The relationship between the mayor and the council majority is critical to avoiding gridlocked government. Without the support of the council, the Mayor cannot push legislation. Without the backing of the mayor, policies passed by the council gather dust on a shelf in the planning office. Hoffay, who supported Mayor-elect Shayne Gallo’s opponent, Ward 9 Alderman Hayes Clement, in a bitterly contested Democratic primary, said he was ready to work closely with the new administration.
Deb Brown.
“I don’t see any reason for us to be adversarial, we all belong to the same party and we all have the same goals and priorities,” said Hoffay. “It is very important that this mayor be successful and I want to be part of assisting him on the legislative side of that.”
Check egos at door, says Brown
Brown will, like her predecessor Turco-Levin, come to the minority leader’s post as a first-time alderwoman leading a caucus too small to impact even a supermajority vote against a united Democratic front. But Brown, who fought an uphill election fight on an independent party line, said that she hadn’t come to the council to play party politics.
“At this point, with what’s happening in the city we have to cross all party lines to find solutions,” said Brown. “We all need to leave our egos at the door.”
Brown has been a regular presence at council meetings since 2007 when she served as the Ward 9 community group’s liaison to the body. In 2009, she ran unsuccessfully for the Ward 9 seat. But, she said, the experience has left her reasonably well-acquainted with the big picture of how things work on the council.
“I may be a little bit rusty on Robert’s Rules of Order and the committee process,” said Brown. “But I’m not going to be embarrassed to ask a question and learn some of that on the job.”
As a for a legislative agenda, Brown said that she’s less concerned about new laws than imposing some fiscal discipline to keep the 2012 budget on track.
“Rules are OK, but people are more concerned about how the city is going to stay open,” said Brown. “I don’t think our major objective should be to start making rules all over the place. We just need to start enforcing the rules that we have.”
