Heard on the street

Word is circulating that someone is out to recall Mayor Cappuccilli. It seems it isn't his usual gang of detractors either. This is puzzling if true. The mayor really hasn't done anything wrong. He really hasn't done anything actually. And being a caretaker in government isn't a crime. So what could this be about?
I think it would be best that instead of wasting time and effort to try to recall the mayor, just wait until the next election and try to run against him. Or have someone else run against him.
Also heard on the street is the continuing strange story of alcohol downtown. A local restaurant wants to get a license to serve beer and wine. Some other downtown bars don't like the idea. They are the same bars that were frozen out of selling alcohol at the jazz festival so as not to cut into the business of some of the city's favor non-profit groups that were selling beer. Nothing like cooperation to get the city moving.
Speaking of cooperation, it was nice that all those folks who bought beer from off site vendors kept it under wraps at the park during the jazz festival. Seems they don't get too rowdy after all. They should remember that when they organize the festival next year.
Also heard on the street is that some of the city's design/facade Nazis are ready to begin a blitz against the bank and another downtown enterprise.
Seems that part of the brick walkway near the new bank building isn't really brick at all but a decorative concrete. Tsk. Tsk. The bank already got away with murder by installing some stucco on its upper floors, also a facade no no. Will they get away with this?
And will the operators of the new art gallery downtown get away with painting that mural on the side wall of the building they're housed in. Seems that's not in line with city guidelines even though it looks a lot better than the chipped and pissed on brick that was there for the longest time.
It's hard to figure what the city wants sometimes. They want the city hotel owner to spruce up his building. They don't want others to spruce up their buildings. Trying to run a business downtown is almost like banging your head into one of the town's crumbling brick walls.

w,,u\

A Catholic conspiracy?

There was a big public debate about whether booze should be sold at the River Raisin Jazz Festival this weekend. One of our forward-thinking councilmen suggested the idea, saying that some downtown tavern owners could supply the goods with booths at the fest.
The mayor and some others on council didn't think it was a good idea. The mayor said alcohol can lead to problems because people drinking can cause trouble.
Sounds good, but further analysis finds that this might be merely a matter of competition. Those who ventured to the jazz festival might have noticed the four-story inflatable Budweiser can in the parking lot of the Knights of Columbus Hall across the river. It seems the good Catholics there figured the beer they were selling wouldn't pollute the crowd across the footbridge at the jazz fest.
The good Catholics at St. Mary's, which also has the exclusive food concession, also had a LaBatt's tent at the back of their grounds
It's just a coincidence that the mayor is a member of St. Mary's and the K of C.
And, of course, Floral City Beverage was one of the sponsors of the jazz fest. It sure would be embarassing if some downtown tavern owner put up a booth that wasn't selling Anheuser-Busch products -- the kind distributed by Floral City Beverage. Yeah, the owner of Floral City is Catholic too.
It's not like the Da Vinci Code, but if you think about it, it is a little bit scary.

Booze and jazz

There's a big controversy in Monroe about whether booze should be allowed in St. Mary's Park, the scene of the two-day jazz fest this weekend. Some people figured a few downtown taverns could make some dough off the incoming crowds and liven the place up a bit. Apparently, stodgier heads prevailed and pressured the city council to abandon such a crazy idea. It's all the better. Why should some downtown bar owners who have cronies on council become profiteers from our incoming guests, especially when the jazz fest attendees will bring their own, slightly disguised, and not have to pay top dollar to a "vendor."
I figure someone's going to figure this out and soon the cops will start doing bota bag checks, or whatever.
Here's to an "alcohol-free" jazz festival forever!

The Near-Great Prognosticator

Well, primary election day in Monroe County is now history and you're probably asking yourself why the outcomes seemed so familiar. IT'S BECAUSE YOU READ THE GREAT PROGNOSTICATOR POST BELOW BEFORE THE ELECTION RESULTS WERE TALLIED.

Let's tally the results:

State Rep., 56th District:
Yes, Republican cronyism and hypocrity won. They name is JOHN MANOR.

State Sen., 17th District:
It was a cakewalk for RICHARDVILLE.

Monroe County Commissioner, Dist. 3:
Oops, former school teacher Al Potratz must have taught his students well. They remembered his name at the polls. Our pick, James Vaslo came in second.Potratz might be even a better choice than Vaslo, who knows?

Monroe County Commissioner, Dist. 4:
WHAT???!!! We've heard of close races before, but a tie? Since this race will be decided by a drawing, we're not ready to concede a misprediction yet. We will concede that it was a lot close than we expected. Stay tuned to see if our prediction of a MENTEL victory ultimately comes true.

Monroe County Commissioner District 5:
Voters gave county-issued cell-phone abuser Bill Sisk all the right numbers.

Monroe County Commissioner District 7:
Republican incumbent Randy Ansel, as predicted, beat back a challenge from Mike Davison.
Democratic John Fowler was victorious over Neil Helfrich.

Monroe County Commissioner, District 8:
Connie Veliquette got a little help from her friends to unseat incumbent James Goebel.

Monroe County Commissioner, District 9:
Former Bedford Township Supervisor LaMar Frederick easily defeated Democrat-in-Republican clothing.

The Bonus Round -- Oops! It's official -- everyone in Erie Township is drunk or related to each other -- or both. Bill Frey, political hack, fixer and besmirched former prosecutor and lawyer, won the supervisor's post over squeaky-clean Michael Grodi.

The Bedford Police millage PASSED easily.

The bottom line: We won't count the tie or the bonus round. The successful prediction rate is 80 percent (but could go higher or lower depending on the Mentel-Kosanovich outcome.).

The Great Prognosticator

Well, primary election day is upon us here in Monroe County, Mich. and there are quite a few interesting races at hand. Those of you who know me marvel at my past ability to predict the winners and losers.
So here we go. Don't forget, you read it here first. We'll tally up the real results later in the week and see what my prediction record is.

State Rep., 56th District:
The Republican primary for this seat could be closer than many people think. It pits John Manor, who already lost one bid for this seat, against political newcomer Jean Dahm. Dahm doesn't have the annointing of the Republican fixers in the county, but has run a spirited campaign. She deserves to win the election, but sadly to say, cronyism and hypocrity will win in the name of JOHN MANOR.

State Sen., 17th District:
This Republican contest pits former State Rep. Randy Richardville, who was term-limited, against Milan Mayor Owen Diaz. Diaz is nice guy with great ideas, but nice guys finish last. It should be a cakewalk for RICHARDVILLE.

Monroe County Commissioner, Dist. 3:
This is a big four-way race between Democrats Jeff Blanchett, Jan Jay, Al Potratz and James Vaslo. Vaslo was appointed to fill an unexpired term left vacant by the death of Tom Mell. He was appointed for a reason. He's bright and articulate and hauls the water for mainstream Democrats. Everyone else is a nobody or a pain in the ass. The primary will go to VASLO.

Monroe County Commissioner, Dist. 4:
Incumbent Democrat Floreine Mentel is being challenged by Pat Kosanovich. Kosanovich has the greater intellect. This is like a race between a Mustang Cobra GT and a 1994 Olds Cutlass. But in politics the race is rarely to the swift. Mentel has a big schmooze margin built up over the years and a lock on the 4H vote. Kosanovich is well-respected and will get the hospital vote. But she doesn't have the numbers. She may not be a mental giant, but Floreine's a MENTEL giant at the polls.

Monroe County Commissioner District 5:
Incumbent Bill Sisk faces a challenge from Democrat Patrick Miller. Sisk has been criticized for using his county-issued cell phone for personal business, but the voters still will call for SISK.

Monroe County Commissioner District 7:
Republican incumbent Randy Ansel goes nose-to-nose with former deputy Mike Davison. Ansel is patron saint of the county's hidebound, farmbound and religious right. Davison is know throughout the county, but the whole county doesn't vote for him in this race. Besides, he's known as too much of a shit-disturber. The voters will give their blessings to ANSEL.
On the Democratic side, John Fowler is going up against Neil Helfrich. Fowler is an old LaSalle guy who's been a cog in the fire department. Helfrich is a former deputy turned car salesman. Helfrich is probably looking for some county bennies in exchange for a pro-law enforcement commitment on the board. This race is for the birds, and the winner will be a FOWLER.

Monroe County Commissioner, District 8:
Connie Veliquette, a former Bedford Schools secretary, is up against former Schools Supt. and incumbent Goebel. If you take away the law enforcement values -- Goebel has sparred with the sheriff department and Veliquette's son is a deputy -- the winner of this Republican primary still will be VELIQUETTE.

Monroe County Commissioner, District 9:
Former Bedford Township Supervisor LaMar Frederick goes up against Aaron Simonton in this Republican contest. If the district represented Monroe and it was a Democratic race, Simonton would win it hands down. Simonton is as much a Republican as Hilary Clinton and he doesn't have the constituency that Frederick had as supervisor. The voters will remember FREDERICK when they vote.

A COUPLE OF BONUS PREDICTIONS -- In Erie Township, Frey, the Darth Vader of south county politics, will lose to GRODI.
The Bedford Police millage will PASS.

Another bad guy off the streets?

Monroe County's finest are at it again, keeping the community safe for the rest of us. This time, they rousted a guy in Luna Pier who clearly was a potential child molester. Seems the fortyish man was talking to young kids, giving them candy, handing out Barbie dolls and otherwise entertaining the children. Cops saw this aberrant behavior and decided to arrest him, apparently because he had a prior police record. The guys lawyer, however, says the man has the mind of a 9-year-old and naturally would be palling around with other kids his "age." Nonetheless, when the cops searched the guys apartment, they found 50 pounds of candy and about 100 photos of young girls. Not nasty photos of young girls -- just pictures of young girls.
Now this guy with the 9-year-old brain is in jail with a bunch of bad grownups. Only in America will our paranoia allow us to rationalize the way we treat the developmentally disabled.
Oh for the good old days when we used to lock them all up and throw away the key.