ZAP! #145
“Corrections, Clarifications and Celebrations”
What with all that is going on in the city of Irving, there are so many cats to kick. The following will allow readers to select the cat they believe deserves another boot. Of course, there is no CCR limit to the number of cats that can be kicked at any one time! Enjoy and let the fur fly.
CORRECTION (MEA CULPA): In a recent publication chastising councilman Danish for his flip-flop on a proposed council item, we suggested that readers phone or e-mail him with their thoughts or opinions on his wrongheaded reversal. While the council majority managed to boot this issue can down the road -- instead of taking positive, proactive action -- Danish was granted a slight reprieve for his defective decision making techniques. However, we deeply apologize to the readership for posting the wrong phone number to reach Danish. To anticipate the next time Danish attempts to consider an issue based on what is good for him politically or to pump more hot air into an already overinflated ego, staff of the CCR would like for you to have the correct number: (972) 554-0500.
CLARIFICATION: With the State of the City address sponsored by the chamber of commerce drawing near, staff of the CCR recently questioned spending $100 to hear mayor BVD prattle and invoke the “I” noun for each and every city accomplishment during 2013. Well, we were wrong! Really wrong. Readers should attend just to witness what perceived raw political petulance (by mayor BVD) could achieve from the chamber by having only one speaker at the affair and having a glamor photo of her on the invitation. Is there no end to all this political narcissism? Perhaps, Samuel Butler nailed it correctly when he stated: “The truest characters of ignorance are vanity and pride and arrogance.”
CELEBRATION: Thanks to an alert reader for noting that 2014 starts the 30th year that the CCR has been ‘kicking cats’ in a written publication form. To put this in perspective, the CCR has been publishing reports longer than Red, Hot and Blue has been smoking ribs! To recognize this milestone of spreading ‘cat fur’ all over the community, a gala reception with jumbo shrimp, pigs-in-a-blanket, and free beer is being planned. The invitations have already been mailed and if you haven’t responded, then you must have spent your $100 to go hear mayor BVD babble about things she had very little to do with at the chamber of commerce banquet back scratching fete. (Ed. note: There is no CCR gala planned. In fact, staff of the CCR is at a crossroads to determine what wordsmithing path might be taken next to better inform the readership or put them into a deeper political coma. Stay tuned.)
FLOTSAM and JETSAM
LEAN 6-SIGMA-BALDRIGE-CHICKEN COOP DROPPINGS: While reviewing the three city manager finalist, it appears that the city is poised to save about $250,000 over what was previously being paid on an annual basis in salary and benefits to ex-manager Gonzalez ($500,000+ and sporting ducats under his front door mat). The current salaries of the finalists actually reflect what a city manager’s compensation package should look like when ex-mayor Gears and ex-councilman Philipps are not running the calculator. Now, this potential savings is something the citizens could take to the bank...unless mayor BVD has already committed the savings to another “deal-for-vote” issue.
WONDERING: Will mayor BVDs “sugar daddy” have to consider working overtime and shelling out more campaign bucks to sweep the pavement clean of all the ‘deal-making debris’ that she has been strewing recently on her less than transparent political trail? The mayor’s definition of transparency must be derived from the Obama's 3rd Edition of Weasel Words for Political Discourse. Really, her private conversations and deal making to achieve an “it’s my idea, so it must be unimpeachable” agenda might make even Richard Nixon’s attempt at transparency blush. And we all know that he wasn’t a crook! Right? While considering all this, be thinking Texas Stadium MOU involvement, council appointment to a specific committee that verges on conflict of interest ramifications, and the handling of the interim city manager contract extension that was achieved, in part, with the Kool-Aid sipping of councilman Danish.
Well, this report started with kicking councilman Danish’s cat, so it only seems appropriate to end it that way. Somehow, it appears that 2014 will have a new cat to kick that joins the finite, furless herd of mayor BVD.
…………………………………….Mark Holbrook
