Those of you who haven’t watched the Channel 10 coverage of Tuesday’s council meeting are really missing out. The Katzenjammers put on a great show, starring Mayor Walker with her “inside joke” concerning Mr. Richard McKee’s name. Bit parts were played by Councilpersons Gayle Washburn and Jamey Brooks. Walker had difficulty containing her laughter as she explained the purpose of the mandatory closed session. Mr. McKee, we should remember, is bringing a lawsuit against the council for violations of the Brown Act – tee-hee. Isn’t that funny? By the way, Walker’s failure to indicate the vote total on the decision to fight the lawsuit was, I believe, another violation. The whole thing is just so funny – and expensive!

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Those of us who enjoy listening to word flow for its own sake will certainly be enthralled with Gayle Washburn’s verbal incontinence. She even jokes about resuming her endlessly wandering dialogue at one point, with a piquant smile and short giggle. I think the art of being cute on camera has its limits. Both of these women need to work on the art of public speaking; look where it got Obama! I notice this practice of droning on and on, wading through the swamps of minutia, has become a favored technique between Walker and Washburn, especially when Councilman Conaway asks to have focused discussion. The Walker-Washburn word maze is designed to effect something like a Chinese word torture, death by a thousand dribbling distractions.

Then there is that always surprising interjection by Councilman Brooks. He serves as the Katzenjammer exclamation point, always inserting humorous evidence of his ignorance of an issue near the time for voting; his questions often indicate that he hasn’t read the agenda packet. He often pops-up with a cute one-liner such as, paraphrased “Tell the state that Councilman Brooks says back-off”. This was said in jest, but neither he, nor Washburn, nor Walker understand the serious damage their promotion of Measure I has caused. Not the time for flippant remarks. Measure I completely destroyed the north Fillmore development plan for 700 houses, and has forced high-density housing in Fillmore.

This meeting was another staged event. Katzenjammer Party heavy-lifters were in attendance. Among the faithful were Fillmore residents Gloria Hansen, Brian Sipes, and Marcoz Hernandez. In addition, Katzenjammer Grand Poobah and sometime political strategy Guru, the former (and failed) mayor Gary Creagle made his characteristically bizarre appearance. Gary is the purported leader of the pack, having been campaign manager for Brooks, Washburn, and City Clerk, Clay Westling, all of whom won election by a narrow margin. He plowed up to the dais and began haranguing some council members, then, after retiring to his seat at the back of the chambers, had to be quieted by the mayor after shouting at the council.

Ms. Hansen doesn’t understand that the issues she complains of were largely caused by the Katzenjammer’s successful promotion of the infamous Measure I, which will cost the city more than $300,000. Then, there is the always interesting Marcoz Hernandez and Brian Sipes. Both are expected to run for city council in November; this is why you will see them both seated in the middle of the council’s camera lens at most meetings. When the camera focuses on the person at the dais, it will always capture Sipes and often Hernandez as well. That’s what you call free face time. I think that’s a little tawdry, for the average office-seeker in waiting, but typical for Katzenjammers.

Maybe a better name for this group would be the Wrecking Crew. In any event they have surely wrecked Fillmore’s city government this past year.