Academy of Local Politics

This is the time of year when most local government either "grind to a halt" at best, or come to a complete stoppage.

The budgets have just been set, and everyone knows that you can't make a decision during "The Holidays".

In Wisconsin "The Holidays" start the Friday before opening of deer season and last until the first of the year.

Throw in the fact that starting tomorrow nomination papers can start to be circulated for next April's election... nothing much happening.

If you are in the news, it isn't good.  

A fascinating story is playing out in New Jersey. A blog by the name of daTruthSquad has been causing havoc in the Township of Manalapan. This anonymous blogger appears to have "inside information" on the Township's politics.

The Township officials are so upset, "lawyers for the Monmouth County township subpoenaed Google earlier this fall, insisting the Internet giant reveal the name and computer behind daTruthSquad's blogging account."

Township officials believe the man behind the blog is former Mayor Stuart Moskovitz who is being sued by the Township over a "land deal gone bad."

According to JerseyBlogs, a national Internet rights group is stepping into the fight. Lawyers for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a California-based non-profit, plan to file a series of motions as early as today arguing daTruthSquad-- and all bloggers-- have the right to anonymity.

The foundation hopes to quash the Google subpoena and use the case to bring attention to the growing number of public officials using the courts to pry the names of their online critics from Internet providers.

David Weeks, an attorney representing Manalapan, says the foundation is twisting a routine legal request in a local lawsuit into a First Amendment case.

A routine legal request?

Sure doesn't sound like one to me.

According to Governing.Com ... "New stats in Washington, D.C., suggest that drivers are largely ignoring the District's three-year-old ban on using hand-held phones while driving."

The number of citations are up 13% this year, after a raise last year of about the same percentage. Over 10,000 tickets will be issued in D.C. this year.

But is this a surprise? When New York City first instituted a similar ban, cell-phone use by drivers dropped by 50 percent. But the numbers steadily increased after that, even as the number of citations increased as well. 

It seems absolutely nothing will stop these selfish, self-absorbed menaces of the roads from stopping talking while driving.

"Should cities and states drop these laws that aren't being enforced or followed? Or should they, for example, increase fines to make this a more serious offense?"

As for me, I'm all for increasing fines for this offense.

Double ... Triple the fines ... or more!

Generate enough revenue ... to add more officers on the roads ... to write more tickets.

Go For It!!!

It is a scene that can be found in many different locations around the country during municipal budget deliberations. The meeting drags on and on and on. Discussions on the smallest of line items are hashed and re-hashed. Before you know it, it is midnight or later.

Eyelids get heavy. (After all many of the decision makers are getting up there in age.) Tempers get short. Votes are taken just to move on to the next item up for discussion. It is not a pretty sight.

Is this anyway to deliberate and pass the most important financial and policy document of the year?

This year the City of Madison, WI voted on passage of their budget at 5:30 AM.

While I have never participated in a meeting that went until 5:30, I plead guilty to a couple that lasted until 2:00 AM.

A resolution to limit Council meetings in Madison to 8 hours is being introduced to put a halt such shenanigans.

A budget should not be a document that is a result of passage by the "last ones standing". But, all too often it is.

That should change. No budget meeting should last past midnight.

For the sake of the "deciders" or the public.

I am a self-described "sick man" for being as interested as I am in "Local Politics". However, the people involved in, and the process of local politics, continually fascinate me. The latest example ...

Wonkette.Com tells us the story of Michelle Bruce of Riverdale, Georgia.

Michelle has been on the Riverdale City Council for the past four years and won re-election last week in a three way race for her seat. However, the election is being contested.

"Michelle, you see, was born intersexed (i.e., with ambiguous genitalia) but has lived her entire life as a woman."

Georgia Fuller, third place finisher in the election has filed court papers demanding a new election.

According to the story ... "In court papers, she and her scum-sucking lawyer refer to Michelle as “Michael” and are demanding another general election in which Michelle would be forced to run as Michael (a name she’s never used and an identity she’s never claimed) to be more “accurate” about herself..."

I offer no further comment on the subject.