ESTÚPIDO SAVANNAH - Monday, December 22, 2008 4:05:36 PM

So I’m decking the halls, blissfully unaware of anything that might be happening outside Casa Estupido, when what to my wandering eye should appear but a seven hour marathon Savannah City Council meeting.

Greetings from China

I had read all about the WWII monument and about how strained the relationships on council have become since the China Syndrome struck back in November and the SMN editorial lamenting just how dysfunctional our little cadre of superfriends have become.

I now must leave my eggs un-nogged to address the misrepresentation of all this recent rancor.

First let me disabuse you of the false impression given by the paper that this is something new, relations on this City Council have always been tense.

Anyone remember the year we canceled then un-canceled St. Patrick’s Day because Alderman Tony Thomas didn’t like the way the waterfront was being run? Do you remember when the portraits of Robert E. Lee and another confederate were removed from council chambers? How about the controversy over putting some of the city’s money into minority banks? The brouhaha over the police vacancies under Chief Flynn? The Felser/Thomas crime tax media blitz?

That just takes us midway through the first term.

Don't lie, this is what you want to see

This group is full of big personalities and they growl and bite at each other all the time. The SMN’s portrayal of this as something new or some failing of the Mayor’s “MOJO” is just plain wrong.

While the subject matter may change from “travel costs” to “prayer at meetings” all of this is simple and somewhat ham-handed political posturing on the part of some members of council.

It has always happened and will continue to happen as long people are born with that particular genetic defect that leads to political ambition.

The difference this time seems to be that the Mayor is not playing along. He is no longer reliant on the fickle winds of public opinion and therefore doesn’t care if the council has a silent prayer or a vocal one before each meeting.

Not one taxpayer dollar will be spent, no one will die or go hungry or lose their job or become homeless if the council decides one way or another so why should the Mayor care?

This is not a loss of “Mojo” it is simply an unwillingness to participate a clubfooted tango with wedge issues. Instead he seems to want to focus on actual governance which is, after all, why we hired him in the first place.