Tonight at 6PM, change will be afoot in the Palm Springs City Hall when along with new Mayor Rob Moon, Councilmen Geoff Kors and J.R. Roberts take office. Leaving will be Rick Hutcheson, Paul Lewin and embattled mayor Steve Pougnet. And in this case like so many times in life, how you leave can be as important as how you arrive.
I know I will be watching to see the closing statements of the departing council. Local politicians normally embarrass themselves as they luxuriate in accomplishments both real and perceived. The book on this city council has not been written yet. There are unfinished chapters that will be penned by forces and groups outside of Palm Springs.
For a dozen years, Chris Mills, Ginny Foat and Pougnet have been fixtures on the city council. Now 2 remain. They will tonight one assumes wax poetically on days gone by while lavishing their departing colleagues with praise. Rick Hutcheson has been a relative non-entity for the last 2 years a will be probably on the I-10 at 945P headed to his new digs in LA. Paul Lewin, who is a young dynamic leader, should take a few months off and then plan a race in 2017, when both Ms. Foat and Mr. Mills are up for re-election.
That leaves us with Steve Pougnet. What thoughts must be swirling in his head tonight!! Oh the sycophants will line u in public comments to praise his time in office. They will be joined by the Hallelujah Chorus of big mony and tourism interests. This should be a time of tremendous pride for Mr. Pougnet. Alas even the most die hard supporter knows it is not. The circumstances of the ongoing corruption probe in Palm Spring hover over him like the Sword of Damocles.
Which Steve Pougnet will deliver his final speech tonight to the citizens of Palm Springs. Will it be the fresh-faced newbie I interviewed in 2003? Or the bitter Mayor who went on an embarrassing public tirade last spring when published reports about his ties to a local developer surfaced? Or will he even show up? It will be fascinating to watch.
Steve Kelly can be reached at skelly@rrbroadcasting.com or @skellynj
the best laugh of the night was having Frank Tyson calling him out and then the Mayor laughing it off as a 'fitting end to his tenure' given Tyson's relentless diatribe meeting after meeting.
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