It's obvious howdyho that you don't let facts get in the way of whatever your agenda is. The annual budget vote in 2011.....6-3...Cohn, Ashby and the mayor....voted against the lay-offs, yet provided no means to pay for the cost. They took a pretty good pounding for being fiscally irresponsible! The annual budget vote for 2012, having learned from the previous year experience....everyone but Ashby....voted for the proposed budget.....including the mayor. Layoffs and all! Your list seems to be short a few names.....along with you credibility. BTW, SPOA is still not contributing one dime of their 32% annual pension contribution.

This isn't a "chicken vs egg" situation. The central city, after years of decline attributable to suburban flight, in the late 70's and early 80's saw an influx of residents moving back in. Taking back an area that the "city" along with SHRA were more concerned about tearing down and rebuilding with low income, subsidized housing in the residential areas. However, residents started moving back in taking back the distressed properties and restoring them, with no help from the banks and mortgage lenders that had red-lined the area. Lots of hard fought battles occurred inb the process...only to see it now being over exploited with alcohol venues and escalating rents based on that one single business model.

"‘Frontline’ raises questions about test-score tampering under Rhee" "Student standardized-test scores at an award-winning D.C. school dropped dramatically in 2011 after the principal tightened security out of concern about possible cheating, according to a new “Frontline” television documentary to be broadcast Tuesday. The hour-long program raises questions about whether District officials have adequately investigated persistent suspicions that public school employees may have tampered with tests during the tenure of former schools chancellor Michelle A. Rhee." http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/documentary-examines-michelle-rhees-legacy-in-dc/2013/01/04/ae86e8a6-55f7-11e2-8b9e-dd8773594efc_story_1.html Washington Post 1/4/2013 "Michelle Rhee's StudentsFirst Group Loses Top Democrats, Hires New President" http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/04/michelle-rhees-studentsfirst_n_2411484.html "All the while, a small cadre of influential Democrats stood behind her, helping her craft messages on things like her positions on unions (that they are entitled to collective bargaining on salary issues), and trying to fend off attacks from the progressive community (one in particular thwacked her explicitly for her right-wing contacts). But in the last few months, these Democrats -- including the group's vice president of communications, Hari Sevugan, as first reported by education blogger Alexander Russo -- have left the group, ceding control to a group of new hires, including president Kahlil Byrd." "It seems to me that the direction taken in the past five months is a direction ... to say we're going to focus a lot more on changing laws -- developing resources with a focus on changing laws, shaping election with a focus on changing laws -- as opposed to changing the environment, building a long-term movement," said a source close to the organization who declined to be named to avoid severing relationships" ""They were able to talk the talk that it is bipartisan," said Kombiz Lavasany, who directs strategic campaigns for the American Federation of Teachers, a union Rhee has sparred with. "But [after things like the guns episode] … I can see how it would be harder and harder for the Democrats to work there." When asked about a potential switch in focus and messaging, Byrd said, "Our focus is to pass good laws and policy around the country." But others were more blunt about the shift. "It gets tiresome to have to defend who we are," said a senior SF officer, who declined to speak on the record." Both are worthy of a read along with the FrontLine Report being worth a watch.

Close to a combined million dollar "battle royale" for two council seats? Was it about "Strong Mayor" the Arena, or the best interest of the city, its residents and businesses? I'm inclined to agree with you William. I don't think many would be surprised to seer the mayor and his "slate" push forward with a strong mayor proposal early on. Of course, a special election would be cost prohibitive solely for a strong mayor proposal. Then again, if a newly elected council member, suddenly found himself saying: "I have had great difficulty with multiple distractions which have undermined my ability to pay proper attention to my responsibilities of serving my constituency. I am therefore submitting my resignation.... According to the city charter Article III Sec 28 Vacancies: "A vacancy on the city council other than the office of the mayor shall be filled by special election to be called by the council as provided in Section 154 of this Charter, unless such vacancy occurs within one year of the next general election..." As ill-conceived that that tactic might seem. what hasn't been ill-conceived regarding the ongoing attempted power grab?

How convenient. How many officers would have been laid off this past budget cycle had SPOA agreed to pay their share of that annual 32% pension contribution that the city currently pays ENTIRELY? Answer: ZERO That, on top of the fact SPOA has rec'd a combined 6 1/2 % pay inc over the last 18 months. What type of business model has almost every employee group within an organization paying its entire share of its pension while allowing one not to contribute one dime.....along with it being the most expensive group in the organization? Measure U is not going to correct that out of wack business model. It will simply allow it to persist along with the fact that recalled and newly hired officers will further add to the financial problem.