Here in My (Take Home) Car

OK, so on Friday the Mayor vetoed the Council Bill that would have cut back on take home cars, and then, in the same pen stroke, made the vetoed changes as an Executive Order. So it's abundantly clear now to those still not clear on the concept, that the issue was never really about the take home cars, but rather about who has the authority to manage the City: the Mayor or Council.

This issue, of course, has colored the last 4 months of the new Council and it seems that this will be a running theme for the foreseeable future.

So, at this point, Council could conceivably just let this whole thing blow over, chalk up a win, and get back to more pressing business... like a commendation for yours truly... but it could decide that it wants to override the veto, order the changes that are already in place, and thump their chests making a "Boo-ya!" noise.

And here's where it could get tricky: all the Mayor needs, it seems, is somebody with standing... say, a member of Public Works who had his car cut... to sue City Council for the change, arguing that they had no right to make the change, even though the changes have already been put in place.

The whole thing could end up in Commonwealth Court as a ruling on who has the power to do what under the City Homerule Charter... maybe even with City Solicitor George Specter representing Council, which would blow the strangeness quotient out of the water.

Given the current situation in Council (a lot of new members trying to assert their authority over everything), I don't think that this scenario is particularly unimaginable, even it is ridiculous and/or ludicrous.

Council has done plenty of strange stuff before. Like the epic Michelle Madoff/Ben Woods nude Jello wrestling.

That was weird.