Chronicles of New Gahania: Governance by press release.

During Monday evening's city council meeting, there was much discussion about the way our governmental branches should best interact. What is the healthiest balance between what the mayor wants, and what the council is bound to examine, in terms both of financial impact and plain viability?

Some of these thoughts may even have been non-partisan, although it's always risky to assume the best.

However, the single most telling comment came from a frequent observer, just before the meeting started.

"When's the last time that Mayor Gahan came to a meeting?" 

If memory serves, it was about a year ago, during the Pillsbury crisis. Other mayors make "state of the city" addresses live, in person, before the elected body with which they must work. Ours releases a video, and a steady stream of press releases.

Note the irony of the newspaper's coverage. I'd like to think Morris phrased it this way on purpose, for after a meeting taken up by talks about the absentee mayor's forthcoming wishes -- hinted at only euphemistically by his offensive linemen, who of course were in attendance, there was this.

Ordinance giving New Albany City Council more authority over projects fails, by Chris Morris (Otisco Orion)

... After the vote, New Albany Mayor Jeff Gahan released a statement thanking the majority of council members for voting down the ordinance so 2016 projects could move forward. He said the administration will soon be introducing capital improvement projects in the coming months that will include historic preservation, pedestrian and bicycle safety, facade improvements, environmental preservation, public art and city beautification.

Just imagine if he showed up every once in a while. Communications might -- dare we say -- improve?

Transparency Part Two: Boomtown is coming, and so City Hall skips today's merchant mixer meeting.

"Democracy must be built through open societies that share information. When there is information, there is enlightenment. When there is debate, there are solutions. When there is no sharing of power, no rule of law, no accountability, there is abuse, corruption, subjugation and indignation."
-- Atifete Jahjaga

There are times when all you can do is shrug.

City council approves more ordinances to refrain from enforcing, declares victory, and returns home to carve the Christmas spam.

Last night's final city council meeting of 2013 is amply covered by Grace Schneider in the C-J. Surely she's cursing the misfortune of drawing the short straw.

Of Vicki "Erika" Denhart's favored council seat holders, Kevin Zurschmiede and Diane Benedetti were absent. It's an unscientific assertion, but I'll reiterate: Has there been such a recurring level of council absenteeism in the past decade?

I think not. Because gin was sounding far better than spin, I wasn't there, either. Then again, I wasn't elected to serve, which implies clocking in on a regular basis.

Shirley Baird was present, and offered an ordinance to suppress aggressive panhandling. It was passed on its first two readings, as was the port authority enabling legislation. The latter seems justified, at least until we see the strikingly poor caliber of usual suspects appointed to its governing board, and are duly repelled. As for panhandling, it brings to mind an array of stirring council memories, including porch furniture bans, prohibitions on novelty lighters and heroic objections to non-binding resolutions.

Really?

I'm not sure why non-binding resolutions get all the attention. Non-binding ordinances are far more common in this town.