At least with sausage making you can drink a nice German beer, say a Kostritzer from Gera, to dull the pain. There was no such option today. The meeting was comical at times, disappointing most of the time, disrespectful, inarticulate, confused, and oh yes, a mess.

The highly respected John Stafford chairs the task force and even as capable and articulate as he is the meeting got away from him quickly. The seating chart should have been a giveaway. One the left (literally, not figuratively) were Councilmen Tom Smith, Tim Pape and Mitch Harper. On the right (literally and figuratively) were County Council members Roy Buskirk, Paula Hughes and Paul Moss. In the middle (to their misfortune) were commissioners Linda Bloom and Nelson Peters, moderator Stafford and placed uncomfortably near Councilman Moss our fuming Mayor Tom Henry. (Bill Brown fortuitously had scheduled something else moons ago so he was spared the confusion and confrontation and pettiness.)

The seating chart demanded and got confrontation: in one corner, the city, on the other side the country, and the leadership stuck in the middle like so many puny referees, only Tom Henry decided to wade right into the middle.

Disrespectful can describe Mr. Pape, Mr. Moss, and Mr. Buskirk Mr. Pape started it by laughing at a comment by one of the County representatives. Moss took any number of personal shots at Mr. Pape. Mr. Buskirk gestured his applause when Mr. Pape said he was about to wrap up one of his many interminable soliloquies. Pape retaliated a number of times in Mr. Moss’ direction, by name. Disrespectful in all cases. Mr. Pape, wearing red, and Mr. Moss, dressed in various shades of mafia black, sparred for most of the two-hour marathon.

Befuddled is what comes to mind when describing the mayor. He could not seem to grasp a point early in the meeting that was presented and remade to him by three different people, each version an attempt to simplify the point so the mayor might final grasp it. He finally furled his brow and buried his nose in his notes. He never seemed to catch up. Later in meeting, when Councilman Mitch Harper offered the mayor a chance to show a measure of leadership the mayor fulminated into a tantrum about being dissed by others at the table. He verbally folded his arms over his chest and pouted, calling instead for postponement so tempers could cool. (His was the temper most frayed.) Then, trying to recover his leadership mantle again he threw the meeting into further confusion while thinking out loud whether he could spare a few thousand dollars after having offered millions at various stages of the meeting. The mayor, who should have been the biggest guy at the table looked more often like the smallest person in the group. During a vote on a key question only the mayor voted no, eight to one against him. He was clearly out of step with the group he had created.

Winners? Nelson Peters was very calm and offered humor. Paula Hughes tried to find common ground, even though her earlier quotes concerning mayoral offers were obviously hurtful to the mayor and part of the reason he was so testy. Linda Bloom barely spoke, but did add a few facts to clarify discussions. Silence was constructive.

And, oh yes, there were two architects who were there to explain co-location options to the assembled “leaders” and propose a way forward. Their comments were soon lost in the din.

So, finally, after two hours of snipes, hurt feelings, pouting and recriminations (Must See TV as one observer put it) the task force came to a decision: to pay the architects another $70,000 to “drill down” to a finer set of figures on moving various departments of city and county government to 200 East Berry/W&D’s/the Renaissance Building. And, they decided to find out exactly why the sheriff is not all that keen on being closer to the FWPD. (Drill Down. I hope I never again hear that overworked phrase.)

It was a mess. They barely, these leaders of our community, could arrive at decisions. The mayor almost took is ball and went home, just, just as consensus seemed to have been achieved. Pout. Aaaargh. Cooler heads prevailed.

Part of the blame goes to the format. The mayor and commissioners should be above all this petty bickering. Deputy Mayor Greg Purcell (oooops) and a chief of staff from the Commissioner, and reps from either council, should have hammered out the project. Sitting at the table the mayor should have leaned back in his chair and listened, instead he muddled things and embarrassed himself. One representative, other than Mr. Moss, would have been enough from the county, same from the city council. Just too many cooks and seated in a way that spelled, shouted, announced confrontation. Whoever designed the format, and I hope it was not the good and capable Mr. Stafford, should be sent to a group dynamics class.

I left the meeting and quickly went for a bratwurst and a beer, a Kostritzer from sister city Gera.

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