Back on the Cutting Board

Mayor Dan Mylott yesterday rolled out his plan to cut $400,000 out of the city budget to make up for an overestimation in free cash in this year's budget.

This wasn't a secret, Mylott said in August cuts were likely. What was a secret was from where the cuts were coming. As we find out, it's the PD cruisers, some upkeep and open positions, and a little bit here and there.

The issue for city councilors, however, is they need to approve the cuts pretty quickly in order to the city's tax rate approved by DOR in time for December tax bills. Because we really don't wait for those, right?

Councilors have a point. Mylott doesn't give them much time. But this seems pretty common sense, particularly the cruisers which a lot of people (yup, me included) didn't particular embrace back in the spring.

However, the council needs to take some blame on the delay as well. Where was the constant, "Mr. Mayor, we need those cuts, now." Considering the hub-bub over the budget last spring, you'd think the council would be jumping down Mylott's throat on everything budget related.

Instead, Mylott continues to get a pretty free ride from the council. We suspect, at some point in the next three or four months, that's going to change. A councilor, maybe more if everyone's feeling bold, is going to run against Mylott. That will turn council meetings into a Mylott bitch session that the council just can't seem to get its dander up for at this point.

That leads me to this: I've been slowly picking through old stories of Mylott's past campaigns. Just doing some background research. When he first ran for mayor against incumbent Mary Whitney in 2001, he ripped her religiously through the council. We dug up this May 16, 2001 story this afternoon. The highlights are included for your viewing pleasure:

"In his latest salvo against Mayor Mary H. Whitney, whose job he covets,
City Councilor Dan H. Mylott criticized her yesterday for not giving the council
ample time to review a fiscal 2002 budget that could near $90 million...

"(I)t was Mr. Mylott who was most critical of the mayor last night. Mr.
Mylott, who is giving up his at-large council seat to run for mayor this fall,
voiced his frustration at the end of the council meeting.

"'I think coming into tonight's meeting is too late, but coming in after
tonight's meeting is inexcusable,' Mr. Mylott said of the budget. 'I think it's
too bad that the needs of the council are ignored in this case, because the
council has a lot of work to do...'

"Mr. Mylott has made it clear that his campaign against Mrs. Whitney will
be packed with attacks on her record. When declaring his candidacy in March, Mr.
Mylott blasted the mayor for what he said was her need to 'micromanage' economic
development efforts, and he criticized her cutting the six police
positions."

Six years later, Mylott could be in a much different role as the budget process rolls along next year.