Saturday, February 21, 2015

CCR 02-21-15: 6 to 3 = Dethroned?

the   Controversial  Committee   Report
“We don’t raise sacred cows...we just butcher them.”


   Hopefully, this will be the last posting on QueenB VDs failed attempt to circumvent the city council (via initiative and referendum)  and impose a total smoking ban in Irving.  However, there are a few take away notes which should be made concerning the final 6-3 vote to adopt the ordinance which allowed the grandfathering of the BINGO hall and eight restaurants.

   While the length of this report will provide additional details, Dylan Westie, Executive Editor and Part-time Wordsmith for the CCR, seemed to capture QueenB VDs self-made ordinance-circus with three short tweets.  He noted:

*  Throne Games: Sausage Wars pits Prince Corpulent vs. QueenB (Irving mayor) for control of stogies & butts in her dysfunctional realm tonight!

*  Isn’t QueenB (Irving mayor) just a Tea Party poser wanting more govt. intrusion into businesses w/her personal political ploy smoking ban??!

*  QueenBs (Irving mayor) steeping Tea Party personal-political-ploy & total smoking ban media-pageant badly scalds her ego with vote failure!!

   By observing the meeting, listening to the positions staked out  by council members and certainly tuning-in to word choices uttered, several factors were obvious:

QueenB VD:  She doesn’t like to lose.  Really, doesn’t like to lose!  And this was clearly demonstrated by her comments before the final vote was taken.  Knowing her total ban was going to be flushed, she was more strident than she has been on any other issue to come before the council.  The scowl on her face said it all and cranked out 2,000 words with one photo op pic.

   Other than her being disingenuous, demeaning and maybe a tad dishonest, she basically attacked all those who opposed her dictate.  Seriously, look at her summation comment to the audience.  This will assist in understanding the full measure of her petulance.  She stated: "a silly, ridiculous ordinance."  What? She actually said this?  (You can bet the farm on it!)

   Of course, it was a silly, ridiculous ordinance…only because it was not the ordinance she wanted to have passed!  

   Perhaps, the queen has forgotten the Irving City council decides issues based on the democratic process of the majority rules…not the self-anointed regal rule as she would want to have and enforce.

   Additionally, the queen’s carriage was zipping all around the metroplex as she intoned her "I’m only trying to save Irving" spiel for radio/TV red meat talk-jabberers (Glen Beck and Mark Davis, or any TV station she could con into believing she was doing this for the city).  Not mentioned was that her actions were designed as a ploy to put a ‘gold star’ on her political resumé should a total smoking ban accidentally pass.  

   Also, she managed to let a ream of misinformation, regarding her ‘saving’ Irving from Sharia law, filter into all the Tea Party press outlets during this time to further shine a spotlight on herself while making Irving look rather foolish…locally and on a national level.

   (Isn’t it amazing how all these red meat orators continue to take a politicos spin and attempt to turn their self-aggrandizing promotion into fact?) 

   Of course, she did pick up a couple of nice Hollywood-ish style photo ops during all these self-promotion activities.

   The queen even chose to clash with the ad hoc committee, which she appointed, simply because the final recommendations did not comply with her dictates of wanting a total smoking ban.  And mustering duplicitous red T-shirt fans with unscientific surveys, Flying Harpies and the city’s health board participation in her ploy, she managed to cause even more ego inflation in her losing battle.

   Browbeating fellow council members has become a trademark for the queen.  Especially, when the individuals take a position opposed to hers.

   There is only one road in the queen’s kingdom and she wants to have total control over who gets to travel on it.  She has taken the word for "TEAM" effort and discarded the T and M…which, of course, for all the Aggies on the readership list leaves "ME."  And this fits her modus operandi perfectly…it’s all about her.

   The end result of all this will probably be the queen reverting to her former council persona where she was against any and everything which was not proposed or supported by her.  Not having a majority on the council could witness her having a Lazarus reincarnation for a newly deposed Irving queen of the realm…the Queen of Negativity!  
   
Pet Rocks:  In the 6-3 vote to adopt the new ordinance, two Pet Rocks (Farris and Ward)  appeared to have been successfully detoxed before voting on this issue.  While some might suggest this is a major fracture in the queen’s collection of mindless stones, it is too early to tell if this could be a permanent schism.

   This vote on the smoking ordinance represents the second time in recent meetings that Ward has veered from the queen’s courtly dictate by doing what was best for the city.  While not for certain, one might suspect he received a royal tongue lashing after this straying from the crown.  

   One can only imagine what the queen and her flock of Flying Harpies are considering for Ward for his not succumbing to the queen’s total smoking ban.

   As for Farris…staff of the CCR is still not sure if he knows or even realizes how or why he voted in favor of the new ordinance.  This is true when one considers the inane, humorous and foolish amendment he attempted to attach to the ordinance.  

   Seriously, he wanted the ordinance to specify that any facility currently allowing smoking would have to remove the REQUIRED smoking ventilation equipment after a specified period of time.  In essence, he was attempting to accomplish what Pet Rock LaMorgese wanted…a sly move towards a total ban in five years.  

   Thankfully, other council members understood the hilarity of his proposal and it did not even garner a second.  Therefore, his whimsical proposal was not even voted on.  (Maybe, he hadn’t detoxed enough and was still attempting to remain in the queen’s good graces with this ill fated motion.)

   Of course, two Pet Rocks (LaMorgese and Spink) sipped the queen’s spiked Kool-Aid to the bitter end…as expected.  

   And this wasn’t surprising as LaMorgese rarely, if ever, crosses the queen.  If it ever appears he might be at odds with her and actually attempting to do what he was elected to do (independent thinking and what is best for the city), chances are this is just a ruse orchestrated by the queen.

   This would be true if his amendment to the ordinance had taken wings.  LaMorgese wanted to impose a stated time frame for when the current grandfathered businesses would have to curtail all smoking to come into compliance with the new ordinance.  

  The result of this action would mean the queen’s dictate of a total ban would be secured…much like Farris’ ill conceived proposal which was the LaMorgese amendment with a comical coat of paint.  Of course, LaMorgese’s amendment also failed.  

   LaMorgese is always rewarded by the QueenB VD for his blind fealty with free milk shakes and pie while hanging on her skirt hems during all his re-election efforts.  This re-election campaigning duo could be Irving’s version of the first know case of co-joined politicos!  

   (By following the queen’s entourage, you also get LaMorgese.  Many believe it is time to pare the queen’s voting entourage down a couple notches.  And staff of the CCR would be in total agreement with this proposition.)  

   As far as Spink is concerned, he remained true to form…basically silent, sipping the queen’s spiked brew and never blinking.  While everyone knew his position on the ordinance, voters were actually shortchanged as to his actual rationale for following the queen’s dictates and wanting to force established businesses into possibly closing down.  In politics, silence is not a virtue.  (Plus, by not voicing an opinion, there are no ‘cats to kick’ by the CCR when Spink doesn’t utter anything.)

non-Pet Rocks:  Those who approved the smoking ordinance did exactly what was needed for the city at this time…strengthen the ordinance that was on the books.  And for those who really care, the new ordinance is much stronger and restrictive than the previous one.  Kudos to the council members approving the new ordinance.  

   Putnam gave an accurate, historical and detailed fact driven presentation of the evolution of the smoking ordinance in Irving.  The only thing lacking, from what the queen wanted, was that the ordinance did grandfather some existing businesses.  And when one looks at the businesses grandfathered, there really is no reason or cause for alarm by anyone.  The new ordinance is much stouter than what was on the books.

   Remember, the businesses which were grandfathered comply with the existing ordinance and have all the necessary items in place to segregate smoking patrons from non-smoking patrons.  In anyones book, this should be a win/win…at least for everyone except the queen.

   In summary:  A major political grandstanding defeat for QueenB VD; a significant win for those attempting to do what is right for Irving and the business and dining community which supports 70+% of the tax base; and a definite win for cracking the veneer of a self-serving, image promoting mayor who must have political ambitions (to regale Tea Party red meat jihadist?) beyond her mayoral responsibilities.  

   Without a doubt, the queen promoting a national political agenda as the driving force for her Irving actions circumvents what she was elected to do and what is needed by the city…serve Irving first.

………………………Mark Holbrook

PostScript:  In a final act of desperation, QueenB VD surrendered the ball to the city’s health board chairman and his two accomplices in her total smoking ban plot, so he could take it home.  

Note:  For those who want to read non-biased accounts of these proceedings sans CCR barbs and digs, the links to the DMN, reporter Avi Selk’s publications follows: