WPCNR MR. & MRS. & MS. WHITE PLAINS POLL. May 26, 2007:  If you represented citizens of your city and you were told of a massive new development in the heart of your town two months ago, would you perhaps tell constituents about it, perhaps in a news conference? If you represented the citizens of your city and you were about to give away $39 Million in tax abatement over 18 years -- and cut the price of a huge land parcel -- would you pass it quickly or slowly? Would you examine other developer alternatives to it?  If you were selling the rights to the city's public access television audience, would you negotiate for the best deal you could possibly make regardless of what other cities did?  If you were running for reelection would you put political considerations ahead of the public's right to know? Or your convictions?

In view of the latest revelation that the Common Council knew of the Exclusivity Agreement Louis Cappelli wanted, several letter writers are aghast that the Common Council suppressed knowledge of the Station Square proposal leading up to its announcement to the public on short notice and did not vote down exclusivity outright Thursday evening.

Which leads us to this month's poll. Is the Council as dysfunctional as other government bodies: the congress that fails to set a deadline on the Iraq pull out; the state legislature that creates tax breaks for citizens out of thin air without saying how they will be paid for? The county government that adds personnel in a tax increase year? The School Board that suppresses a $2 Million settlement brought about by a vendor they are about to hire for their largest most expensive project in history; the School District that does not costs aggressively?  See what I mean about dysfunctionality.

Rate the Common Council as to how dysfunctional it is compared with other government bodies in the poll at the right, or are they better?