Diana is straight outspoken, a self-proclaimed "liberal" - "honest" she calls it. She declared that she will directly raise the tax rate by whatever it takes to fund Police pensions, Police are "special risk". She said she was going to fund downtown and the arts to the hilt as well, agreeing, with four or five others, to the suggestion that $100 million to the arts would return $700 million to the community. Not to forget trees, 280 which she has already hand-watered with a bucket herself. Finally, a few mills from you and me to encourage "business", such as her friend's bed and breakfast in Laurel Park.

Shannon is more circumspect, thus his plan requires a lot of thought to understand. To explain it in more direct words than he, the neighborhood is prompted to identify eyesore properties within it that are then redeveloped in the grandest of grand scale "absolutely wonderful".

Then the county tax man up-assesses the whole neighborhood based on the presence of the glorious, and also highly taxed, new additions. You get a big new neighbor here and there and a huge surprise for yourself at tax time, but the bills are all covered by us little guys and no fat cats are harmed. Blame Bill Furst for maxing your tax assessment, NOT Shannon. Heaven help anyone owning properties not homesteaded.

Now, My Budget Cut Plan. First, I would insist that we apply for Hope and Change money, not expecting it but you have to ask - we have already paid in again and again, way more than our share. At the same time I would campaign for a department by department listing of priorities and suggest that we simply de-fund the stuff at the bottom of the list. I would also want management to mark those staff members who seem to never produce any actual work, or even show up, for departure. Yes, we have done this three times recently, it worked then, it will work now. It won't be forever, the economy always recovers eventually. This is probably the last year of the Great Recession.