The Wheel Voter's Guide

The Richardson City Council election is Saturday, May 9, 2015. Early voting begins today, April 27.

The City Council has seven members. Four incumbents (Mark Solomon, Scott Dunn, Paul Voelker, and Steve Mitchell are running for re-election unopposed. One incumbent, Bob Townsend in Place 1, is being challenged by Rick Wilder. One incumbent, Kendal Hartley in Place 4, has chosen not to run for re-election. His place is being contested by newcomers Mabel Simpson and Claudia Tatum.

Mayor Laura Maczka is running for re-election unopposed, but has announced that she will not take the oath of office for a second term. That means, according to the City Charter, that whoever the new Mayor Pro Tem is, chosen by the new council, will become Mayor for the next term. So, even though there will be an election for Mayor this year, the electorate's choice will not actually serve as mayor. Call it Democalypse 2015 (h/t Jon Stewart).

Not that anyone should care, but here are The Wheel's recommendations for how to vote.

Misinformation Rampant on Facebook

I know the headline will inspire a reaction of "D'oh". Saying that misinformation is rampant on Facebook is like saying Catholics are rampant in Vatican City. But in this case, it's the source of the misinformation that is striking. It's not the usual anonymous Internet commenters, the ones who spout things like, "It is treason by any definition." Instead, it's people who are willing to sign their names. It's people who claim to be informed. It's people who ought to be informed, given how long they have paid attention to city government. That these people can be so wrong about basic facts of how government works is distressing.

POTD: Four on a Bike

From 2015 03 11 Jakarta

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Jakarta, Indonesia. The motorbike is the workhorse vehicle of southeast Asia. It carries a driver, passengers, cargo, even animals. During our recent trip, it became a pastime to see who could spot the motorbike carrying the most number of people. Three on a bike was too easy. Four on a bike unusual but not rare. Five on a bike -- well, we saw it once but were unable to get a photo.

Review: All the Light We Cannot See

Amazon

From All the Light We Cannot See, by Anthony Doerr:

At dusk they pour from the sky. They blow across the ramparts, turn cartwheels over rooftops, flutter into the ravines between houses. Entire streets swirl with them, flashing white against the cobbles. Urgent message to the inhabitants of this town, they say. Depart immediately to open country."

After the jump, my review.

The Imitation Game (2014)

IMDB

The Imitation Game (2014): Nazi code. Math. Homophobia. Bio-pic of brilliant but difficult man wronged by society. Same story, new angle. B-

What Have We Learned?

What have we learned recently about the burgeoning scandal in Richardson city government?

Monday night, we learned (h/t David Chenoweth) that WFAA's investigative reporter (*cough* yellow journalist) Brett Shipp was at the Richardson City Council meeting and allegedly asked ("confronted," intercepted, ambushed, choose your own verb) council members going in and out about alleged emails from Mayor Laura Maczka to JP Realty's Mark Jordan from before December, 2013, that suggest something more than a strictly business relationship between the two while the Palisades rezoning case was still a pending matter before the city government.

After the jump, what have we not learned?

POTD: Worst Traffic in the World

From 2015 03 11 Jakarta

Today's photo-of-the-day comes from Jakarta, Indonesia. Cities take perverse pride in being known for having the worst traffic jams. After only a few minutes observing the traffic in Jakarta (the photo above was taken the first morning of our visit), I was impressed. I Googled "worst traffic in the world" and came up with a Time.com study that ranked Jakarta as the worst city in the world for traffic jams. Time gets no argument from me.

When Members of Congress Sleep With Lobbyists

"When Members of Congress Sleep With Lobbyists." I don't know why I'm even blogging about this. It's a headline in New York magazine, not The Dallas Morning News. The story says "member of Congress," not member of the city council. It says "lobbyists," not real estate developers. It says "sleep with." Well, ... there's no proof of that going on in Richardson either, although scandalmongers are sure that it not only does, but that it influences government decisions, too.

Still, while I read the story, my mind kept drifting back to goings on in our little town. Funny how the mind works sometimes.

Theory of Everything (2014)

IMDB

Theory of Everything (2014): A soaring mind trapped in a wasting body. Heart-warming and heart-breaking. And real. A-

Claudia Tatum, Now It's Personal

Richardson Idol has already voted Claudia Tatum (candidate for Richardson City Council Place 4) off the island. Normally, that would be the end of it. But I'm driven to add a postscript by one particular answer she gave in the candidate survey conducted by the League of Women Voters of Richardson.

The new technological era has allowed our city to provide better services through the online and smart phone systems. For example, we have the Richardson Application which allows citizens and stakeholders to access information from the palms of their hands. I believe in a more efficient way of conducting business: less paper and moving to a more digital era without forgetting our baby boomers.

Source: Claudia Tatum.

Say what??? That's me she's talking about. I'm a Baby Boomer. Now it's personal!