225BatonRouge.com - Blogs

The Metro Council meeting today is sure to be more hilarious than So You Think You Can Dance on Fox, yet as depressing as ABC's Wife Swap.

Tonight's episode, starring Mayor Kip Holden, his handy sidekick Walter Monsour and an all-star comedic cast of councilmen, focuses on the beloved mayor's bond proposal for new prisons, drainage, traffic and a bonus tourist attraction. Count on plenty of hot quotes, yelling, glaring eyes and last laughs.

Here's the stickler: Some councilmen want to put the bond proposal before voters on the Oct. 4 ballot, the primary citywide elections. If they wait until the Aug. 6 council meeting to decide, they'll miss the deadline for that election. Mayor Kip wants his bond proposal on the Nov. 4 ballot—something about a presidential election drawing better voter turnout. An exciting battle of will!

The show's subplot includes appointments to parish boards and commissions. Ten people are vying for a spot on the Library Control Board, including retired fire-and-brimstone preacher Tommy French and entrepreneur Eric Lewis, an active member of the Black Chamber of Commerce here.

An open seat—with, surprisingly, no one on the ballot so far—is on the Alcohol Beverage Control board, which licenses local venues and conducts hearings those charged with breaking alcohol laws. Other open seats include the Historic Preservation Commission, the Housing Authority, the Mosquito Abatement District, the Electrical Examining Board and the Mortgage Authority. Call the Council Administrator’s Office at 389-3123 if you have any interest in serving on a parishwide board.

Tune into the action after 4 p.m. on cable channel 21 or click here for live streaming video. Of course, you can always catch the live show in the council chambers on the third floor of the Governmental Building downtown.

A coke and a smile: Why I ate McDonald's yesterday

Skimming through the L.A. Times yesterday, I discovered that the Los Angeles City Council could vote to ban new fast-food chains from opening for one year within a 32-square-mile area of the city known for having a higher rate of diabetes patients.

I rarely eat McDonald's or any fast food, including Applebee's. However, my inner libertarian kicked in, and as my personal protest of government intrusion (even if it is in California) I skipped over to the Government Street McDonald's. At high noon that place was bustling with at least a couple dozen burger lovers streaming in and out. I even ran into James Fox-Smith with Country Roads magazine, who was walking out with a bag of lunch and super-sized iced coffee, which he said was actually impressive. A lady at the table next to me thought it was appropriate to yap on her cell phone. Overall, I got service with a smile and my fries were fresh out of the greaser. Mmmm, the taste of protest is salty.