A direct, but not
helpful, answer
A concerned citizen asked a group of municipal decision-makers how they felt about a proposal. The president of the body said the group hadn't received any information on the proposal. He also said he couldn't speculate on how the group would vote on a proposal for which it didn't have... a proposal. "I'm dodging your question, but I hope with good purpose."
Horseshoes, hand grenades
When the chief executive and the business manager quote budget numbers, they should match. At a recent public meeting, the boss's presentation included a simplified version of the $67 million (give or take) budget. His number was higher than the one shown in the business manager's presentation a few minutes before. "I used rounded-up figures," he explained. "There's a $2 discrepancy there." If our calculations are correct, that's a difference of a whopping .00000298 percent.
All sarcasm aside
Warren County School District suffered at the hands of lawmakers in Harrisburg this past budget year. The state was in serious economic trouble. Something had to give. It was the smaller government. Taking to the extreme a discussion of the impact of charter schools on the district, an official explained what would happen if every school (except one, there has to be at least one public, non-charter K-12 option in every district) went charter. The economics were not favorable for the remaining school, but could that really happen? A board member scoffed at the notion. "Don't you feel that the wisdom of the legislature that got us here is going to rush in to save us?"
Ownership privileges
During a recent discussion of charter school issues, a Warren County School Board member asked if the district would, under certain conditions, retain ownership of a building that could be converted into a charter school. The answer was 'yes.' The member asked if the district could close the building after it was converted. No. He asked if the district could sell the building after conversion. No. "If you can't sell it and you can't close it, it's tough to say you own it."
Guys and dolls
A public discussion of walking surfaces went from the legalities of the Americans with Disabilities Act to the inconvenience of certain types of shoes on certain surfaces. After noting that people wearing high heels might not want to navigate the gravel parking lot at his place of work, one of the men in the discussion said, "Most of the guys wear boots." So, only a couple of the guys wear their stilettos to work?