According to the El Paso Times our former mayor is at it again.
Their article says that our former mayor (the one who just left office) attempted to register with the city as a lobbyist last week. Him lobbying the city now would be a violation of ordinance number 017112.
The article goes on to point out his hypocrisy. They wrote that city council passed the ordinance on April 21, 2009 and “Cook was present at that meeting”. Now “he intends to ask the current council to review the ordinance because he thinks the prohibition violates his First Amendment rights”.
Actually
In my opinion, his complaint has little to do with the First Amendment to our Constitution. His problem is that he is one of the many elected officials that feel that there are special rules for office holders and other rules for common citizens. He has an attitude of entitlement.
Actually, he is right. There are special rules for office holders. They are to be held to a higher, more restrictive standard than ordinary citizens. If they do not like it they should not run for office.
Protector of the law
Our city attorney did something extra. She saw to it that the law was obeyed. In Public confession Brutus wrote about how she admitted that city council was violating one it’s own ordinances regularly, even though both as city attorney and as city parliamentarian she attends city council meetings and does not remind council that what they are doing is wrong.
In this case she advised the former mayor not to speak before council. He would be violating a law.
How noble of her. I guess we should be grateful Scrivener does not do all of her work.
Defend me
I can’t help but wonder if the next development in this farce will be that the former mayor will ask the citizens to pay his legal bills to fight city council for trampling on his rights with an ordinance the he signed.
Eternal vigilance is the cost of liberty
Cato
elpasospeak 
Does it make it worse that he knew more than a week ago not to do what he tried to do? I posted an item about it because people at City Hall were buzzing about it.
He was told privately and handled with respect, but he had to push the buttons until they smacked him publicly.
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Not surprised. Both interesting and believable. So, David, do you consider what Cook did a function of arrogance, greed, stupidity — or all three?
Did he let it play out publicly because in his delusional mind he knew it would get media attention and he thought the attention might gain him sympathy?
Today’s non-scientific El Paso Times poll indicates that attitude of nine out of ten people is to let him eat cake.
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The revolving door just makes me sick. Seeing pols turn into lobbyists in an eye blink. Media members becoming Public Information Officers. etc etc etc
The whole thing is disgustingly corrupt and unethical.
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If Cook was really that unaware or ignorant of the ethics ordinance and he saw no problem with what he intended to do, I wonder how many laws or ordinances he violated during his time in office and how many people were able to break laws in their dealings with him.
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