In an exceedingly ugly-assed debate (You’re going to disenfranchise all of Black Austin! Your poison pill language is full of lies!), City Council pulled the single-member districts pigskin out from under the dais last night. Attempting to referee the debate, self-declared swing vote Will Wynn suggested he corral the dueling concerns of districts advocate Mike Martinez with Sheryl Cole – she the author of an onerous criteria-establishing item seemingly designed to derail districts – by a self-imposed end of March deadline.
However, MVP (Most Vitriolic Pontification) honors last night went to Brewster McCracken, who, ended an overlong and inflammatory sermon against districts by wearily stringing together a collection of buzzwords: “redistricting, special interest, factional, pork-barrel ward-style politics.”
Woulda loved to see the locker-room talk between McCracken and Martinez after that one.
This article appears in February 29 • 2008.