State of the City

A lot more on this tomorrow, but a few thoughts tonight:

You either believe Mayor Dan Mylott and what he proposed tonight, or you don't. If you believe him, you'll wait and see what happens. If you don't, you're going to knock tonight as a lot of hot air.

Mylott was focused on the city's fiscal situation, and laid out some kind of framework for next year's budget. Expect budget cuts (school Supt. Andrew Ravanelle said he expects to cut, too) and staffing decreases. Also expect some long-term planning, some stabilization funding (Councilor Dean Tran thinks $250,000 is a good starting point), and a $1 million bond for school repairs.

Believe Mylott or not, but he threw it all out there, and he has six months to the preliminary election to prove it. Why hasn't this been done over the last five years? Good question, particularly on the long-term planning side.

So, if you're a believer, you're hoping for the best and optimistic about the city's future. If you don't believe, Dan Mylott has six months to change your mind.