Best and Worst of 2013 - Part 1 (The Council)

Here are the results of our “Best and Worst” awards. We’ll start with the Council today and tomorrow we’ll move to the Commissions. Then to the City, and then finish with the Citizens. Thanks to everyone who e-mailed me with their comments.

(Note – wherever possible there is a link to the story that covers the event for which the award was given)

BEST COUNCIL MEMBER

ADAM NICK – “In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is King.” Although he made a few poor choices (e.g., Brookfield, Trumark, Fuentes), Councilman Nick championed more good new initiatives (e.g., transparency, term limits, sunshine ordinance, dog park, community garden) than any other member. He also directly helped citizens with appeals and helped businesses to stay in the City. More than any other council member he tries to relate his votes to greater principles, and he goes out of his way to explain his thinking.  Even more importantly, he was the only Council member who didn’t take any money from people or businesses seeking favors from the City.

HONORABLE MENTION - PETER HERZOG – Not the Peter of Old, but the Peter who voted for real term limits, called for campaign finance reform, and urged the people to “take back your city”

WORST COUNCIL MEMBER

SCOTT VOIGTS – Bumbling his way through, Voigts gave us more postponements, more overtime meetings, and fewer accomplishments than ever before in the City’s history. And he got caught lying several times from the dais. Plus he took money from developers and voted to give them special exemptions. He may not simply be the Worst Council Member of 2013, but the worst Mayor of all time for the City.

DISHONORABLE MENTION - KATHY MCCULLOUGH – Her long boring and nonsensical monologues, flights of fancy, trips down memory lane, and rude outbursts are not appropriate for any council meeting.

MOST MEMORABLE COUNCIL MOMENT OF THE YEAR

PETER HERZOG – The 20 year veteran and 6 times Mayor gave a passionate speech about the fate of the City, and then resigned.

WORST COUNCIL MOMENT OF THE YEAR

KATHY MCCULLOUGH – For her rantings that she doesn’t understand the voting process for filling the vacant Council seat, and for her comment that she selected someone she knew no one else would vote for.

FUNNIEST COUNCIL MOMENT OF THE YEAR

SCOTT VOIGTS - In the selection of Jolene Fuentes for the Planning Commission, Voigts inexplicably changed his vote from the first round, from Amanda Morrell, to Fuentes in the second round. Confronted by a reporter afterward and asked why, Voigts tried to justify his way out of it until finally admitting, “I don’t know.”

Tomorrow we give out the Commission/Committee awards.