The Domination Seems to Be Complete.

Last night's Commission meeting had trouble getting started.  It got very bogged down in the most unexpected of places: the opportunity for Commissioners to add or withdraw Agenda items.  There was something strange about that discussion.  It was both wide-ranging and aimless, rambling, meandering, and being generally tangential.  Somehow, parts of the Manager's report, and the Police Chief's report, wound up appearing in the otherwise simple, few second opportunity for a Commissioner to say he or she wanted to add a topic, or withdraw one already in the Agenda.  It was curious what this seeming delay or dodge was about.  It seemed almost as if Commissioners wanted to avoid something.

And then, there was Public Comment.  Oh.  Village resident after Village resident complained, to and about Tracy Truppman, and the Commission that apparently couldn't.  Some complained that the Village was spinning its wheels, not moving or improving itself.  Some said there was no meaningful Code enforcement, and that the appearance and condition of Village properties were suffering for it.  Others criticized Tracy personally, including of committing Charter violations.  And of course, there was mention of Tracy's simply personally commandeering the Village and what is usually its government.  Tracy had only one friend last night, at least among non-Commission Village residents.  Jeff Jones angrily countered written comments from Milt Hunter, who reportedly submitted a damning (of Tracy) letter or blog post, Jeff offering opinions of his own.

The next section of the meeting, which was now over two hours old (up to this point in a normal meeting takes about 20-30 minutes, depending on Presentations) was set aside for Commission responses to resident comments.  Oh, Tracy.  She sat out for a little while, letting Roxy Ross field much of the material, and then, Tracy pounced.  She deftly parried a small collection of the complaints, most of which were directed at her.  Her tactics mostly focused on ignoring those accusations she didn't feel like addressing, simply denying others, and lying about the rest.

One focus mentioned by a few Village residents concerned Tracy's (mis)management of what amounts to hurricane Irma damage.  One particular was Tracy's having taken it upon herself to dramatically increase the amount of money the Village was requesting in aid from the state.  Although Tracy, or any other elected representative, should never do such a thing, in this case, it mattered even more, because we have to match what we're given.  The more Tracy requested, the more we would have to come up with as a match.  Although Tracy had a dodge for that, too.  But the point is that Tracy's flim-flam included the concept of urgency and emergency, for example that she had only 48 hours to make an application to the state.  (One of the accusations Tracy ignored, and not for the first time, is why she didn't call an emergency meeting.)  So part of Tracy's footwork here was to claim she had announced this at a previous meeting (wrong).  But there was an available cure, even last night.  Tracy-- who else?-- hit on the idea that the Commission could retroactively approve, by vote, what she falsely alleges they approved in general conversational consensus whenever she alleges this conversation that never took place took place.

During the discussion of whether or not Tracy committed Charter violations, attorney John Hearn reminded that the first place a Commissioner's alleged Charter violation would be considered would be in the Commission itself.  Roxy Ross pointed out that the current Commission could not be relied upon to give honest consideration to whether or not Tracy committed a Charter violation.  Tracy owns these stooges.  They're not going to criticize her.  And we saw what Roxy meant.  Tracy quickly put together a motion that her application to the state for over $1M was agreed upon by the Commission, and it was in the mouth of puppet Harvey Bilt that Tracy put these words.  The second came from the mouth of puppet Jenny Johnson-Sardella.  Tracy quickly rammed through a vote, with no discussion.  And the vote was quickly 3.  Tracy didn't need to know what Roxy Ross' vote was, and she didn't ask.  But Roxy did take the slightly belated opportunity to ask her Commission colleagues if they had seen the document they just voted to approve.  The dumb, deer-in-the-headlights looks said it all.  So the vote was rescinded, whatever that meant, and we took a "five minute" (about 20 minutes) break, so Harvey and Jenny could actually look at what they just agreed to.  If you want to know if either of them sat at the Commission table, looking at this one page, the answer is no.  Everyone scattered.

And when we reconvened, the room was empty.  All of the non-Commission Village residents had gone home.  All but Chuck Ross, Linda Dillon, and I.  What, really, was the point in staying?  Tracy and  the bobbleheads proved Roxy right, they quickly reconfirmed their original votes, and they moved on to whatever nonsense is now Tracy's driveway Ordinance, although they had trouble taking that up, either.

Everyone now gets it.  Tracy does whatever she wants.  She says whatever she wants.  She now controls three other Commissioners, and whatever sits in the suits of the Village Manager and the Village Attorney.  Poor Janey Anderson.  Now she says she no longer supports Tracy?  Where was that insight on voting day?