The Mayor Game!
Yes, Favored Friends! It’s time once again to play…The Mayor Game!
Every December our illustrious city council elevates one of their own to assume the august tile “Mayor.” The Mayor of Fullerton gets to preside at meetings and that’s about it. Almost a kind of booby prize if you think about it. And yet our elected representatives lust after the title, particularly if there is an election the following November.
For years the selection was fraught with political tension as the repuglican old guard, orchestrated by the odious Dick Ackerman contrived to keep Dems (and Chris Norby) from ascension to this lofty estate. In recent years though, the process has become less political. The Council even adopted a process for non-partisan rotation in which it would be the turn of the that person serving longest without wearing the bejeweled tiara. This process is not enshrined in any law or code. It’s just sort of a Gentleman’s Agreement between people who really don’t trust each other – and for good reason.
The humble office of Mayor Pro Tem serves as the approach to the green and thence the flag.
Will the bonhomie last?
The current Mayor Pro Tem is my broomstick-wielding former mistress, Jan Flory, who will mercifully be out of office in a week or so. This means that it is Councilman Bruce Whitaker’s turn to shimmy up the greasy pole. Whitaker became mayor in the Fall of 2012, but it wasn’t without nervousness since it was well known that Flory and Bud Chaffee opposed him. But Jennifer Fitzgerald was given a directive and fell into line. But that was then.
Another wrinkle this time is that both Whitaker and Fitzgerald are rumored to be seeking the job of 4th District County Supervisor in 2018, and running with title of mayor next year would be just dandy, at least according to conventional wisdom.
So will the new council stick to its own policy or will they dump it? Will the new guy, Jesus Silva go along, or will he cut a deal with Fitzgerald and Chaffee to the exclude Whitaker? In the past it was not uncommon for councilmembers to gin up any stupid sort of excuse to keep the incumbent in place for another year.
In the end what it takes is three votes, and everything else is eyewash.
And now I must to attend to my nether parts.
JFD!
I wonder what happens the dog after Flory departs.
Whaddyamean?
I’m up here in doggie heaven. I’m not going anywhere.
God, this is classic FFFF prose, that heavenly little pooch has only gotten better with age!
I would blush except my face is covered in fur.
Criminy, that dog is a mess.
Get ready for another year of our Mayor-for-Sale.
The Vegas line has Whitaker getting shut out. 4 to 1 odds.
That’s better than the odds of him doing anything about it.
The only good thing about the rotation is that it acknowledges the true pointlessness of a mayoral title in Fullerton. Too bad it’s still lost on most of the public. They love meeting the mayor.
Watch for it. Here’s the deal: Chaffee is Mayor in 2017, Fittzgerald is Mayor Pro tem. They will promise Jesus it’ll be his turn in 2019. That promise will be empty but he’ll go for it. The Boo Hoos hate Whitaker that much.
Jesus will have to break the written “rule” which requires a tiny bit of backbone. I’m not sure he’s the type. We’ll see.
The funniest lame excuse I ever heard for keeping the mayor for another year was by that idiot Doc HeeHaw, who once proclaimed that because of the tough economic times ahead we needed Don Bankhead for another spin around the block.
Nobody but Bankhead and Wade Richmond bought it.
There is too much turmoil. The City manager has driven off into a dypsomaniaical sunset. A new Chief must be found! Too many important high-rises to build! We need a steady hand at the tiller! Fitzflory for mayor.
Don’t say mayor Fitzgerald does not have an important role. She paves the way for the in-house big corporation attorneys to shape the future of Fullerton.
I heard Ron Thomas feels bad for stealing all the money and bailing to some far off island. He’s gonna cum back and be mayor.
You keep talking bad about RT, but they boys in blue are the only reason he had a payday. He ought to buy each of you a nice cup of cider.
Good point Nipsey. Thomas got 5 million because a man was killed. The GED goobers that killed him got nothing.
Some of them got unemployment checks. I guess that’s sort of a booby prize.
Those so called boys in blue are getting checks still today and got a big check from the City because they were innocent as well. Ron just told Kelly’s Army to F off, just like he did to his son back when he kicked him out of his house and told him to never come back. Ron is all about the money and the TV time. Everyone knew that except the Army, and a few brain dead people that thought he was sincere. By the way, anything bad about Fullerton PD recently or just the one thing a year you guys try to make up? LOL 🙂
Uh uh. Big checks for a half-finished pension. A bit above poverty level. Now permanently unemployable. Domestic violence charges for Ramos. A couple of fat happy guys.