The Mylott Conundrum

If you're a regular reader of Save Fitchburg, there's probably at least one thing that comes through time and again: Mayor Dan Mylott isn't doing a very good job of leading the city.

We're slowly working on some research that may or may not prove that point. We're not sure when we'll roll that out, and not sure what it will say. We're just working on it.

But in thinking Mylott over some, we've come to something of a bizarre dead end/fork in the road (we're so confused, we're not sure which it is). In some aspects, Mylott appears to be a hearty political survivor. In others, he appears to be politically dim-witted. Now, as when we started six months ago, we're not sure what to think. We have an idea, but we're not sure.

Take Mylott's re-election. If you read this blog, you sense a great distaste in Mylott. But it didn't transfer to the ballot, where he didn't even have a challenger. Wouldn't a guy on the ropes at least get a solid run for his money?

Spin through the comment section over the last few weeks, and you'll see both sides. Some commenters note Mylott is playing to his base -- seniors who vote in droves. That's politically savvy. Yet the guy doesn't have the political wherewithall to let the superintendent know he's cutting the school budget by $1 million.

Some folks point to Mylott having motives for his budget moves -- saving money for employee raises and keeping the police union happy. This from a guy who created a budget with a deficit last year.

We could go on and on here, but you probably have your own favorite to fill in the blanks. So, what is it? Is he politically crafty, and just bulletproof enough to do his thing without getting in too much danger with the voters? Or is he a bumbling fool, somehow getting by? He's doing something right. We just can't get by the fact he ran unopposed for re-election last year -- and that he would have been a very strong candidate for state rep this fall if he wanted.

One other thing on Mylott before we wrap up. We've noticed in the last few weeks what might be a rebellion amongst other elected officials. The City Council rolled Mylott's budget up in a ball and threw it back at him, like a teacher demanding an "F" paper be rewritten. Not a good sign for Mylott-Council relations. Additionally, Mylott sat threw the School Department's budget hearing, but never gave notice he was slashing the budget by $1 million. That couldn't have sat well with Andy Ravenelle and the School Committee. We wonder, how many friends (and favors) can Mylott count on at this point if he needs them?