Updated version

There are many agendas playing out in Philadelphia city politics this week related to the Bryant/Goode affair I’m mean story. First there is the slight possibility that the news media, It’s Our City included, are enjoying the story way too much. Yesterday reporters peppered Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter with questions trying to get him to weigh in on the story. If you get the mayor on the record, it takes it to a whole new level. Don’t get me wrong, I do see the irony yesterday when Mayor Nutter held a news conference to announce his new ethics task force and reporters were basically saying, so what this Bryant/Goode thing? But yes, the media does have a self interest in keeping stories like these circulating.

By the way, if you have been hiding under a rock, Here’s the 101 on the “Bryant/Goode” story.  Fox29 TV puts Latrice Bryant, a legislative aide to Philadelphia City Councilman Wilson Goode Jr., under surveillance because they had a tip that she might not be working the full 8 hours a day as she claims on her time sheets. Sure enough, after several days of following her around, she’s doing “other things.” Goode’s response to this was to say he’s aware of the discrepancies, and he’s taken measures and this won’t happen again.

So back to the ethics news conference, Nutter told reporters that  “I don’t believe I can do anything about a staff member in another branch of government.” The mayor wants none of this. But the story is not going away, today the Heard in the Hall blog reported that Brett Mandel of Philadelphia Forward unleashed a tirade against city council, council president, the mayor, and even the city controller (Mandel used to work in the controller’s office) for not getting more involved in the Bryant/Goode fiasco. Heard on the Hall has the full text of it. But it basically says, C’mon guys, rules were broken, do something. To be fair, Council President Anna Verna has said the council’s ethics committee might look into this matter, and City Controller Alan Butkovitz has called for Bryant to pay the city back.

Haven’t we had enough? I think we’ve reached the point where alot of us are probably thinking the same thing.  Latrice Bryant it’s time to resign. After all she’s the one who made this a public spectacle when using poor judgement she held up signs during a city council meeting saying “Fox29 are racists,” and “Jeff Cole KKK.” Jeff Cole is the lead reporter on the Fox29 series investigating Bryant’s timesheet discrepancies. And if, as it appears, that Bryant and her boss are in a romantic relationship, everyone knows that this is just a train wreck waiting to happen in any office. So, Ms. Bryant you are probably very talented at your job, and yes, you probably work way over 40 hours a week for the city, but you will find another job and your actions are beginning to get in the way of city business. Please submit your resignation.