Calhouns Can(n)ons

To The New LOCSD Board Members: Congratulations! You Have My Deepest Sympathy.

The voters here in Sewerville have spoken, so far. And to me the election of two but not three new CSD Board candidates says that Sewerville wants a change but not a change of direction. Hence, they elected Joe Sparks and Maria Kelley (two Taxpayer Watch-supported candidates) but they also returned to office, incumbent Chuck Cesena.

All three candidates have my deepest sympathy. The newcomers are about to find out that the view from behind the dais is often 180’ different from what they thought it would be on the public side of the table. Once they take the oath of office, they’ll be taken into closed session and there will undoubtedly be given a snootful of privileged information that may give them a different take on things yet again.

They’ll also get to sit and smile politely while people like themselves stand up at Public Comment to rail against their evilness and blockheadedness while hurling carefully honed vitriol down upon their head and shoulders. Their integrity will be questioned, their votes examined, their personal lives subject to scrutiny and rumor. They may even be personally sued for their actions by Taxpayers Watch, and/or be subjectd to a recall. Or, maybe, since Taxpayers Watch didn’t get a Board Majority, they’ll have to defend against another dissolution attempt.

On the other hand, since these candidates were endorsed by and benefited from Taxpayers Watch’s political ads and flyers (while coyly denying they were members or in any way involved with TPW, had no connection with them, that TPW was free to support or not support anyone they chose, heh-heh, and etc.), does their election signal that TPW will finally come in from the cold and join the rest of the community in working on mutual problems from the center, not from the edge throwing stones and lawsuits?

If so, then is Sewerville entering a new era? Are we now moving towards mutually solving a series of problems that were caused when the old Board refused to listen to and actively engage the “center” in a fair and honest process that coulda/shoulda led to a decision on a wastewater project that woulda/coulda been supported by that same “center,” thereby avoiding the train wreck that this ”newish” board is now saddled with cleaning up?

Oh, God, let’s hope so.

Meantime, to the new candidates-elect, I can only say: Gosh, I’m sooooo sorry. But, Good Luck!