Mayor Caraway to Push Back Vote on Gas Drilling Task Force Till Griggs Is Sworn In

Patrick's heading down to City Hall shortly -- not just for the noon-thirty all-star press conference on the plaza, during which the mayor and police chief and council members will fill in every last blank concerning Thursday's 10 a.m. Mavs parade, but for today's meeting of the ad hoc gas...

By Robert Wilonsky

June 14, 2011

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Patrick's heading down to City Hall shortly -- not just for the noon-thirty all-star press conference on the plaza, during which the mayor and police chief and council members will fill in every last blank concerning Thursday's 10 a.m. Mavs parade, but for today's meeting of the ad hoc gas drilling task force nominating committee. One event is likely to be more exciting than the other.

About that gas drilling task force, though: Last week, as you no doubt recall, Scott Griggs asked Mayor Dwaine Caraway and the council to hold off on voting on the members of the task force till he's sworn in on June 27. Right now it's on June 22 agenda.

We've had a hard time getting an answer to Griggs's request till this morning: Caraway tells Unfair Park he will indeed push the vote till June 27.

"On Inauguration Day, it's customary for us to only deal with one item -- the selection after the swearing-in of the officers of the city council," he says. "It is not traditional to have an item posted on the agenda. Now, I say that because in talking with Scott and the knowledge I have and the respect I have for this particular situation, I did choose to adhere to his request. That means we're doing something unprecedented, and I think it's fair. I am not doing it under pressure. That's what a mayor does -- makes the tough calls."

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