Interesting discussion in the topic thread just below this one.  Someone has made the point that since the Council seems to get along in public that things don’t happen or we all just go along to get along and not upset the apple cart. 

I would charactarize the Council’s relationships as “Professional”.  No, we don’t have knock-down dragouts in front of the TV cameras.  Strictly speaking for myself, that really isn’t very productive and here’s why:  Almost every item that makes it onto a Council agenda goes through at least one committee meeting.  The committee meetings are typically where the disagreements are identified and hashed out.   When something makes it onto a Council agenda, it should be ready for action.  Things that are half-baked get passed by pretty quickly – the questions mount and it rapidly becomes clear that the item isn’t soup and it gets tabled.

Also, it would be a mistake to infer that the Council members don’t disagree on things.  We do and, from time to time, it can get heated.  However, in the end we all start and end our arguments with what’s best for the Citzens in mind.  This might seem like baloney but it’s the truth.  Everyone on the Council holds this as a very important principle.

Other Council members may feel differently about all of this.

There is a very cool article in the NY Times about the Grateful Dead. It covers the great debate over what is their best show and also some really great online sources of Dead recordings. I don’t profess to be a Dead scholar but I had heard of the Cornell show mentioned in the article.  However, I had never heard of the show they did with Janis Joplin in 1970.

My normal speed is somewhat edgier but the show with Janis is very interesting. Check it if you get a minute!