Local Government Law

No matter how well you indoctrinate the Mayor and Council in exercising discretionary powers in an objective manner, someone always seems to cut to the chase and ask the wrong question. For example, I've admonished Councils for years not to show favoritism at zoning hearings, particularly to impassioned pleas for opposition by their constituents who, of course, never address the objective standards of the zoning ordinance. Yet, recently, after a noted zoning lawyer so eloquently presented his development client's proposal for rezoning, the only question the Mayor asked was, "Has your client got any kinfolks living here?" It is humanly impossible to take the "local" out of "local government law!"