It's the sewers, stupid!

Apologies to James Carville. When Bill Clinton was an unknown governor from Arkansas the internal mantra for his presidential campaign was "It's the economy, stupid!" I think in this next mayoral and council election it will be "It's the sewers, stupid!" Months ago I was told "you can't win talking about sewers." Maybe. Maybe not. It certainly seems like everybody is talking about them. My friends over at BlogKC reported on a mayoral candidate with a primary platform of providing the city with wireless internet. The result? The comments immediately went to "What about his plan for fixing the sewers?" The scary part is we may not need a plan. The EPA could provide one for us at any moment. I talked about what happened to Louisville when they were in the exact same situation. These are the Feds folks. They play by a different set of rules. Ask downtown condo developer Matt Abbott what can happen when you run afoul of the EPA. The EPA's criminal investigators found out about some illegal asbestos removal going on and began closing in. Donovan Mouton from the mayor's office brought together all sides for a sit down. Mouton left the meeting feeling like everything was going to "move forward." It sure did. The next day the EPA served warrants. The Water Department feels like it has an understanding with the EPA. Director Frank Pogge in an As I See It editorial said "Recently we received approval from the state department for our work plans. The EPA gave similar approval." Approval of plans is nice. Makes you feel all warm and fuzzy. The question I want answered is "Do we have a signed contract with the EPA saying they won't sue us?" If the EPA is so satisfied with our progress, why were they knocking on doors in Brookside last summer and telling my neighbors they might consider a lawsuit?