Congratulations are due to Mayor Meeker and his political brain-trust-strategist Perry Woods. The Mayor or, more precisely, his allies Nancy McFarlane and Rodger Koopman won big on Election Day.

Mayor Meeker was on the right side of a powerful issue: developer John Kane’s proposal that the City give North Hills a $75 million tax subsidy.

I only saw one poll this election – in a City Council District – but 80% of the voters opposed Kane’s subsidy. And Mayor Meeker led the fight to stop it.

By comparison, I gather, Councilman Craven (who lost to Mrs. McFarlane) more or less supported Kane outright. And while Councilwoman Jessie Taliaferro’s opponent Rodger Koopman was blasting Kane with both barrels, Mrs. Taliaferro was arguing that the City needed to establish a general policy for proposals like Kane’s – which may be so, but which sounded equivocal enough to leave a seed of doubt in voters’ minds about Mrs. Taliaferro’s stand – and when it came to Kane’s subsidy voters weren’t taking any chances. They didn’t elect a single candidate who favored subsidizing North Hills.

In a sense what happened on Election Day is ironic. It’s too strong to say Mr. Kane and Mayor Meeker are enemies, but in a sense Mr. Kane handed his enemy the weapon to beat him with. Kane’s gambit – to get $75 million from the City – cost Tommy Craven and Jessie Taliaferro their elections and now, there’s only one remaining City Councilman who’s said a kind word about Kane’s proposal still in office (and he was unopposed on Election Day).

So, thanks to John Kane and the Mayors stand on subsidizing North Hills the Three Amigo’s are about to become (if Jessie Taliaferro doesn’t call for a runoff) Four Amigo’s and a Senorita.

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