The action last week by the Davenport City Council to move all its meetings to Wednesdays sparked some controversy, less for the substance of the day change than the swiftness with which it was done. (See "Big Hat, No Cattle," River Cities' Reader Issue 666, January 9-15, 2008.) Arthur Anderson filed a formal complaint on Friday, claiming "violations of the Council Rules of Order, Robert's Rules of Order, state law, the cities [sic] special charter, and the public's trust." He has requested a formal written response.

Ron Paul, the 10-term Republican congressman from Texas, is running for president, and his candidacy warrants much more exposure than the mainstream media has afforded the voting public. Dr. Paul, an OB/GYN and former Air Force flight surgeon, has a sterling conservative, limited-government voting record over 20 years. The Wall Street Journal wrote last week, "As the GOP front-runners address crowds of dispirited primary voters, Mr. Paul has been tearing across the country, leaving a trail of passionate devotees in his wake."

For what seems like eons, politics in Davenport have been stigmatized by uncommon divisiveness. The current leadership would have citizens believe it is mostly the fault of Third Ward Alderman Keith Meyer. It blames Meyer for his relentless pursuit of need-to-know information that it would rather not disclose.

I'm confused. By what authority does Davenport City Administrator Craig Malin issue a "no contact with staff" order against Third Ward Alderman Keith Meyer, or any other council member for that matter? Davenport is a strong-council/weak-mayor form of government, making city-council members Malin's bosses, not the other way around.