The coming week in local politics surely will be the most entertaining in quite a long while, and while I’m not yet willing to offer odds on what will happen Thursday at the city council meeting, we can be sure that hitherto unseen political courage will not suddenly materialize out of nowhere and provide parameters for problem solving.
That’s because public safety and sewers are on the agenda.
The meeting will be operatic in its clutched-to-the-chest grandstanding, factional and Balkan in its angry squabbling, and punctuated by the cries of anguished wee ones eager to punish the rest of us for their shortcomings (pun intended).
Given that trognonymous correspondents already are abusing NA’s policemen and fire fighters from the safety of their pusillanimous, masked perches, fisticuffs are a possibility. We’ll need medics (can we afford them?) and a beer dispensing station. In the absence of bandages — send more beer.
I heard the council president John Gonder on 89.3 FM this morning, remarking that much research was required of the council (true) before it considers matters, and that it is unlikely a 70% sewer rate increase will be approved, with funds being sought from elsewhere.
We all know what that means: EDIT, bend over for another round of wasteful, penny-wise, pound-foolish subsidies that blithely perpetuate New Albany’s historic un-potty-trained sewer fallacies even as they do nothing to correct the fundamental concerns.
This predictably cynical grab will leave less cash in the EDIT slop trough for using to rectify the police and fire imbalances, hastening the eventuality (April at the latest) of Dan Coffey or Steve Price blaming the sewer board for a crime wave and/or a series of rental property blazes.
Entertaining? You bet. Constructive? Not so fast, jack. However, either way, my Thursday Tribune column is going to be about other diversions, namely, sports. That’s right.
If you’ll excuse me, I have a snow shovel to catch.
