My career in volunteer civic service as an Economic Development Commissioner for the city of Franklin, Wisconsin began with a rare (perhaps unprecedented) joint meeting with the Finance Committee this past Thursday, thus the seating in city hall's Common Council Chambers was a jumble of persons around a table and at the elevated dais. Though everyone had a nameplate in front of them -- including me, the new guy, though my name was laser-printed on a paper insert as opposed to a more permanent plastic plate everyone else had -- I spent much of the preamble part of the meeting discerning who was EC and who was FC; seating order was mixed.
The hybrid nature of the meeting, combined with the fact that we had only an hour before the room would be needed for the scheduled Plan Commission meeting, meant that I was able to introduce myself to the persons in my immediate vicinity, but to most of those assembled there I was merely a New Guy - - that much was clear, because I had, after all, the only white nameplate.
As noted here in an earlier post, my target was a seat on the Plan Commission as that is where my interest and expertise lay. I'd heard this: Sensing a potential problem getting the council votes needed to confirm my nomination to that commission (a notion that intrigues me, obviously: two aldermen propose me for the seat; I know at least one more that should have no problem voting yea; Mayor Taylor, who nominated me, breaks the any potential tie ala Pete Kosovich's situation - - 4-3 gets me seated), Mayor Taylor proposed the Economic Development Commission instead.
I'm no prima donna; I took the appointment. And, yes, I will watch very closely to see who fills the still-vacant Plan Commission seat.
"...in 1962 the idea of a boy playing with what is basically a doll was outlandish."
Or that made it sound more creative and challenging than developing a giant version of the little Army Men. http://www.thortrains.net/armymen/
Posted by: Terrence Berres | November 24, 2008 at 05:01 PM
Evidently the bugaboo was the idea that you could dress and undress the GI Joe figure la Barbie and baby dolls. Little Green Army Men (and tin soldiers) were more like anonymous masses of "guys" that you deployed - - no real relationship there.
When the "new" Real American Hero 3-3/4 GI Joes came out in the 80s, the "anonymous masses" vibe returned.
Posted by: John Michlig | November 24, 2008 at 05:14 PM
John, bring a GI Joe and a Rock 'em, Sock 'em Robots!
Posted by: Fred Keller | November 24, 2008 at 05:49 PM
I am getting the feeling you are just begining to see the other side of your "you only need to make a couple of trips to Radio Shack"! :)
Posted by: Bryan Maersch | November 24, 2008 at 08:46 PM
I still say it looks like a mullet.
Posted by: capper | November 24, 2008 at 11:29 PM
Hey that's cool John. Barry Melrose pulled it off for years and still does today.
Tim Van Vorn too.
Posted by: J. Strupp | November 25, 2008 at 12:22 PM
I might grow that mini-mullet back. As inspiration.
Posted by: John Michlig | November 25, 2008 at 02:24 PM
Aha, I knew it!
Posted by: capper | November 25, 2008 at 09:05 PM
John,
Do it!
Business in the front, party in the back.
Posted by: J. Strupp | November 26, 2008 at 12:02 PM