All For Maczka In Place 4

Karl Voigtsberger owns the distinction of being the first contestant voted off this season's Richardson Idol. Has anything changed since that long ago first episode for the judges to regret that decision? (And by judges I mean, of course, me.)

Laura Maczka, on the other hand, probably holds the distinction of serving up the fewest targets for satire of any of the candidates during the six-week run of Richardson Idol. If it weren't for her funny name, she might not have earned a mention at all (and even that was only in contrast to another candidate who always points out his own "funny name"). Is it good or bad to be satire-proof?

After the jump, a final look at Place 4.

Place 7: Challengers Never Had It

The Richardson Idol viewers made their choice (and by viewers I mean, of course, me) for Richardson's Place 7 City Council seat. They picked Amir Omar by a wide margin.

After the jump, has anything changed since the final show to question the judges' decision?

The Steger Garden on Mother's Day (2011)

From Flowers

OTBR: At the End of Runway 33L

Latitude: 39.1631 N
Longitude: 76.6619 W

A child on a road trip with his family asks, "Where are we?" and the father answers, "Let's check the map. We're off the blue roads [the Interstate Highways marked in blue on the road atlas]. We're off the red roads [the US and state highways]. We're off the black roads [the county highways]. I think we're off the map altogether." It was always my dream to be off the map altogether.

After the jump, a few of the random places (and I mean random literally) that I visited vicariously last month that are "off the blue roads".

Five Things I Learned About Place 5

The Richardson Idol viewers already made their choice (and by viewers I mean, of course, me). They picked Dennis Stewart over Kendal Hartley. Why? Who knows. You can read their reasons here, but be warned. Viewers of TV reality shows are fickle. There are no rules they have to follow. Sometimes they are influenced by what the candidates say on stage. Sometimes they are influenced by off stage behavior. There's no requirement that they actually do any ... research or anything hard like that. So, you have to make allowances for some of their decisions (that is, *my* decisions, if you're following along).

After the jump, five things I learned about Place 5 that might make me change my mind.

Glass-Eyed Politicians in Richardson

"Get thee glass eyes;
And like a scurvy politician, seem
To see the things thou dost not."
-- William Shakespeare, King Lear

I apologize in advance to any of the candidates who, in fact, literally have glass eyes. But as the election campaign for Richardson City Council heats up, it seems to me that more candidates are seeming to see things that just aren't there.

After the jump, a rundown.

City of Richardson Responds to RCA PAC's Misstatements

Richardson City Manager Bill Keffler sets the record straight:

Fellow Richardson Residents and Businesses:

It has come to our attention that a number of unfortunate misstatements about the City of Richardson are being made through local media outlets and throughout our community.

As employees of the City of Richardson, we take great personal pride in our daily work and remain focused on delivering the high quality services you’ve come to expect. Such misrepresentations however strike at the organizational and personal ethics and integrity that are a cornerstone of our ability to effectively deliver these services. Therefore, we feel it is important to publicly address the misrepresentations you may be hearing.

Following is a summary of misstatements with some additional information aimed at clarifying the facts you may have been wondering about.

Should you need additional information on these issues, or any others of note, don’t hesitate to contact us bill.keffler@cor.gov at 972-744-4204. We welcome the opportunity to provide information you can trust. Meanwhile we will continue to focus on excellence in public service day in and day out.

Sincerely,
Bill Keffler
City Manager

City Manager Bill Keffler's full letter can be found here.