Third in a series

“This should be seen as an observation rather than a criticism,” said one of the two former elected officials who have been evaluating the City Council for the past two weeks.

“I have not seen what I would call a real leader,” she said, “someone with the power of persuasion to move a discussion in a different direction.

“I don’t know whether that is fair. I have been looking for someone to take charge.”

Her colleague spoke up. “Since there are so many unanimous votes by the Council, maybe having a leader is not crucial,” he said.

“Meghan (Sahli-Wells) is a much abler politician than anyone up there.

“She is always well-prepared. She seemingly always comes to a Council meeting with bullet points already identified, as an example of how thoroughly she prepares.”

The woman half of the team wanted to interject an opinion. “At least one — if not more — of the Council members seems to be reacting rather than leading,” she said.

“That is the point both of us are trying to make.”

As she smiled, her face took on a winsome look.

“Personally, I don’t know if I would want to be up there now,” she said.

(To be continued)

“From a personal standpoint, I don’t know if I would like to be up there.