Weekend Journal

There’s nothing like the sweet, sweet nectar of a distraction when there’s a looming deadline ahead. The distraction is made all the sweeter if there’s the promise of a valiant, but futile attempt to stop evil doers and protect the common man. Best yet, if there’s the chance for one grand oratory before television cameras that involves jumping of the table and shouting to the people like Sally Fields in Norma Rae.

Yes, this local politics business is beautiful and sad and a major distraction from work, and I can’t say much more. I have had the element of surprise on my side, and I don’t want to show all my cards yet. In a month or two, I’ll tell all, but for now, just some side notes.

One of my academic interests is the impact of the Internet on democracy. The Internet was a major help for me on Friday night as I started poking around this case. The local code books are all on-line and searchable. I was able to do a search for the word “non-compliance” and learned some valuable things. The process was much easier than going down the borough office and asking from help from the town clerk who isn’t too fond of me. I was able to do a google search of the major players in this deal and also found some valuable information.

A more depressing side note about this case is how discouraged the citizens are. They don’t want commerce to elbow its way onto our block, but they are sure that their protests are useless. They tell me that the politicians are in the pocket of big money and that this exercise before the zoning board is all for show. The deal was cinched long ago behind closed doors. In the 80s, they had tried to stop the town from building a trash transfer station and had gotten burned. That one act of corruption had discouraged them for life.

It’s interesting how the town’s political culture mirrors the school district. Both are secretive, hierarchical, and closed. In both places, the town’s people feel powerless.

The citizens have been so successfully broken, that the town is unused to protest. The zoning board members appeared surprised, when one woman in a nice pair of brown shoes rose from the audience to question the suited experts. Lucky for the woman that she has watched enough lawyer TV shows to use the Socratic Method effectively.

“Would you say that the neo-Classical style of your building fits in well with the Victorian and Arts and Crafts style homes in the area? Oh, you didn’t consider the surrounding homes in your design? Oh, you just cared about corporate branding? I see.” “If you believe that you’ll have only two customers an hour, why are you building three drive through windows?” “How many banks are located in this town already?”

In September, I will have the chance to quiz a couple more experts. Which probably means that there will have to be a third meeting (closer to election time, hee-hee) before I have the chance to give my stirring speech ending with the dramatic leap onto the table.

I wish I could write more. The leading characters could have walked out of a Tom Wolfe novel, which makes it’s so, so, so bloggable. But I don’t want to get sued quite yet.