As we begin August, named, of course, after Caesar Augustus, we who are a bit removed from the “Glory that was Rome” have our minds toined to other things. Foist off, it seems like only last week I was saying it was June 1, and the summer was before us. Here we are on August 1 and before yew know it the leaves will be turning, the snow will be falling, and the year will be over.
Momma used to say that once we git by May, the rest of the year flies. She wasn’t kiddin’. Here in the Asylum by the Sea, who will occupy the third floor of the Actors Colony – otherwise known as City Hall –over the next two years is the focus of attention. The Republicans as yew already know chose Michelle Gregorio as its endorsed candidate.
That doesn’t mean the nomination process is over. Steven Mullins, the challenger, got 20 of 44 votes in the caucus a fortnight ago, and is gearing up for a primary fight much to the chagrin of the leadership, according to Sammy Bluejay. Gregorio was the leadership’s favorite daughter, and they were hoping to keep the kopecks in the coffers until the general election.
Steve, meanwhile, made a very interestin’ commint in Josh LaBella’s story. He said he was surprised by the number of votes he got. Truth to tell, so was Cobina. Y’see, we thought the party was puttin’ up a united front. The leadership certainly wanted one.
With Mullins getting that many votes, it would seem to indicate that a goodly portion of the 60-member Town Committee – those who showed up anyway – had other ideas. Cobina thought, and still does, that a primary will be good for the party, but we understand the financial constraints.
That said, Mullins should have very little trouble getting the requisite number o’ signatures needed to get on the September ballot. The GOP didn’t exactly put up any great numbers in 2017, and the state rule is 10 percent o’ that total. Soooooo, the Republicans will more than likely have a primary.
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Nelly Nuthatch, meanwhile, sez that things are going as expected in the city’s majority party. Like all Gall, the party is divided into three parts, and they are usually fightin’ with one another – or at least two at a time are fighting against the thoid.
How this most recent process is actually shaking out is somewhat of a conundrum. The endorsed candidate, Herroner Nancy Rossi, got the overwhelming support of the Democratic Town Committee perty much as expected. She and her supporters had control over it.
Deb Collins, who seems to be backed by the Morrissey faction, got a few votes, and really didn’t wanna be put up for nomination, opting instead to just go the primary route. She was put up in nomination and did, in fack, not win. I can see why she didn’t want that to happen, it becomes a talking pernt. To wit: She only got x-number of votes on the town committee, how much support does she REALLY have.
Don’t kid yoreself, she’s got support. There are a lotta people out there who jest don’t like the current incumbent. But the fack that there is a thoid candidate muddies the waters even more. Foremer Mayor Ed O’Brien didn’t bother putting his name in nomination, using the option of just going the primary route. Both he and Collins have many more names to conjure up over the next few days, and then we git the verification process.
Odds are that both Collins and O’Brien will have more than enuff signatures that are verified to git on the ballot. That means a three-way primary. Anything can happen in a three-way vote. As I said last week, for this to mean more than any other primary, the turnout has to be bigger. Usually about 5,000 voters come out. That will make a three-way split very close, and delegitimize the winner in the eyes of many.
We shall see what happens, but effen yew thought the last few weeks were hot, in the words of Al Jolson, “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet.”
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Iva Lootey happened by the other day, and it seems that Ed Granfield is getting some push-back from the usual partisan suspecks because he doesn’t belong to their party. Pettiness has always been a problem with some o’ the hacks that occupy political office and their supporters. Even if a person has a good idea, the “R” or “D” next to the name kind of determines how some of the lesser minds in our community see it.
The Charter Revision Commish has been working hard and has really done some grind-out work, looking at isshews and coming up with solutions. But there seems, according to Iva, a group of people who, because Granfield is of a Republican persuasion automatically go negative. The idea doesn’t matter, it’s who puts up the idea that counts.
Granfield has been explaining the proposals, and has been hearing about his lack of credibility due his affiliation from, like we said, the lesser minds in the community. The fack that John Carrano, the Democrat leader on the body, is taking a leading role in explaining things should stop the silliness, but we wouldn’t hold our breath if we were you.
Carrano and Granfield have been working in tandem to make the Charter Revision Commish one of the best we’ve had in decades. But there are some – usually Demmies – who just can’t take any idea put forth by a GOP-er, no matter how good. It is, ipso facto, out of bounds.
That, in a nutshell, is how this burg got in the fix it’s in. Party politics, which on a local level should mean very little, came to be the do-all and end-all. What a situation! We’d like to say there’s something in the water, but we all know that’s not it. It’s just the way politics around here has been played for too long.
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The Wag came by and sez that he was watchin’ the MARB meeting on the state channel that broadcasts state affairs on the telly last week, and the Beach Street projeck came up. I guess who pays for it, and how much, was part o’ the discussion. Effen yew don’t remember, the plan calls for the raising of the roadbed by about seven feet in order to prevent flooding. After the last two hurricanes we had a few years back, which exposed pipes, and broke up sidewalks, it was looked at and determined that the road should be lifted higher than at present.
Of course, how much the city can spend on the projeck is limited, given the straits we’re in. Sooooo, other means of financing (read: state) are gonna be needed. We shall see how that all plays out. He didn’t let Cobina know effen any decision was made, but Iyam sure we’ll find out sooner rather than later. Probably, a bond isshew is gonna hafta be floated for the project effen state funding can’t be secured.
With that bit o’ chatter, I’ll close this week till next, mitt my usual luff und kizzez,