Anyway.

Bill Dusty, at Springfield Intruder, picked up on some political meanderings appearing with Bud Williams new appointments to the Chairs of City Council committees. The two pieces that were the highlights were Jose Tosado’s chairmanship of FOUR committees and Rosemarie Mazza-Moriarty’s appointment to none.

These actions are largely unexpected, but put into context not entirely unexplainable.

Springfield Intruder is certainly on the money about Mazza-Moriarty. Although it is possible that the City Council website shows incomplete subcommittees, Mazza-Moriarty appears to be assigned to only 2 committees. Although chairs are picked by the City Council PreZ, the members may not be. Either way, somebody is either trying to repudiate Mazza-Moriarty for trying to get the IB job at Van Sickle/complaining about not being President or is just trying to tick her off into resigning. While either one, even against somebody as ho-hum as Mazza-Moriarty, is not nice or professional, the latter is more of concern. Her replacement would be Morris Jones, who, if the rumors are true, and they probably are, is affiliated with the Asselin clan and plugged into some of the city’s more corrupt elements as exemplified by said affiliations.

The other half of the story, Tosado’s quadruple appointments, is one major thing. Kissing-up. Despite Williams’ respectable finish in this year’s city council elections, Tosado was the top vote-getter and barring discovery of immense corruption, and it would have to be monumental, he will be an at-large city councilor in 2010. Williams will have to fight for it. Maybe Tosado will help him out. This is despite Williams having a wealth of donors. An analysis of Campaign Finance records show Williams having sufficient donors (and many not on other councilors’ records), while having an above average frugality for incumbent councilors. His campaign has a significant amount of cash on hand. Still money only buys so much.

If Williams is responsible for all appointments on subcommittees, he did not make all bad choices. Bruce Stebbins and Pat Markey on a number of important committees. I realize that since committees have so few members and ostensibly are changed annually, that this may be simple rotations. Nonetheless, these generally well-respected guys will hold some sway on important committees.

These squabbles are not uncommon, but have played out in the press a bit more than is common. It is important to monitor them as they can be signs of problems, opportunities, or fraying support elsewhere. From there, all that’s left, is to dig a little deeper.