Let's Over-Analyze!

The prickly e-mail sent from Mayor Ravenstahl to Councilman Shields and his colleagues has already been reported upon by everybody from Rich Lord to PittGirl.

For the record, our favorite part was the subject header: a caps-locked "WELCOME BACK!"

Our first impression was if Doug really had been M.I.A. for a few months, then maybe Luke was not really so out-of-line. It even occurred to us that maybe the mayor's office itself leaked the letter.

However, whether or not the sentiment was warranted, there is little doubt that the missive was -- for lack of a better word -- snotty. Gratuitously snotty, considering that Luke is the nation's youngest big-city mayor, and he should be anxious to demonstrate his gravitas.

This morning's P-G described a "feisty" council "rebuffing" the mayor on a couple of items, so we are left to conclude that Ravenstahl is alarmingly unaccustomed to feistyness and rebuffery.

Surf over to the Busman's Holiday and listen to the podcast of Councilman Koch reflecting on his own election defeat. He muses that maybe council turnover will be "good for the city," and will provide more "checks and balances" for the mayor.

If this thought occurred to Koch -- who would have every reason to be bitter -- then a mood of indignant resurgence must certainly be prevailing throughout council chambers.

Besides which, that kind of frustrated sarcasm can not have arisen simply from a car-sharing bill and a dog bill alone, IOHO. Something boiled over.

Seeing as how Luke carbon-copied his snit to the rest of council, we are guessing that it was Doug's office that released the e-mail: it (and his measured response) only reflects well on his image as a council leader and stander-upperer.