He Earned It, But How, Precisely?

Shadow5 admits to great disappointment at the return of Jeff Gahan as President of the 2008 City Council. After two years wielding the gavel, Gahan took a year off from presiding over the council's deliberations. We inferred that as he had grown into the job during his first term he had grown increasingly frustrated at being a mediator instead of an active participant in debate.

Despite fits and stumbles as the presiding officer, and a penchant for being unable to hide his anger, Gahan was demonstrably more capable in the chair than his unlamented successor.

We have too much respect for Mr. Gahan to believe he is a fool. Yet, he has for months begun to align himself with the bitter ignorance caucus on the council, previously known as the Gang of Four. By his stated expressions, it was clear that he felt that he was being disrespected by the administration, that he was being played. His reaction to same was to become mercurial and often unreasonable.

Gahan's most glaring deficiency was his blind resistance to addressing the Constitutional inequities of the city's legislative districts. Gahan, more than any single council member, has resisted all efforts to avoid costly litigation. Gahan, as a potential "peacemaker," first chose to dig in his and the council's heels and pretend there was no problem. Later, as a "mere" council member, Gahan, in our estimation, sold out in exchange for...

A mess of porridge is our guess.

The payback? Another year in the center chair.

Shadow5 has a rule when it comes to politicians. I don't have to like you, I don't have to agree with you. But don't lie to me. Don't "play" me. Jeff Gahan ought to know how that feels. A lot of people say Gahan is a "nice" guy, a "smart" guy, an "reasonable" guy.

I no longer trust him as a man of his word, and that's lamentable. The temptation to psychoanalyze the man is high, but it's not necessary. On objective evidence, he's sold out and begun a dangerous slide to the dark side.