The Local Scene -- Big Yellow Taxi, or Whatever Lotter Wants, Lotter Gets

Following the election results of yesterday, I can safely say two things about municipal government in New Brighton:

• The city council will get along splendidly and will be spending a lot of time congratulating itself for its wisdom and courage in investing in a brave new future for our fair city; and
• The city council will be a rubber stamp for the person who actually runs things, City Manager Dean Lotter.

After 12 years fighting the powers that be, Gina Bauman will not be part of the council next year. Gina was the one person on the council who would regularly challenge the logrolling and "what am I signing, Radar?" ways of the rest of the council, especially in the last two years. Because she was regularly outvoted 4-1 on fiscal matters, Bauman hasn't been able to effect needed changes for a while now, but her efforts have meant that some of the more dubious ideas get at least a touch of scrutiny. That's gone now. You can expect a lot of 5-0 votes on the council going forward -- the incoming council members, Graeme Allen and Emily Dunsworth, are both DFL operatives and while their positions are nominally nonpartisan, there's little question they will defer to Lotter's wishes and pose for a lot of photo opportunities. I'm sure they'll have a great time.

There's more to say about this election, especially the role of the successful school board levy vote in driving the results, but the lesson is obvious -- if you go along, you get along. And as the citizens of New Brighton look at their property tax bills in the coming years, they'll understand the refrain of Joni Mitchell's song "Big Yellow Taxi":

Don't it always seem to go, that you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone.

We'll be keeping a tally here.