We have pretty good cops around here.

For the most part.

Not a lot of ego problems.

Some, but not much.

Then there are bad cops.

A Belleville Police officer arrested a St. Charles man for wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with the word “POLICE.”

Now, Adam C. Weinstein, of St. Charles, has sued the department for what he calls a violation of his constitutional rights.

According to police documents, Weinstein was arrested in 2006 outside a bar in Belleville for “impersonating officers.” He was wearing a black t-shirt with the word police striped across the front and back under a sweater. The t-shirt became exposed when he removed the sweater because he was hot.

“Those t-shirts are a sign of solidarity,” said Howard A. Shalowitz, an attorney representing Weinstein. “How many people wear NYPD caps? Are they impersonating police?”

According to the lawsuit, a waitress told Weinstein that some police officers wanted to speak with him outside the bar. Weinstein went outside, he said, and was greeted by Belleville Police Officer Jeff Vernatti.

Vernatti, Weinstein alleges, asked him for his police credentials. Weinstein says he told the officer he didn’t have any credentials because he wasn’t a police officer.

That’s when, according to Weinstein, the police officer started screaming curse words and became physically and verbally abusive. Weinstein says he was cuffed and later released by the officer, but made to take the t-shirt off while standing in the cold.

Weinstein was ticketed for impersonating a police officer, but it was later dismissed. The ticket only alleges Weinstein wore the t-shirt.

After a few glancing blows yesterday’s storm was a direct hit … A solid foot.

The County Snowmobile trails open today.

That means in 10-14 days a January thaw is coming!

Can’t let those trails stay open too long.

There is no penalty large enough for people who do not clean their sidewalks of ice … None!

I have to admit I am fascinated by this story. Why is the Mayor of South El Monte spending so many late nights at City Hall working and should the Council stop her from working those hours?

The latest…

No Mayor,  that is weird. The story continues …

“The mayor has been living at City Hall for the last eight months,” said City Councilman Hector Delgado, who added of her office, “Does it look like a professional office or does it look like somebody’s bedroom?”

Figueroa says she spends most of her days in meetings, so she needs her evening hours to catch up on e-mail and paperwork. And she has to do that work at the office, she said, because she does not have a fax machine or a copier at home.

Figueroa, who frequently refers to herself in the third person, has been saying in recent days that she will try to comply with the wishes of her colleagues. But she makes no firm promises.

“The mayor’s work is never done,” Figueroa said. “The mayor’s got to burn the midnight oil.”

Burn baby burn?

A couple days ago I wrote  about the Mayor of South El Monte having a curfew instituted on her work time at City Hall. I ended that post saying there had to be more to the story … there just had to be.

This might be the end of it, but I doubt it.

South El Monte Councilman Hector Delgado sent this letter to the Tribune earlier this week. Among his accusations is that Mayor Blanca Figueroa lives in City Hall. Figueroa has denied this, saying that she has a home but has so much work to do that she needs City Hall to be open late.

Here is the letter:

I would like to take a moment to thank my colleagues on the South El Monte City Council for their support in establishing an “After Hours” policy on a 4-1 vote. The effort and thought that went into establishing this policy is reflective of the genuine concern to address the issue of safety and liability.

Our communities’ safety and tax payer money clearly outweighs a single person’s individual desires. I question the work that is allegedly being done by the Mayor at city hall after hours. I have repeatedly asked what work is being done at two or three in the morning by her. She has refused to answer me or any of my colleagues.

We as tax payers have a right to know what the Mayor is doing. I call on the Mayor to provide the entire council, city manager, and most importantly our residents written reports that account for the work she purportedly is doing and provide us an explanation as to why with a laptop, wireless card, cell phone, fax and copy machine she cannot do her work from her home.

The truth is the Mayor is living at City Hall. I invite any resident of South El Monte to come and see for them selves. Residents have every right to view our offices and know exactly what we are doing while we are at City Hall.

Lastly, I would like the Tribune to poll any elected official in the San Gabriel Valley, and ask them if they stay in their public offices until two or three in the morning several days a week.

Once again, I thank my colleagues, Mayor ProTem Louie Aguinaga, Council members Joseph Gonzales, and Angelica Garcia who understand that safety and liability clearly out weights the Mayors extraordinary accommodations.

Hector Delgado

Councilmember

City of South El Monte

Stay tuned if I learn more!

No traffic jams. No standing in lines.  On and on and on…

But when I read this …  it really brings the joy of living in a small city into focus.

Michael Mills, a veteran health inspector in New York City, helps create a map of the city you won’t find in any guidebook: a rat map. That’s right, a map of the New York neighborhoods that rodent populations call home.

Today, rodent complaints by residents from all over New York are electronically pinpointed on the city’s computerized rat map, which allows inspectors to track complaints and hot spots over time and determine how well rat-control efforts are working.

I’ll take the occasional skunk in the yard any day.

I recently came across a blog from Concord, CA … MayorofConcord.Com (Not Really).

This is a really good local political blog!

It was back in August of 1974 when I moved to Concord. I wasn’t there very long … couldn’t wait to get out of California … but Concord was home for a very short time.

If anyone is thinking about starting a new blog on their local political scene, this is a good model.

Fed up with the nocturnal work habits of its mayor, a California city council has approved a curfew limiting how late she can work at City Hall.

South El Monte council members say they have safety and liability concerns for Mayor Blanca Figueroa, who frequently works until the wee hours of the morning. She must now leave the building by 11 p.m.

The mayor — a self-described night owl — calls the restriction petty. She says she needs to stay late because her daytime schedule is filled with meetings and her inbox is overflowing with letters from residents affected by the worsening economy.

That was all the story.

There has to be more to it.

There just has to be.

From the Wisconsin State Journal…

Illinois lawmakers are expected in Springfield Monday to decide when and how to bring voters back to the polls to elect someone to replace President-Elect Barack Obama in the U.S. Senate.

A special election has a price tag for tax payers and county clerks are standing by to find out just how big it’s going to be.

The executive director of the Chicago-based watchdog group the Better Government Association says the cost is necessary to maintain the integrity of the process.

I hate to be the one to tell them … but Illinois has no integrity to maintain.

Miles City, MT has a parking problem.

Who doesn’t?

Miles City has a posted two-hour parking limit on Main Street downtown. Now the city has decided to enforce it.

Mayor Joe Whelan said the issue surfaced a few months ago because a business owner complained that employees were using spaces in front of her business that were meant for customers. Whelan says police responded, issuing tickets to those in violation.

 The city then received calls from business owners and employees complaining they were caught unawares. At that point, Whelan says, he asked police to suspend enforcement until the issue could be discussed by the council.

Is there a business district ANYWHERE that doesn’t have a problem with business owners complaining about employees parking on the street in spaces which should be used by customers?

ANYWHERE?

How do you educate a fisherman about new laws they must obey?

“Since you’re supposed to be educating people, I picked this up in a bar in St. Germain. It’s a beer coaster that’s printed by the St. Germain Lakes Association. This is a good way, ’cause most fishermen will go to a bar. This is education; you should try some of this stuff.”

Not much I can add to that idea.

It is a generalization … but local governments around the country are run by old white guys. 

ClarksvilleOnline.Com has opined on this generalization…

Montgomery County has numerous appointed decision-making and regulatory boards, committees,commissions and councils. Citizens are appointed to all of these entities. However the public is not well-informed of whom among it are making decisions as their representative. This does not meet with the intent nor approval of the state law. The city government is equally at fault in this regard. Appointments are not well publicized and the selection pool seems rather restricted. With the vast array of talents present in our community, it would seem that widening the selection pool should not be a difficult task.

“Should not be a difficult task?”

No, it shouldn’t be a difficult task. But, the truth is most people would rather go to the dentist than get involved in their local government.

For the most part it is the old white guys who get involved. It is the old white guys who put their names on the ballots. It is the old white guys who volunteer to serve on the citizen committees. Believe me, the old white guys wish others would get involved so they wouldn’t have to do it all.

 But, it is easier to trash the old white guys instead of getting off your butt and doing something about it yourself.

I’ve been conversing with an Internet acquaintance. He has been thinking about running for his City Council. I asked if he had taken out the nomination papers. He hadn’t. He is waiting to see if the incumbent is going to run again.

I contend a candidate for office is not running AGAINST the incumbent. The candidate is running FOR an office.

Electors deserve a choice. Two thirds of local elections are unopposed. That is not healthy for Democracy.

Run Jim … Run Amber … Run Everyone … Run … Run … Run!

I received the following from IMMLY (Is My Medicine Legal Yet):

COULD WISCONSIN BE NEXT?

Storck said that a Milwaukee-area NORML chapter is in the works; those
who are interested can contact him at www.immly.org or the state chapter
of NORML at www.winorml.org.

Let us hope this portion of the War on Drugs can be rectified.

Every now and then an issue arises that isn’t “on the agenda.” Most states allow for an amended agenda to be posted or changed on short notice for emergencies.

WichitaLiberty.Com opined on a last minute agenda change …

At today’s Wichita City Council meeting, Councilmember Jim Skelton revealed that the plan for the downtown Wichita arena TIF district had changed. A provision for up to $10 million in parking was added.

I had looked at the agenda report less than 24 hours before the start of the meeting. The plan for parking spending was not mentioned. I looked right now, and yes, it’s there.

There’s a problem when things change so quickly. Citizens can’t prepare themselves on such short notice. That’s a problem for openness and transparency in government.

This problem is in addition to the apparent uncertainty as to what’s needed for this TIF district to succeed.

The TIF district passed, with all city council members voting in favor.

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer asked the question…Can a city run a news blog?

Earlier this month, we told you the Seattle Police Department started a news blog.

Newcastle did one better. The city of about 9,000 people is now home to one of the few blogs in the country run by, well, a city.

“The local newspaper, the ‘Newcastle News,’ prints once a month. So there’s a huge gap,” said Doug Alder, spokesman for the city and author of the month-old blog. “People are hungry for this.”

I’m all in favor of city run blogs. I certainly know that newspapers don’t always get the story right. I’ve read the Blogging Mayor of Round Lake, Bill Gentes for some time. 

Readers just need to consider the source …  just as anything else they read or hear or see.

I sure wish blogs were around when I was an elected official. I would have had one.

Times are getting tough … real tough. Local governments are looking at ways to control spending. Since 75-80%  of local government costs are wages and benefits, guess where local officials are looking?  

The PressDemocrat.Com tells us what is happening in Sonoma County, CA…