Isthmus reported that Matt Phair, the husband of Mayor Cieslewicz's personal secretary, has intimated that he is going to run for a seat on the Common Council currently occupied by a frequent critic of the mayor, Thuy Pham-Remmele (Madison.gov, 7/30/10). What? As the spouse of Mayor Dave's personal secretary, Phair would not only be a rubber stamp, he'd bring his own inkpad.
In the Isthmus article, the mayor said of Phair, "I don't think he'd hesitate to disagree with me." And you know that how, Mr. Mayor? Have you played Scruples with the guy? Did he once lobby for Chinese takeout when you wanted pizza? He's the husband of your personal secretary, for cry-yi-yi!
Mr. Phair, please rethink your decision before it's too late. If elected to the Common Council, it won't be your victory. On every issue that comes before the council, if you vote with the mayor you're a sycophant leveraging a pay raise and another week's paid vacation for the missus. If you vote against the mayor, you're on a crash course at home. In other words, Mr. Phair, you'll have your dice in a vise.
If Phair does decide to run, I'll lend moral support to Pham-Remmele even though I don't live in her district. And if she needs a campaign slogan, she can feel free to use this one: "You Can Play Phair, But You Can't Play Me!"
Bill Sumner
