WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT NEXT

(writing this well before I have any earthly idea who wins the City Election.  Posted to pop up on a timer @seven a.m. the morning after.  Think of this as your polemic "morning after pill".

On May 1, somebody's gonna take office as Mayor.  On May 1, a few somebody's are gonna comprise the City Council.  In a historical sense, no big deal.   Government goes on and nobody's indispensable.

But the garbage needs to be picked up.  The sanitation system needs to be run, The public water supply needs to be operated.  The Public Safety needs to be protected.  Regular staff, left undisturbed, can do all that, no matter who is elected and no matter who is on the city council.

No matter who is elected, the City is going to need leadership.  On the City Council side, aldermen should understand that they are the legislative side and leave the personnel business to the executive branch.  The idiocy of certain aldermen having their little, pet snitches in the various departments, airing their grievances and trying to have some individual alderman become their champion.  Until alderman have the gumption to send these people to their own department heads or immediate upline supervisors, personnel administration will be chaotic...and it doesn't matter who the Mayor is on that score.

Whoever ends up being Mayor will have to understand that and let the employees know what is expected of them.  That person will be told endlessly how important and smart he is and all that will take away from any sensible thought about where he wants to take the city.

Spring supporters probably view Moore as someone who wants the city budget to be about $14.27, have two employees and provide no services.  Moore supporters probably view Spring as someone who wants the City Budget to be about a Billion dollars and have five million employees, all relatives.  At the end of the day, neither is true.

Some suggestions as to how to go forward:

1.     Lose the need to be "The smartest kid in the room."

2.     Do more bi-partisan socializing.  It's perfectly legal, as long as the purpose is not to discuss City business;

3.     Mayor whichever:  Just preside over the damn meeting.  Stay out of the discussion.  If you wanna make some announcements in "new business" knock yourself out, but stay out of the substantive debate.  Police the discussion;

4.     Really learn how the Freedom of Information Process works.  Find out how transparent your City really is--Then support your people instead of insinuating they are withholding public items.  An alderman can do more harm to City morale with of roll of her eyes than any outside complainant.

5.     Challenge actions--this bidding error is a good example--without challenging motives.  Most Republicans and most Democrats filter things through a belief system but they really want to behave ethically and honorably.  Don't automatically assume that mistakes or procedural hiccups are motivated by an evil intent.  If there's a dishonest intent, it'll come out.  You don't have to start out at the "nuclear" setting.

6.      Apply the "mother" test:  "Would my mother be proud of me if I did what I'm considering?"

7.      Perhaps another way of saying the same thing:  Apply the "Right Thing" test--Do the right thing at the right time in the right way for the right reasons.

8.      The truth doesn't have two sides.  This news delivery system we have now perverts facts.  There is not "left news" and "right news".  Try to get FACTS right, then figure out their meaning.

9.      Could everybody keep a sense of humor?  Government and politics is often funny.  Enjoy the funny parts.

Smoke 'em if you got 'em.