Jim Clarke

If Jim Clarke could pilot two 16-wheelers simultaneously, he might have driven both of them into Council Chambers for this afternoon’s round of budget hearings to emphasize the Stephanopoulos -sized crowd – since he is in the news and the budget may not be.

No one was expected to be turned away, that is if any member of the public at all cracked the heavy doors at City Hall for the scheduled 4 o’clock start.

City Council members could have gone casual to the semi-private discussion.

They could have strode into the talks attired in swim trunks.

They could have donned their favorite Groucho Marx masks.

They could have pulled on outrageously outsized scarlet-colored clown shoes.

Who would tell?

Who would see?

Councilman Clarke was asked this afternoon if nearly invisible audiences discouraged him in his mission to serve the community?

“It would be nice if the public were there,” he said.

“A lot of times” when unhappy persons fire complaints at the Council, “we have to let them know that we have thought of it, and that it is in the budget,” said Mr. Clarke.

Down the dais, Vice Mayor Andy Weissman knew exactly what to expect this afternoon: Silence.

Andy Weissman

Lack of a crowd “doesn’t bother me,” he said. “This will be my eighth round of budget discussions. It never has been different.

“Even when we were at the depth of the economic crises, even when we were going through the tribulations of the consequences of redevelopment elimination, there still were empty Chambers.

“This is hardly a recent phenomenon. More of the same.”

Why? Mr. Weissman, like Mr. Clarke and others, has no idea.

“There isn’t anything exciting or controversial about the budget,” the vice mayor said. “Even when we were through the half-cent sales tax increase and we had a half-dozen community-wide budget sessions, it was a handful here, a handful there.

“Budget hearings never have captured the imagination of the community.”

As the final word, Mr. Weissman drew a comparison.

“A week ago tonight,” he said, “we had 25 people prepared to speak against billboards. I don’t think we will have close to 25 people (collectively) tonight, tomorrow night and Wednesday if we need another night.