Like most (not all, of course) observers, I was amazed at the speed at which the Champaign Council selected Deb Frank Feinen to fill out Kathy Ennan's term.
I really wasn't all that surprised with the outcome. Feinen was one of the two best qualified of the 15 candidates. She nearly had the appointment when the council filled the last opening, but some last-minute strong-armed politics ended up with Marcie Dodds being picked in something of a you-scratch-my-back-I'll-stab-yours surprise.
The thing that rocked me a bit was the speed. One ballot, little discussion, about two minutes between nomination and vote and outcome. I think it is obvious that the outcome was secured long before the meeting was called to order. Votes for were Tom Bruno, Mayor Jerry, LaDue, Vic McIntosh and Dodds.
Not the lineup I would have expected. Bruno is enough of an independent thinker that it's likely he just had decided on who he considered the best-qualified candidate. Ladue, Vic and daMare's votes for Deb were pretty much a foregone conclusion. Leaving Dodds. She's been part of some backroom dealings before, including the dealings that got her the council seat to begin with. I have no doubt that someone said something and someone promised something (or threatened something) to insure what is generally thought to be a Dem vote for a GOP candidate.
That's how politics is played. Doesn't make it right, but that's the game. Gotta play by the rules that are before them. And then don't complain about the final score.
Is Feinen's selection gonna change much on the Council? No. She's pretty much a moderate Republican (if there is such a thing). She's already said that as the appointed member of the body, she wouldn't work to overturn the smoking ban. And as a veteran of other public bodies, she comes in more up to speed on how things work than probably anyone else on the list of candidates.
The body still is leaning just as far (barely) to the liberal side as it was before the selection. That hasn't changed. The five pro-smoking ban votes are still intact and by all accounts still firm.
And, despite my slight trepidation, I suspect Feinen could be a fine council member.
We sure could have done worse.
And so it goes.
4 comments:
Old Guy, aren't you gonna blame Tony Fabri for this debacle for the Dems? His urging of the Council to appoint Avery really shot the Dems in the foot. Tony has some egg on his face.
maybe Dodds thought Feinen the better qualified, like she said. It's a stretch to assume that there was arm twisting with Dodds. What kind of arm twisting could make up for Dodds potentially angering the partisan Dems? I agree with anon. Fabri just plain blew it. He pushed a bad candidate and he did too little too late. He's the best thing to happen to the Republican's in this county.
Arm-twisting comes in all stripes. It's my suspicion that someone sat down Dodds and very clearly explained that Feinen was determined in some way to be on the council. She was going to be on the council. The only question was when and where. i.e. if she wasn't appointed to that seat, she would definitely run for the seat in the district where she lives in the next election. And that happens to be Dodds' seat. And since Dodds has never run, while Feinen is an experienced campaigner Dodds had better learn the facts of life quick. And if the Dems hoped to keep her seat .... get the picture?
And to the first comment, no, I really can't blame Fabri. Sure, he didn't marshall his troops as well as the Republicans did. But I suspect he didn't think he'd need too. But then again, he didn't tell Avery to go in and act like a complete ass and jettison her own candidacy, either. Avery screwed things up by eliminating the strongest Dem candidate -- herself. That's where the blame rests, if there must be blame.
Self preservation in politics and compromising everything away for that purpose is the main evidence as to why there should be term limits for City Council and Mayor.
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