What's really going on?

In all the cacophony about the Parking Plot, what's really going on at City Hall?

Yesterday's press conference by the Mayor and a Council majority, and last week's press conference with Mayor Mallory, City Manager Milton Dohoney and City Solicitor John Curp were really the crowning touches for eight years of the Mallory mayorality, as in each press conference the participants admitted their complete inability to rein spending in to the income received by the City.


As was evidenced by the annual budget battles on the floor of Council, as much as the Mayor allowed debate to proceed, for the past eight years, leveler heads such as Chris Bortz, Amy Murray, Wayne Lippert and Jeff Berding tried to prevail on the crazies on Council to restrain their spending, all to no avail.  The train just kept chugging along.

The recession has been ongoing since the the fall of 2008.  Some four and a half years later, the City has still to seriously address its spending problem.  And yet Roxanne Qualls had the temerity yesterday to suggest that Parking Plot petitioners are rushing them in to these difficult decisions to right-size their spending.

Of course, the parking plan merely allowed Council to defer these decisions for two more years, and then of course the problems will be even more pronounced.

These folks are either self-deluded into believing their own excuses for their fiscal irresponsibility or they think we are just that stupid to believe that they are shocked to find themselves in this position.

The reality is that at long last the Parking Plot petition -- as long as the First District Court of Appeals stands firmly behind Judge Winkler's decision -- is going to force Council and the Mayor to live within their means.  At long last Council's hand is going to be forced on these difficult decisions.

The coming day and a half of petitioning are absolutely critical.  We must demand this fiscal accountability from the Council.  Your volunteer hours will help them to confront their addiction to spending without further delay.

We have awaited this moment for many, many years.  The chickens are coming home to roost, indeed.