Keith R. writes: > Paul Ostrow, favored contender for Council Prez crown, seems to create a new > oath of office for the incoming class of 2002 Council. He proposes they all > sign up to his draft of a cooperation pact(?), with him as the top > cooperator. Other current and future CMs, and the voters who put them there, > may wonder why a pledge of allegiance is required and to what must they > solemnly swear and sign? Barbara Johnson, spirited challenger for the Council > Prez title, asks what is up with this, as she and only 5 others hold back > there ol' John Hancocks. They hold back, but the concept of consensus > building bandied about as a reaction to voter disdain for the iron fist of > the previous Cherryhomes administration takes a nosedive.
You're right about that nosedive but please, let's not turn this into a battle of Darkness versus Light. You don't give your main rival the #2 or #3 power job on the council (Community Development chair) if you're some kind of mini-Mussolini. You don't offer chairs to people not in your coalition (Johnson, Biernat, Johnson Lee, Sandy Colvin Roy). I'm sure that made Ostrow's job harder, not easier. Had he truly played power politics, he probably could've gotten more votes. Paul and Barb are both extremely decent people. You can't please everyone with 7-8 chairs and 13 council members - and remember, pols can get pissy when they don't get what they want, so don't lay it all on Ostrow. I'm sure he made mistakes (the letter seems silly, not evil), but I'm sure others did too. This is not to endorse his slate - there are chairmanships I wish had gone to different people - but to say that the evidence doesn't back up the "iron fist" charge. The reason the last council was so bollixed up is, in part, because members sometimes let their personal feelings/antagonisms get in the way of serving the public interest. If this council does the same thing, I think there will be a similar rude awakening down the road. David Brauer King Field - Ward 10 _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
