"Abe Was Almost Right;

As I sat in the council chambers, the tension was thick like the room was holding in a fart. My phone buzzed again: friends texting, frustrated that they’d been blocked from watching the livestream.

Thank God I was there. A strange silencing, like the show inside the room was too hot to go public. Then I heard someone yelling Jerry,Jerry,Jerry!!!

But inside, things moved fast. The mayor’s earlier desperate post on Facebook, the one blaming the need for higher taxes on rising crime, urging residents to build homes so they could be taxed felt like a prelude to a showdown.

The rumble in my mind was Abe’s bet: five to two on council votes aligning with his call. And that’s exactly how it landed. (Mostly) every prediction fell into place.

Who could’ve expected Napoli and Hendricks to switch bodies. Freaky Friday anyone? 

I was just glad Council finally put a serious check on the mayor’s power. The “defeat” wasn’t just symbolic; it was a clear message.
Actually it was a beating.

But here’s the twist: publicly, the mayor went on claiming victory over Ed Zucal. But seems like those Council Chambers humbled him hopefully to realize that just because you’re the mayor doesn’t mean that you have all the power. We don’t live in a dictatorship Mr Mayor, remember that. 

But because we all love a recap, let me give you the basic highlights. Council approved a new Deputy HR Director by a unanimous vote. That wasn’t on everyone’s radar, but to Abe, it raises many questions. Questions no one else seems to care about. What exactly are we paying for? Probably nothing. More cushiony positions for a department that has a big black cloud around it?

How about those two background analyst roles for HR, part-time (25 hours/week) but with staggering pay ($91,000 total). That works out to about $72/hour. Now when it went to a vote, Council tabled it 7-0. Ms. Affa led this charge (and a good charge later on), and her voice carried weight… finally. Glad to see she was awake for this one. She was awake but Mike wasn't.  As always 

Need I remind you that he said this is a flat budget without new positions or promotions. How can we afford to keep adding more and more?  

I was also shocked the mayor was so dumb to say ,and eluded that the officers that are going to be getting these jobs are sitting back there and pointed at them. If you have any questions, you can ask them.  Are you serious?  The mayor knew he should not have said that 

The mayor literally said two positions that weren't even voted on or posted yet were already filled!!!  I guess the corruption in the police department still exists.  Maybe the Duane Morris report missed that.

I don’t think I need to say much when it comes to the mayors office. I’ll just leave you with this food for thought. Courtesy of Ms. Gerlach… 
“What has the mayor’s office done?” 

Nothing!!! But spend taxpayers money.

Great question Cece. Lunch is on me if you can give me a good answer in the comments. 

I hope you know by now that my work here is to point out the con man that is this mayor. His words fall flat and he’s more transactional than he is anything else. Think about this. Zucal said during the meeting that most city employees would be receiving about $1800 this year in raises. I’m assuming this is the cost of living increase. 

Then you have this mayor asking for $10k raise for a staffer. This isn’t just a pay adjustment. It smells like favoritism. And hopefully it wasn’t a payday following an election victory as one woman claimed because correct me if I’m wrong but can city staff work on elections?? Whatever. Based on what my sources tell me she was due for a humbling and now this issue is dead. A relief. Needless to say a couple citizens blasted this employee saying she isnt a good worker, and I think someone said her idea of team building is going to the club.

What’s the bigger picture here? Well Abe’s five-to-two wasn’t just guesswork: it was reading the room right. Something this mayor really doesn’t know how to do. Council sent the mayor a loud ass statement: they’re not interested in rubber-stamping. They’re watching, and they’re holding the administration accountable. GOOD. Bought time. But the broader fight is far from over. 

Don’t forget this mayor also claims to be transparent. So transparent that people couldn’t even watch the livestream. So transparent he just forgot to turn over job descriptions for the new positions he’s looking to create. Give me a break. I’ll never forgive any of you that voted for that man. 

Needless to say the mayor will start his little campaign to threaten city council people and destroy their reputations to his friends aka developers. Which he’ll deny if you ever ask him about it. I’m just hoping they don’t buckle to any pressure. But for now I’ll say this, Well done City Council. Well done.

Oh I almost forgot. The best part of the night was when a councilwoman whose name rhymes with Hoffa decided to call a citizen a "pussy" and challenge them to come over to her.  As if to fight.  

A police chief had to escort the woman out of the council chambers for the womans safety. Oddly, I heard Jerry,Jerry,Jerry again.  I love these meetings.  The are such a circus.

***Memes are AI generated and do not reflect actual known events.They are for entertainment purposes only***