By a 6-1 margin (with Tailgunner Gleason opposed) the Portsmouth Town Council voted tonight to issue a $645,570 supplemental tax bill to pay the Caruolo judgement. For the average Portsmouth home assessed at $330K, this would amount to about $62.70. Sixty-three bucks. Yes, we wasted 8 months of the town's time for the price of dinner and a movie. Still, the PCC and their apologists on the Council questioned the decision to raise the money through taxes rather than by borrowing or raiding the dwindling town reserve.

But Town Finance director Dave Faucher had done his homework. The reserve fund was already below safe levels, and "To borrow would send the wrong signal to the bond rating agency." Indeed, Faucher had letters from the town's bankers and the RI Office of Municipal Services supporting a supplemental tax as the prudent course.

In a bizarre, obsessive tangent, Tailgunner Gleason went after Kevin Gavin's expenses for Caruolo. "I would like to see itemized bills," she said, arguing that the Town should only include the last two weeks, rather than all Gavin's Caruolo expenses for the past 6 months.

Council President Dennis Canario tried to inject a note of reason. "It's half a cent." (Given the town's tax base, one penny of tax raises about $32K, so Gleason was arguing over half of that.)

"It's 62 dollars," argued Gleason. "It all adds up."

"It's half-a-cent," Canario reiterated.

Councilor Jim Seveney tried an alternate way to guide Gleason back to the facts. "This $18,500 is additional money related to Caruolo. This would not exist if we had not gone down this path."

Speaking of people who cannot be reasoned with, Loudy Factmangler (I promised benevolent tit-for-tat, and I've been, I think, circumspect, but Larry's performance tonight means the gloves are off) took the podium to repeat his tired, dead talking points.

"Subsequent to the Town Meeting, the Council lacks appropriating authority. What's going on here is adding $76K to the tax increase. The council lacks authority. At the tent meeting, the people limited your authority. That is still the case. The court order is dealing with the School Department budget. The Charter should bind."

Town Attorney Kevin Gavin pointed out that Judge Indeglia's order was in fact, "A judgement against the town," and that case law clearly provides the town the mechanism to pay it.

To be absolutely clear, Canario read the judge's order into the record: "The Town Council shall raise an additional appropriation...manner shall be determined by the Town Council but shall include the authority for a supplemental tax..[to cover]the judgement together with all incidental costs." Larry sloped back to the microphone to rebut.

I could see it, complete, in that moment. The end of the PCC. There was Larry, at the mike, and you could tell that this was, well, it. Tag it and bag it. The house of cards had collapsed, his ten-year-run as king of the tent consigned to the dustbin of history, and here was that inevitable point of no return. That moment of perfect clarity where you finally look around and realize the mirrors are smashed, the smoke has blown off, and your whole sad game has turned to shit. He got off a huffy rejoinder with a ghost of his old bravado, "You've quoted authorities — but the people of the town voted to decrease taxes." Points for style. But unconvincing. He had that look, perched at the podium, like Richard Nixon climbing into the helicopter. A final, tottering wave. But inconsequential. It was over.

"Thank you," said Canario, "We need to move on." The Council voted to issue the tax bill.

In prior action this evening, the Council had been forced to put off consideration of proposed Charter changes. Karen Gleason had issues with the language of the measure she had insisted Kevin Gavin draft, and one of "Cryptkeeper" McIntyre's childless lawyers was out of town on vacation.

Is there anyone who doesn't see what the PCC is trying to do? They are still hoping for one last gasp, and since it takes 50 days to prepare a special election, they want to run out the clock and push it past this year's budget cycle. Sal Carcellar, who hustled to get this item on the ballot, called the Council on it.

"You told us you would address this in two weeks," said Carcellar. "You have letters from 500 residents. We can delay and postpone this indefinitely."

Canario promised action. "I don't want there to be any animosity. We've given everybody ample time. I fully intend and expect proposals at the next Council meeting."

In terms of scheduling the special election, noted Seveney, "We do have a lot of latitude."

"All the way to November of 08," said Tailgunner Gleason. Awww, ha ha, Gleason make joke. But she forgets what Freud said: Every joke is a complaint. Your slip is showing, Tailgunner.

A citizen, I didn't catch her name, got up to urge the Council to act before we went through another Tent Meeting. Councilor Katzman concurred. "I'm hoping we can do that," he said. "I advocate having it in June."

PCC Legal Defense Fund Chair Forrest "Farm" Golden took the microphone to say that oh, yes, everybody agreed that nobody wanted another Tent Meeting. "And we won't have one if we stay within the cap," he looked significantly at the Council, "Which is within your power."

I thought that was such a curious utterance that I asked Fitzmorris about it directly, after the meeting. "Was Golden speaking for the PCC? Do you agree not to call a Tent Meeting if the budget is within the cap?"

"The PCC does not have a position on that matter," said Fitzmorris.

Oh, Larry, poor sad old Larry.

Who's going to line up to sign a petition to fight a tax increase at the state-mandated cap?

In other news:
Happy to report that the Council voted, 5-2 (McIntyre and Gleason nays) to expand the membership of the Portsmouth Redevelopment Agency (PRA) from five to seven, and the Economic Development Committee from 12 to 15. Given all the activity on the West Side, sensible moves. And Dennis Canario gets a special mention for hearing all sides on the PRA question and being open. Good on ya, Mr. President.

And I have to mention the sad and unfortunate appearance by a couple of Brown students, obviously footsoldiers in an effort to push the Rhode Island Clean Elections Act in the lege. Most of the Council cut them enormous slack, even though they couldn't articulate how the proposal for supporting candidates would be funded. It made me squirm uncomfortably, because I remember being an oh-so-earnest college student who thought that change was possible. But even in my long-hair days, I had enough sense not to wear fucking sandals when talking to a Town Council.

When I was teaching college, I used to coach my kids to put on whatever persona they needed to communicate effectively. The medium really is the message, I would tell them in my corp comms class. Whoever prepared these field ops should have given them a bracing little chat about Council etiquette. Not because it's right, not because you're caving in to the man, but because it's the way things are.

Be that as it may. "Skeletor" McIntyre's performance was unconscionable. In his questioning, he managed to mention that they were from "Brown," "Democracy Matters," the "Green Party," and the "Progressive Party." If any of that is germane to the goal of having publicly financed elections, I'm happy to hear it Peter. Unless you have such evidence, shut the fuck up.