With tonight being the second of back-to-back dark Monday nights for the City Council, members will face two juicy decisions in the next five weeks — three, if you count member Scott Malsin.
One week from tonight, at 7 o’clock in Council Chambers, the Council is expected to decide — no guarantee they will — on which of four developing teams will build a dazzling structure on the Parcel B property in front of The Culver Hotel.
On Monday, Jan. 9, the Council tentatively is scheduled to take up the annually controversial matter of tapping a producer for the Summer Concert Series in the Courtyard of City Hall.
Given the towering drama and explosive emotions that trail this argumentative night like a stalker, you would think the Council were selecting a group of astronauts for a one-way mission to the sun.
Gary Mandell has been successfully producing for 11 years. If, as anticipated, his chief Council critic, Mr. Malsin, will have stepped down by that time, Jan. 9 may be the quietest discussion of an impresario in this century.
The third big piece of the City Council’s rainbow of high-profile evenings is due to dawn two weeks from tonight, Monday, Dec. 12, the final meeting of the calendar year.
The newspaper reported almost a month ago that Mr. Malsin, who appears to be in danger of surrendering a chunk of his healthcare benefits if he remains on the dais after Dec. 31, has told friends his intention is to announce that night he is resigning his seat to protect his benefits. Days later, he is expected to file for the spring election to regain a chair at the Council table.
While all of the foregoing is true, this report does not come with guarantees.
