Mike, yes. Sabra, not so much. The only thing standing between Sabra and her voting in lock-step with the Gang of Eight is Mike Anglin.

Greden, Higgins, Teall, Hohnke, Smith, Taylor, Rapundalo and Derezinski made decisions to spend a boatload of tax dollars while neglecting to pay attention during Council meetings. Corruption is an assertion based on reading their emails—their actual words—sent in the middle of public meetings to each other and other people.

At the AA Dem debate, I heard Kunselman call for a code of ethics for Council. Good idea. I’m just not sure Kunselman is the guy who should be pushing it. If Kunselman thought there were problems with vote-rigging when he was on Council, he ought to have said something. Just to be clear, I think the same thing about Mike and Sabra, because they knew about the emailing, as well; they just weren’t a part of the crooked game.

That Kunselman, Briere and Anglin didn’t have the nerve to speak out, in public, about the emails disappoints me. That Briere and Anglin haven’t sponsored a resolution to have all of the emails released, disappoints me. Fortunately, I’m betting my money that other people with a bit more back bone will push the issue forward.

So are you going to tell me that you would rather have 10 Sabra/Mikes making decisions for the future of our city? Now be honest.

I didn’t think so.

I don’t for one minute think that the other 8 are corrupt at all. That is your breathless assertion. They are not perfect and they are all doing their best to balance a lot of difficult issues as public servants. I read the emails and I just don’t see what you see, I guess. When it comes to property taxes, there are precious few homeowners in AA that pay more than I do so you can be assured that I am paying full attention.

WHY are you being forced to choose? Is it because Anglin is inept, or because we have a group of people on City Council who are willing to sell their mothers (and insult Kunselman’s) to get what they want? The FOIAed emails prove clearly that all of them will lie to constituents, and subvert the law without batting an eye.

Does that make Mike and Sabra ineffective, or is everyone else corrupt? Yes, it’s a bitter pill to swallow to think that EIGHT of our Council members and our Mayor are, fundamentally, dishonest and have, over the last six years, spent about $1.5 BILLION dollars of our tax money without truly honest, open discussion.

Do we blame the honest guy for not agreeing to play by their crooked rules, or do we face the truth about the others and really clean house? I pay extortionate property taxes, so I’m all for cleaning house. I have a feeling when we do we’ll suddenly find out that honest Council members will handle our tax dollars, well, honestly and in the best interests of the taxpayers.

The fact that Mike may be honest (?) does not alone make him a good or effective council member. The fact that he is a nice guy, or he represents the little guy has no bearing unless he can work in a larger group setting with people that do not think like he does.

Di I want honest? Yes. Do I want effective? Absolutely. I don’t think I should have to choose between the two.

It is unfortunate that Tom and his “germantown” group have hitched their wagon to Mike because I just don’t see him being on council for long.

The problems with Council members like Mike Anglin and Sabra Briere who have not been welcomed into the clique have to do with the fact that there is a clique on Council that is content to conduct business in secret, and to withhold information from those Council members whom they dislike, and who refuse to vote the way they want them to vote.

So, Ward Five suffers from the blight of having an HONEST Council member in Mike Anglin. If honest doesn’t represent you and your principles, maybe a move to Ward Three might be in order. If Leigh Greden gets to boot, maybe Margie Teall could find you a spot in her neighborhood.

Send her an email.

Stew

This Monday, City Council will vote on a moratorium on demolitions and developments in R4C/R2A districts while those areas are being studied for possible zoning ordinance revisions. Planning staff, the Planning Commission and several members of Council (as well as current candidates) have voiced their dismay with current R4C/R2A zoning and state that they support the protection of the neighborhoods adjoining downtown as called for in our master plans. I wonder how many of these same councilmembers will support the moratorium–legal, logical, and practical–and how many will vote against it, simply because they don’t want to vote for something that Mike Anglin brought forward, especially this close to the primary.