Berry spins his ass-handing

Mayor Richard Berry still doesn't get it.

In Tuesday's election, he "bundled" a couple of proposals together, the Sports Complex and improvement of the Paseo Del Norte/I-25 interchange. He paid a price.

"Bundling" or logrolling (as it's called at the state level) is against the law (at the state level) for a number of good and ethical reasons. As a former state legislator, he should be familiar both with the law and with the good purpose it serves. He thought, or was convinced, he could get away with it anyway.

His most oft offered excuse; everyone else does it.

Listening to him after the election, he's still blaming voters and their unaccustomedness to "bundling" for his loss. He doesn't see it as a straight up, enlightened, and determined rejection of his attempt to log roll two dissimilar issues on one ballot.

Thomas Jefferson wrote;

The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time
with the blood of patriots and tyrants.

While his observation is being used to fuel and inflame the political debate and incite people, on a less histrionic level, it points to a need for relatively minor bloodletting like the bloody nose Berry got from voters for his tyranny; denying voters a straight up and down vote on a controversial issue.

Though Berry continues to soft pedal his defeat, I expect he has learned his lesson and will remember this ass-handing before he tries again, to put one over on voters.

Voters are to be congratulated for feeding the tree of liberty.




photo Mark Bralley