Third in a series

Re “What Can Mayor Do About Infrastructure?”

In assessing the fiscal responsibilities now confronting new Mayor Jeff Cooper, one of the insightful sages of the community delivered a warning to the mayor and City Council:

“We have a healthy reserve fund that we will burn through in no time at all if we are unable to come up with a strategy to increase revenues,” said former Mayor Andy Weissman.

“This is where they should focus their attention.”

One year after leaving the mayor’s chair, Mr. Weissman said he had not weighed the worthiness of a bombshell suggestion by former Mayor Jim Clarke when he stepped down last month.

Mr. Clarke, who immersed himself in the supposedly honorary chair that rotates a year at a time, would love for City Hall to debate electing a traditional mayor, separately, for a four-year term.

“I have not given thought to whether we want an elected mayor,” said Mr. Weissman. “It would dramatically change the system we have now.  Right now the position is ceremonial. He is the first among equals. But it is just one vote out of five.

“If you had a four-year mayor, I don’t know whether he would be one of five votes or the mayor would be pulled out and you would have five other Council people.”

Mr. Weissman, a lawyer by day, said change would “necessitate rethinking the way in which the city operates. I don’t know whether that is good, bad or indifferent.”

But he offered a clue about his preference.

“The way in which we structure our local government, with a majority vote, has worked fine,” Mr. Weissman said.

“I don’t know what having a four-year mayor, even a two-year mayor, would do.”