It looked fer a time like we here in God’s Li’l Acre, were gonna feel the effecks of Hurricane Dorian, last week. Luckily, the storm blew out to see and the only thing we saw was a little rain and lotsa gusty wind. It also brought in a bit more cool weather over the weekend. As we head toward fall, it’s perty safe to say that the big heat is over fer the most part. Excep’ for maybe Indian Summer later on, the nights have been cool, and the temps have been way down. Cobina is lookin’ to bring her sweaters outta moth balls.
Here in our neck o’the woods, however, we had what is always a late-summer ritual with the primaries that will haf been done by the time yew git this missive. Who is gonna be the Republican standard-bearer is anyone’s guess. As Sammy Bluejay reported last week, there’s been lotsa back-and-forth amongst the rank-and-file of the party.
In fact, the vitriol has been sooooo bad, some people are sorry they ever got involved in the entire campaign. To a certain extent that’s to be expected. Some newcomers to the political scene don’t know that politics around these parts is a game of hardball. Survival of the fittest is what happens here.
Cobina is of the opinion that it’s a good thing to have the nonsense effen it gits people moving. The GOP has been moribund for more than two decades. It might not win election this time; in fack, the smart money don’t expeck too much. But effen it sets up a way for the party to get stronger, we’re all for it.
For too long in this berg it’s been which flavor of Demmie is gonna run things. They fight amongst each other, and don’t change much. Having a strong second party will shake things up a bit. We shall see.
Meanwhile, who won the mayoral primary in the Dems’ camp is gonna mean a lot. We held up the front page o’ this papyrus to make sure we had the winner. But in a three-way race, there are no predictions comin’ from these quarters. Too much is up for grabs. Like I’ve been saying, effen the turnout is the same as it’s been, the winner of the primary can be any one o’ the three: Rossi, Collins or O’Brien.
The problem is, no matter whom wins, two-thirds of the voters didn’t vote for him or her, and that could pose a difficulty down the line. There are gonna be disgruntled people in the majority and that means we have more dis-unity.
We’ll all know who the winners were by the time yew git this letter, Felicia Navalance, but right now, even Madame Olga’s crystal ball ain’t saying what the outcome will be.
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Nelly Nuthatch did make an observation t’other day when she was on the ledge. Unlike other years, two controversies are missing from this year’s Democratic primary: signs have stayed on lawns, and there is no squabble about absentee ballots.
Cobina was around the town in her gassamobuggy recently and noticed that there were some large signs on lawns in all camps. We seem to remember a kerfuffle about 20 years ago, when size became an isshew and people were enraged that city ordinances concerning the height of setch adverts were being flouted. No so this time – maybe the ordinance has changed. Probably not.
As far as absentee ballots go, these little conveniences have been the stuff of legend – and the rise and fall of many in the political realm. Heck, jest think about what happened in 1980 when George Dunleavy and Don Wrinn faced off in a brutal Demmie primary.
The entire primary vote was voided in court, and a new primary ordered by the court on what was Election Day in every other part of the state, excep’ our little corner of the universe. The split in the party helped Larry Minichino, a Republican, win the mayoralty.
This time, nary a complaint about this or that ballot. I realize it’s early, and things can happen post-vote, but usually we have an inkling to these things before they happen. Not this year.
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Iva Lootey was here and sez that the primary might have a big impack on the Charter Revision isshew – jest like I mentioned to yew last week. The powers that be in the Demmie camp – especially those outside the Actors Colony at the moment – don’t like the changes. It changes the game too much. They like the way it’s played now.
The only way this can go forward is the City Council, win or lose in the primary, accept the final report by the Charter Revisions Commish and move forward with a date for an election. Once the vote is taken and the date set it become a matter of state government, not city. The politicos will have little chance of torpedoing the measures.
That don’t mean they won’t campaign against them. They will. What it means is it’s a bit more of an uphill battle. They will have to campaign against the changes as they go to the voters, and methinks the Charter Revision Commish – though it will be outta bizness once the report is accepted by the council – can politick on its own and fight the political headwinds that might be around.
Yew’d think charter revision would be an easy affair, but like most things political in this town, there’s always someone angling for a leg-up, or lookin’ to see how the landscape might change. Most of the council revisions are of the “cosmetic” variety we are told. So, maybe, just maybe, real revision is possible, and the desires of the politicos be damned.
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As yew might’ve seen, the Voice offices are gonna be moved over the next couple o’ weeks. We’ve been at 666 Savin Ave. since our inception in the very offices which our editor began his career so many years ago. But the owners need the space, and it’s off to another location. We’re gonna be goin’ to 840 Boston Post Road, witch will be an adjustment, but now that we’ve made the decision, I know people jest wanna git the thing over with.
We’ve always liked it here, but time and tide waits for no man, and change is inevitable. Plans right now call for things to be done betwixt isshews, so there shouldn’t be a big problem. We shall see. Plans, as yew know, never go quite according to plan.
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Cobina has to admit, she’s surprised. She was expecting that the Actors Colony would have a big announcement concerning the Haven in the days leading up to Tuesday’s vote, and mirabile dictu, it didn’t happen. We’ve been waitin’ for weeks for the demolition to start over there, and goodness knows the developers have been all but silent as to what they are planning, but we thought the timing would be of use to the incumbent.
All we hafta say is, amazing! For once, the expected didn’t happen, and the developing of a parcel or parcels weren’t used for political advantage. Wonder of wonders!
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With that bit o’ chatter, I’ll closet this time till next, mitt luff und kizzez,