Halfway through last night’s decidedly more comfortable City Council meeting, the old and new members were rummaging through their psyches. At the nudging of the Vice Mayor, they were trying to dream up inventive methods for luring disinterested residents to this month’s series of hearings on the budget.
Gary Silbiger had just spent 15 minutes lobbying his friends and skeptics, trying to convince them that residents were plenty willing to participate in the Council’s business. They just were waiting to be courted by a siren song from City Hall.
After City Manager Jerry Fulwood suggested that City Hall could take out larger advertisements, freshman Councilmember Mehaul O’Leary sparked the only titter of a long, somber evening.
“Maybe a little shock treatment is needed,” he said. “We could say in the ad,
“‘Come See How We Are Spending YOUR Money.’”
Whether or not Mr. O’Leary’s teammates adopt his idea, he gave a strong all-around performance in his second week on the Council.
He probably convinced the lingering skeptics that he is ready for prime time, politically speaking.
The jitters of opening week had flown away. The uncertain questioning of a week before had been replaced by tailored, succinct, informed questions and observations.
He addressed subjects as if he were standing on the inside of City Hall not the outside.
After Retirement
He offered insightful comments during the budget rollouts. After a lengthy delineation of the sagging state of post-retirement health benefits, he suggested that the portfolios of current employees remain untouched while more modest policies are developed, immediately, for incoming city employees.
Even though he looked as if he were relaxing in an easy chair at home, Mr. O’Leary found the prospect of evaluating the complex budget “pretty daunting” for a new Councilman on his Opening Night.
“Confronting the budget at your first meeting doesn’t make sense,” he said. “It’s a little backwards. This is something I think should have been handled by the previous Council.
“For example, if the City Manager tells us what his needs are, I have no idea whether to believe him” — because the Councilman said he lacks a point of reference.
Making a Difference
For the native of Ireland, what was the difference between last week and last night?
On the morning after, Mr. O’Leary said he had in his possession the same cache of information and data as last week. “The difference was, just a matter of my reading and absorbing all of it,” he said.
He entered last night’s meeting thinking he might be the deciding vote on whether to bring back the Entrada Office Tower project.
He was not surprised that neither Mr. Silbiger nor Councilman Chris Armenta introduced the explosive subject. They stood forewarned.
Speaking of Landmines
“We had all sat in a room and listened to the attorneys list the land mines” if the Council attempted to bring back pre-approved Entrada, Mr. O’Leary said .
“Everyone seemed to be on the same page. That’s why I am not surprised it didn’t come up. That is not to say it still won’t come up next week.
Last night was not the end of Entrada for the Councilman.
Westchester Calling
When Mr. O’Leary checked his answer machine this morning, he discovered that a Westchester resident, distressed over the pending arrival of the Entrada Tower, had telephoned him.
She wanted to find out whether the planned building had been voted on last night or whether it will be brought back in the future.
Before giving his own response, he was planning to ask her if she had contacted the instigators of resuscitating Entrada, Mr. Silbiger or fellow freshman Chris Armenta.
