It fell just like I had predicted, five to four with the motion carrying. A few of the other motions that were brought up were in fact more contentious, but those fell into the normal system of Republican and Democrat.
As the meeting wore on, I realized that while I may have been the most junior member of the council, I was in a unique position. For the most part, the people who belonged to one party or another tended to be very party line, if for no other reason than as I mentioned to Dennis earlier in the day, to survive the primary season that was upcoming soon. I was an undeclared independent however, on a divided council. More often than not I was the swing vote, sometimes siding with one side, sometimes with the other. I pondered as the meeting wore on if there was a way I could use that position without endangering my conscience. To get some of the big issues I felt were important voted on, I'd have to do politicking. But to get a big vote, I'd have to give a big vote too, or at least a big vote in the eyes of the other person.
I didn't think I could get dirt on each and every member of the council. Maxine Carter was overwhelmingly boring, and although we didn't always agree on political issues, she wasn't a bad person. She had gotten her seat after her first husband died in a plane crash, and had sat on the council for going on twenty five years, happily representing the most liberal area of the city, centered around the arts and university district. She looked like everyone's hippie aunt, or maybe a young grandmother who'd spent a bit too much time in her teen years following the Grateful Dead around.
Jack Park was also clean, a moderate Republican who'd started off in the banking world before running for city council. Big business to the core, he lived in the Financial District, and had in fact been Mark's former councilman when he was Mark Snow living near the Park. While I was happy to have his vote on the Union issue, he and I tended to oppose each other on a regular basis. But Mark had investigated him long ago, the man was as clean as a whistle, with his greatest crime being he spent far too much time out at the Airport Country Club working on his golf game rather than doing his job. He had enough money and enough security that he didn't need to be dirty, and he was comfortable with the business voters who lived around the Financial District.
As I went back to my office after the meeting to drop off the papers I'd gathered, thoughts kept swirling in my head. The only two people I had real leverage on was Dennis Fernandez and Shawn Northrup. Dennis I could predict to try and stymie me at any turn, he'd made that clear enough already. While he might have put it in polite terms, he could have been slavering and growling earlier in my office. Shawn, I wasn't sure about. I could depend on my dirt on him to continue to possibly have some influence, but with Melinda Pressman's death, there wasn't as much influence as before. An affair with a woman who was now dead and a young looking but still over eighteen teenage girl wasn't quite as powerful as an actual living affair.
I was slightly surprised when Francine Berkowitz was waiting for me in my office, Gwen sitting at her desk with a frustrated look on her face. I could tell she wasn't happy Francine was there, but couldn't do anything about it. "Ms. Berkowitz, it's late. Think it can wait until morning?"
Francine smiled at me, a predatory smile that I knew from my time in The Playground. "Oh, I only needed a moment, Mr. McCaffery," she said, walking towards me. "Trust me when I say this. Your days in office are numbered. You've got just over a year before the next election, and mark my words, it will be your last. By this time next year, you're going to be looking for a new job slinging beers again."
She didn't wait for me to reply but stormed out, slamming the door to my office behind her. Gwen watched her go, then started laughing. I turned and looked at my assistant, perplexed. "What's so funny?"
"You're engaged to Tabby Williams," Gwen reminded me. "I doubt you're ever going to need a job slinging beers again. Unless she wants to put you to work doing that, of course."
Chapter Six
Mark
The vote against Francine Berkowitz and the Union cleared a few hurdles, and the community center project continued on. By Valentine's Day, Tabby had hired her first director, taking a lot of the weight off of her shoulders and letting her focus on what MJT was created for in the first place, investing and creating wealth within the city.