I Am Not a Meddler

"The way I feel about this situation is that no good deed goes unpunished," Carlton grouses. "I had a citizen developer come to see me complaining about a department director. A review of the situation was done, there was no change that the department director was willing to make, nor was I inclined to ask him to make a change. And the matter was over. But because of a paper blizzard, I end up having a charge made against me that was later retracted.

"I have no relation with Micky Biss," Carlton continues. "Why would I, on behalf of a particular developer who I just met, influence a planning director? There are people who think I like every building because it adds to the tax roll. That's not the case. People have come to me with buildings I think are awful and I've told them so." Carlton says this is the first time in his 25 years as a professional manager that he has been accused of such improprieties.

The mayor remains philosophical. "I sit here as a kind of arbiter for a lot of these things," muses Gelber, a former judge. "In terms of the process, I think it was almost good that it happened so we could clarify the roles of the manager and the subordinates. This is a government of interaction and a lot of friction takes place when everyone is active. But thus far we haven't had any explosion that has interfered with the way our government functions."

Meanwhile, Grandin has refused to change his mind, and Biss says he hasn't decided whether to appeal the planning and zoning director's decision.