Oh my, oh my! It’s gonna be quite a summer, and the fireworks have started, and it ain’t even the thoid of July (plug for the fireworks display). Things have been hoppin’ around here, honey bunch. As of this writing the city’s fall mayoral race has ballooned by two, making a grand total of five persons seeking the big office on the southwestern corner of the thoid floor.
As expected, City Clerk Deb Collins went from “exploring” the possibility of a mayoral run and made it official last week on a bright, sunny evening at the Savin Rock Conference Center lawn. And she brought out the big guns jest in case anyone was watchin’.
Making the intro was none other than ole H. Richard Borer, Jr. himself, which might answer a couple queries as to who is supporting whom? Borer, who has perty much stayed outta the fray for a while, still has a faction of the party that bears his name. The Borer faction has teamed up at times with the Morrissey faction to determine how things are run.
The fack that he made the intro gives credence to the belief that both the Morrissey and Borer factions are – once again – working in concert to unseat the standard-bearer of the Picard faction, namely Nancy Rossi, the current herronner.
Sammy Bluejay was at the affair, perched on Savin Rock for a good view, and noted some of the usual suspecks involved in the crowd. Soooooo, the gauntlet is arranged. Effen Nancy Rossi is gonna win a second term, she’s gonna hafta beat the other two factions of the party – not that it ain’t been done. And, frankly, methinks she knew it all along.
This also pernts to the extrapolation made by more than a few that the run by Ed O’Brien to regain his seat is without the support of the two factions. O’Brien might be sitting pretty in this. He knew he wasn’t gonna have the support o’ the factions, and instead of putting all his time, effort – and funds – in a primary, he’s working toward splitting the vote three ways, wherein anything can happen.
The primary battle between the two ladeez can be quite a show, and we’re all lookin’ forward to it. We hope somebody arranges a pre-primary debate so the two can expound on their differences. It should be quite entertaining.
Expeck the fireworks of a political nature to begin any time now. Already herroner has isshewed a statement concerning a few projects in town as if to set off a preliminary strike against any and all opponents. The statement came from outta the blue, but one thinks that the current static about various things in town made it seem necessary.
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But it don’t stop there. We said the field as increased by two and we meant it. Michele Gregorio, the erstwhile chairman of the GOP Town Committee has determined that she wants to run for mayor, making a primary in the city’s junior circuit a possibility come the fall. Think of it, two primaries!
Three weeks ago or so P&Z member Steve Mullins, who likes to keep a high profile in town, announced that he was seeking the Republican nod, and everyone thought that was perty much it. There was gonna be one opposition candidate amongst all those Demmies.
Outta right field came Gregorio’s announcement, and that means that come September the 4,000 Republicans in town will determine who will be their standard-bearer. It’ll be interesting cuz this don’t usually happen in the minority party. That means maybe two completely different slates and many people to choose from. Wow!
Both better hone their debating skills cuz yew never know what will happen betwixt now and than.
That means we will, in fack, have a three-way race – at least – in the November ballot, and that all kinds o’ fireworks can be expected betwixt now and then. It never gits boring amongst the political classes in our little corner of the universe.
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Nelly Nuthatch came in with this tidbit and couldn’t take the smirk offen her face when she was tellin’ it. Yew remember the little missive Cobina was given last week concerning the Charter Revision Commission and the fack that proposals sent weeks ago hadn’t been addressed by the barristers assigned to look ‘em over?
Well, within 24 hours of that tidbit appearing in our colyume, whattaya think happened? That’s right. The barristers sent a preliminary report with a lotta huffing and puffing about checks of statutes and setch. Now, honeybunch, whilst the members of the bar might exepeck that somebody will believe that the notation in last week’s papyrus had nothin’ to do with it, think about it. Either yew believe our little item caused a stir, or there was a political coincidence. Witch do yew think is more likely?
So, the lawmen have looked over the proposals and some comments have been made. Now it’s up to the commish to put together its final report for perusal by the City Council. Once that is done, it’s off to referendum come election time. The questions will be put forth on the ballot and the people in town will vote on which ones they like.
This ain’t over. There is still the possibility that the aforementioned political classes won’t like a proposal or seven, and might try to ditch them. Nelly noted that many of the proposals that she’s heard about are things that could change the way this city does its bizzniss radically.
We shall see, but one way or t’other – and given the make-up of this commission, there could be a lot of consternation ahead effen things don’t or won’t go according to Hoyle.
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Nothing has been said about it, and we are perty sure of the answer. The Savin Rock Festival was canceled last year cuz o’ the city’s financial condition. It couldn’t afford the overtime both in the constabulary needed and Dept. of Public Works employees. So, the decision was made to cancel it.
We proposed last year that a committee be set up to try to save it. Nothin’ has been done. So, whilst we don’t have official word that we aren’t having a festival, the wag and others are perty much resigned to the fack that the festival is belly up again this year.
The question is whether we can ever revive this thing again. Once you lose something it’s hard to bring it back. We hope so, but we ain’t holdin’ our breath.
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Post-script to the MARB raising the city’s tax rate by .46 mills: It seems City Council Chairman Ron Quagliani hit the proverbial nail square on the noggin’. He told the MARB members that whilst they are making decisions for the people in town, the people and the people’s representatives are visibly absent from the discussion.
Whilst the council chairman gits a nominal seat at the table, he has no voting rights. So, the bean-counters make the decisions and have no compunction to find out what the taxpayers themselves are thinking. Of course, the real answer to the problem is that they don’t care and don’t wanna know what the taxpayers think. That’s been obvious from the start. MARB doesn’t work for us, it works for the General Assembly.
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With that bit o’ chatter, I’ll close this time till next, mitt luff und kizzez,