Sympathies To My Readers On City Council Staff

Boston City Council President Mike Ross, who always seemed so nice but is clearly an ogre who has let power drive him insane, announced today that he is cutting the Council's own budget by seven percent for the coming fiscal year. Most of this will come out of personnel costs, including a three-percent cut in each councilor's staff budget.

The savings come to 0.2% of the city's anticipated $140 million budget gap for FY '10. So, they're pitching in.

Somebody who shall remain nameless suggests that instead of cutting staff budget, Councilors could forego a portion of their own salaries -- especially any councilors who expect to spend most of the year campaigning for mayor.

Another approach would be to shut the Council down for one month out of the year, but then there's the concern that nobody would notice the difference, and would start wondering why we have a City Council at all.

And since I'm told that some of the hardworking toilers on that side of the fifth floor are my most devoted readers (and some might even be my sources, although I am not at liberty to say) I would hate to see them go.