Mayor Mike and Greg: Welcome to my Hall of Fame

Back as a kid growing up in New York City I remember being glued to the radio for such suspense classics as The Shadow, The Naked City and others that have escaped my memory these many decades later.

Mayor Mike

I was reminded of some of those suspense shows while driving to Austin today to celebrate my granddaughter's sixth birthday because I was listening to the broadcast of the City Council, paying particular interest to its debate on Resource Flow Control. As an avid, passionate environmentalist, I wholeheartedy, enthusically support Resource Flow Control. (I also support it as someone who sees the added benefits the additional monetary income will allow the city to make.) But I also know the history of the Dallas city Council: When faced with a decision that is deemed controversial it will find a way to dig its heels in wet cement, let it dry and then blame the cement for not allowing it to take any action at all.

And that's exactly what was in the works in a move headed, it seemed, by Sheffie Kadane, the poster boy of non-action. This time he was asking the council to delay the project indefinitely (but then 90 days when he agreed to a friendly amendment from Monica Alonzo) while a task force was assembled to look into the entire matter. His motion was gaining incredible traction with a council whose history I have described in the paragraph above.

But then Mayor Mike stepped in with a display of leadership not seen in this city since ... well, it just may have been an unprecedented display of leadership. In a speech to the council, he sliced through the matter immediately saying Yes, there will be a task force -- he'll make sure of that. But right now this ordinance needs to be passed because it's in the best interest of the citizens of Dallas. And, as mayor of the city of Dallas, he cares more about the welfare of its citizens than he does some rich fat-cat waste haulers who claim they will lose some income by this deal.

I salute you Mayor Mike. That was quite a speech you made this morning. It didn't turn everyone around but I know it turned around the one vote needed to end Kadane's crusade and then the main ordinance passed 9-6, still a closer vote than it should have been. But with at least two and possibly three Tea Party members on the council right now, you can rest assured issues in which the city tries to be innovative will be opposed.

So you, Mayor Mike, are one of the two new invidividuals inducted into my personal hall of fame. That means I may not have harsh words for you down the line, but your place on my honor roll is assured.

The second person honored is a fellow named Greg. I don't know his last name and I'm just presuming he lives in Austin. It used to be a tradition when my son and granddaughter lived with me that she and I would try to find at least one day at week to have dinner at Luby's. Most of the time it was Wednesday nights, especially those Wednesday nights when we had Special Olympics basketball practice. So tonight being Wednesday and the fact that I hadn't seen my granddaughter in way too long a time, we agreed we would have her birthday eve dinner tonight at Luby's.

So around 6:30 this evening there's five of us going down the line at the Luby's at I35 and Oltorff in Austin -- in order of appearance they were my grandaughter Grace, the evervescent Mimi West Wuntch, me, my son and the world's greatest retired film critic, Philip Wuntch. Grace comes to the desert section and is having trouble deciding between two different slices of chocolate cake. The man in front of her suggests that she ought to just take both of them. Of course Grace loves this suggestion and strikes up a conversation with this individual, who moments later told me his name was Greg. But between that revelation and the cake choice, Grace volunteers to this gentleman that tomorrow was her birthday. Greg, of course, immediately asks the natural followup question: "How old will you be." Without missing a beat, Grace holds up six fingers and proudly says "Six." With that, the man reached into his pocket, pulled out a five- and a one-dollar bill, handed them to Grace and said "Happy birthday, one day early."

What an act of genuine kindness that's unheard of in this day and age! Grace just stood there, her eyes as wide as can be, and told Greg "Thank you."

So, Greg, because you demonstrated to my beloved granddaughter how two human beings, separated in age by at least 50 years, who have just met and probably will never see each other again, should act toward one another, because you gave Grace a valuable lesson in humanity, you, too, are inducted into my personal hall of fame.