Council Democrats play politics with policy

Our position: Mayor Peterson should barricade any efforts by chap Democrats to restrict incoming mayor's authority.

In another awkward show of partisanship, Democrats on the City-County Council have got introduced two proposals that would restrict incoming Mayor Greg Ballard's ability to borrow money or grant taxation abatements.

Ballard, a Republican, repeatedly have asked council Democrats, who lost their bulk position in last month's election, not to ordain any policy alterations before he takes business office Jan. 1.

That hasn't stopped Joanne Sanders, in line to go the council's minority leader, from sponsoring two measurements that would curtail the new mayor's authority. The first would let the council to carry on consultative ballots on projected taxation suspensions before the Metropolitan Development Committee ballots on them. The 2nd would let for nonbinding public referendums on whether the city manager should borrow money.

Neither thought by itself is particularly objectionable. But the timing is suspect.

Mayor Baronet Peterson have not had to run under such as restrictions. Now, a calendar month after electors tossed them from power, council Democrats desire to monkey with Ballard's ability to cover with financial issues.

This isn't the first clip since the election that Democrats have got tried to shoot political relation into policy concerns. Sanders and others recently floated the thought of reversing an addition in the county option income taxation they approved last summer. Democrats justified the taxation addition in portion to turn to longstanding issues with public safety pensions. That demand didn't vanish simply because Democrats were defeated in November.

Council Republicans attempted the same sort of last-minute political nonsensicality as Baronet Peterson was preparing to take over as city manager in 1999. Departing Mayor Steve Goldsmith blocked three proposals that would have got restricted Peterson's power.

It's now up to Peterson to guarantee that political games don't predominate as he and chap Democrats set up to release authority.

The metropolis necessitates a smooth, professional passage of power. The Democrats' proposals are a crystalline effort to impede that process.