannot confirm this because Alderman Sam and I are not Facebook Friends, but I am inclined to endorse this supposition on the grounds that (1) he is ambitious and (2) it comes with more money and power than Ward 7 Alderman.

8:04

It's time for the public to speak (out of turn). Doug Smith wants an expanded discussion and debate on the city manager issue. On a related note, I wonder how many worthwhile ideas are killed because of excessive red tape, prolonged unproductive discussion, etc., resulting in the people who originally came up with the idea to say 'screw it' because they don't feel like dealing with this anymore**.

(**This very process was the manner in which I finally secured Mrs. Politics' phone number.)

8:14

Tony Evans is speaking, and just said that he is training a Rottweiler to sniff out fiscal irresponsibility amongst politicians. Earlier tonight (and this is true), after asking me about my my New Year's celebrations, informed me that he had two blind dates on New Year's Eve. He denies that they were on the same eve, but I think he is being modest. Oh, and he is making good points as well.

8:19

I believe that there is a sewer pipe broken somewhere around here. Decorum prevents a written description of the evidence that has led me to this belief.

8:29

I have received 2 guesses for the guess-the-end-time-of-the-meeting-and-win-pulled-pork-game. The first guess, submitted via blog comment, is for 9:54. The second guess comes in the form of a secret ballot, and is for 8:42--a time that soon may vanish considering the public is still gallivanting around the speaking podium and the council has yet to vote on anything.

8:48

And now to the business of legislating. Alderman Arnett has added R-03-09 even though it was not on the agenda. This is harmless and potentially useful. Alderman Paone throws in a 'no' vote on first reader, likely for comic purposes.

CA-01-01: Technical Correction of A Previsouly Repealed Charter Amendment: first reader passage.

O-02-09: Technical Amendments to City Election Code: first reader passage.

CA-02-09: Aldermanic Term Limits:

Omg Alderman Hoyle just went off! She outed Cordle's run for mayor (even though he's out), then admonished Stankivic for singling her out. "I guess I should take it as a compliment from my Alderwoman across the room that I'm doing such a good job", declared Hoyle in a statement that was somewhat confusing considering the point she wanted to make. Corlde says that he has not officially declared for Mayor, so it could affect him too. Ooohhh it FAILS ON FIRST READER! INCREDIBLE! The vote:

Moyer: No
Israel: Yes
Paone: Yes
Hoyle: No
Finlayson: No
Cordle: No
Stankivic: Yes
Shropshire: No
Arnett: Yes

Stankivic vows it will go to referendum! High drama!

8:56

O-27-08: Requirements Applicable to the Expansion of Certain Residential Uses in the Waterfront Mixed Maritime and Waterfront Maritime Eastport Zoning Districts: PASSES. 9-0 vote.

O-28-08: Posting of Property When Required Under the Zoning Code: PASSES. 9-0 vote.

O-30-08: Clarifying Duties of Department of Neighborhood and Environmental Programs and Public Works Administration. --amendments--. This bill has a sprinkler requirement in there, which is sparking a lot of debate. Depending on how the amendments go, you will have to install a sprinkler system if you do a renovation affecting either 50% or 25% of either your living space or your home's market value. If I'm honest, I haven't been paying attention because (1) I have been doing some capitalism-related personal activities and (2) I live in a tree house that has neither running water nor market value. PASSES. 9-0 vote.

9:17

The motion to postpone the bill fails, despite the fact that it has not come out of committee. Voting for postponement were Israel, Stankivic, and Arnett, and the rest want to do it tonight. Arnett's stance is that they can decide who gets the lease tonight, but they should reserve the right to change what's in the lease because both lease proposals leave the city exposed to risk.

9:30

Alderman Paone just asked the city attorney some questions about the potential boat show leases. He didn't respond verbally, but made a face resembling a contestant on Fear Factor who has just been asked to take a bath with scorpions. He then declared that he can't comment at this time.

Alderman Hoyle has arbitrarily become very animated, and appears to want to decide (at least) who gets the lease, tonight.

Sam and Julie are about to bicker. Note to readers: Sam and Julie are not first graders arguing over the pink hula-hoop, they are on the city council.

9:34

Alderman Sam has not yet addressed the television viewing public, but I think I speak for Trudy McFall and myself when I say that we are not going anywhere until he gives us something to look forward to when we review the telecast of this meeting on our DVR's tomorrow morning.

Ok, the lease is given to the person who currently holds it: Ed Hartman and United States Sailboat/Powerboat Shows. The legal manifestation of this was a 6-3 vote passing O-35-08. Voting 'no' (i.e. for City Dock Productions) were Israel, Stankivic, and Arnett. This is sad news, in my estimation. O-36-08 is consequently voted down.

9:45

O-38-08: Residential and Commercial Recycling. --amendments--. PASSES. 9-0 vote.

O-01-09: Notification of (the chemical) BPA by Retailers (again?): first reader passage.

R-49-08: Job Description and Pay Grade for Hispanic Community Liason. PASSES. 8-1 vote (Stankivic).

R-50-08: Job Description and Pay Grade for Police External Affairs Officer. --amendments--PASSES. 9-0 vote.

R-60-08: Waiver of Fees for the light House Homeless Prevention Support Center. Alderman Hoyle sees this as "every person making a contribution to this cause", ignoring the fact that it is more accurately the government compelling the citizens to make a contribution without express consent. I suppose this is the result of the representative government process, but Hoyle's attitude is nonetheless noteworthy.

The finance committee has not heard this matter (which amounts to over $200,000), and Alderman Israel found the law that says the finance committee must hear the matter. The mayor wants to ignore the law and is still calling for a motion. Alderman Hoyle, the finance committee chair, says she doesn't know why they have to do this because it wouldn't matter what they think. How about this...it doesn't matter what she thinks because it is the law. Therefore, this bill is POSTPONED as a matter of law and not the result of a vote.

R-02-09: Honoring the Late Barbara Neustadt. PASSES (on all 3 readers after suspension of rules). 8-0 vote. (Stankivic abstains.)

R-04-09: Job Description and Pay Grade for Environmental Compliance Inspector. first reader passage.

R-05-09: Redevelopment of Obery Court Public Housing. first reader passage.

R-03-09: Review of City Property Leases: first reader passage.

There is an appointment and some civil service board minutes, neither of which I have seen.

10:25: Adjournment. Nobody wins the game.

Alderman Stankivic To Propose Aldermanic Term Limits Tonight

Scheduled for first reader tonight is a Charter Amendment sponsored by Alderman Stankivic to limit the terms for Aldermen, which are currently unrestricted.

CA-02-09 would limit the successive terms served by an Alderman to 2.

It also would do something more subtle but no less amusing. From my youth, I seem to remember some petty quarrels involving the Mayor, Alderman Hoyle, and former Ward 1 Alderman Louise Hammond. As I recall, Hoyle wanted the mayor to address the female Aldermen as "Alderwoman", I suppose to eliminate a perceived gender bias in the charter. Alderman Hammond refused to accept the new moniker, as the charter clearly identified the position as "Alderman".

Stankivic's CA would settle this issue, adding the word "Alderwomen" into the language and affording any concerned females with the ability to be labeled the 'alder' of their choice.

City Council Meeting Tonight

There is a city council meeting tonight, of the legislative persuasion, starting at 7:3o.

SEE AGENDA.

I will be there to do a live blog, so make sure you pre-make your bowl of guacamole, because once the action starts you will be glued to your sofas.

The most exciting thing to potentially happen is a decision on who gets the boat show lease, as well as changes to commercial recycling code.

Cohen and Moyer To Swap Support**

**Rumor Alert.

It is common to describe a rumor as 'hearing something second hand'. This info is probably like fourth hand, but I've heard that County Councilman Josh Cohen and Mayor Moyer are collaborating to support each other in election cycles in the next year.

Cohen, a relatively recent (presumed) entrant into the mayoral race, would get the backing of the Moyer machine for the upcoming mayoral election. The return favor is a bit more curious. My understanding is that Cohen wouldn't have to resign from the county council until January (assuming a victory for him), which would mean that the county Democrat central committee could appoint his replacement. Cohen could then lobby for Moyer's appointment to that seat.

Chuck Weikel used to be the chair of the AADCC, but now the position is held by a person named Kory Blake. That's unfortunate, because Weikel was the Mayor's former heir apparent, but seems to have since fallen out of favor. It would have been awesome to see what happened if he had the power to appoint her to her next job.

Anyway, I know that Councilman Cohen reads this site occasionally, and he is certainly invited to respond. I don't know that the Mayor has ever read this blog, but I do know from one of her old employees that she knows of city political blogs, and she is invited to respond as well. In fact, everybody's invited. We'll have a party.