The gluttony of punishment: It's a city council Monday, and time to begin drinking.

We'll see one of them tonight. 

They usually manage to get through the first meeting of a new year without fisticuffs, so expect tonight's city council meeting to be sedate.

(I'll be on hand tonight at 7:00 p.m., and will tweet if anything interesting occurs. I have a prior commitment on January 21, and will not be able to cover the council meeting then).

For the first time since 2003, there'll be more than one Republican serving on the council: Al Knable, David Barksdale and David Aebersold swept three at-large seats.

There'll also be a change in District 5, with Matt Nash (D) replacing Diane Benedetti (D). He is joined by theoretical Democrats Bob Caesar, Greg Phipps and Pat McLaughlin, as well as Dan "Wizard of Westside" Coffey, who remains more DINO than Jurassic Park.

Scott Blair will continue to give "Independent" a confused and uncertain name. He lives in the 6th District and represents the banking industry on council.

At the tail end of 2015, with the election over and his services as cemetery precinct rush chairman no longer required, Coffey began signalling his disgruntlement. This generally is a prelude to his contract with the Democratic Party being renegotiated -- but is Jeff Gahan's ego sufficiently inflated to dispense with Coffey's cooperation?

Does Adam Dickey need the Wizard in order to lose state offices to the Republicans?

Meanwhile, Blair has been regularly and very publicly concurring with Coffey. It's an unmistakable sign that the college-educated banker thinks he can use Coffey for his own ends ... and regular observers know how such conniving always turns out in the end.

That's because the Copperhead doesn't much like frat boys.

In closing, kindly note that last week, Blair undertook a mission to the Bored of Works. The same banker who signed off on millions in TIF bonding now wants the Bored to send Gahan's projects back to council for Blair and Coffey to endorse.

BOW's minutes tell the tale. Read 'em and seep.

NEW BUSINESS:

1. Scott Blair re: R-14-14 Common Council having input on Certain 2015 Projects

Councilman Scott Blair stated that he just wanted to make the board aware that in the 2015 and 2016 budget process there were capital items that were being funded out of EDIT and Riverboat Funds. He explained that the council put a resolution together that those items should come back to the New Albany City Council before bids are awarded. He stated that he did some research and in the 2015 budget there were a couple of items that included the dog park and police records management and software system and presentations were made on both of those to the council. He explained that those items would go back to the council for a vote before it could be awarded. He also explained that he had a conversation with Mr. Duggins and Mayor Gahan and they agreed to eliminate Alternative No. 2 on the dog park which were trails that were going to be cut on the back part of that Cannon’s Acres property. He said that he is speaking as one of the nine councilmembers but as long as that piece is eliminated, he is okay with not taking it back to the council for a vote. He also said that when it comes to 2016 items it is very clear that we passed a resolution and any projects coming out of EDIT or Riverboat have to come back to the council for a vote before the bids are awarded.

Mr. Nash asked if he understood that this is an administrative board and we don’t make policy.

Mr. Blair replied yes and stated that he also understands that if there is a resolution out there saying that things have to come before the council before they are awarded for bid then this group should not award those projects.

Mr. Nash stated that is an administrative decision.

Mr. Blair stated that he understands but he could’ve also ask the board to table that if he so chose.

That's a lot of horse trading between broken-down nags, isn't it?