You just know that there had to be more to this exchange:

On Tuesday night, tax board members questioned Alvord about his draft 2008-09 operating budget. The public works director requested $17.3 million, including $200,000 to hire an outside firm to clean plugged pipes and culverts. The city’s finance director, Thomas S. Hamilton, has recommended $16.4 million — a 3.3-percent increase over current spending — including $100,000 for the pipe and culvert cleaning.

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At first, I looked at this story and skipped through quickly because the tantalizing DPW budget and sewer pipe cleaning beckoned. But then, I realized this was a story, because The Hour, was covering it, like, well, like a newspaper should. Political flunkies hold a press conference and then vanish into the still of the night is all too common. Someone, ahem, the media, is supposed to be keeping an eye on them. Naturally, we’ve forgotten how that once worked, unless we revisit His Gal Friday for details.

But here’s Jared Newman on follow-up:

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This so does apply to many things in life.

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