The Chief Legislative Aide -- It might not be fair that of all the people who are accused of putting one over on the taxpayers, you are singled out in embarrassing fashion, but the taxpayers want all city workers to put in a day's work for a day's pay. Getting paid for hours not worked is stealing and the taxpayers do not appreciate it. If you were paid for hours you did not work, you should pay back that salary -- and you should be reprimanded for your behavior in City Council chambers in response to the investigation.

The Councilman -- You should absolutely be focused on your legislative agenda, but you have to run your office in a manner that is responsible to the taxpayers because it is OUR money, not yours, that pays your staffers' salaries. Abuse of taxpayer dollars (and embarrassing conduct) has to create consequences and as the boss, you have to enforce the rules so the taxpayers are looking to you to reprimand your employee. More important than your need to have greater supervision over your staffers' comings and goings, is the problem created by carrying on a social relationship with your chief legislative aide. In the professional world, relationships between supervisors and the individuals under their direct supervision are strongly discouraged as they (in the words of one personnel manual) "often create situations that lead to sexual harassment, conflicts of interest, favoritism, and low morale." Such behavior exposes the city to a tremendous risk and, if a sexual-harassment suit down the road would result in a judgment, it will be the taxpayers, not you, who have to foot the bill.

The Council President -- The citizenry is looking for you to enforce accountability in City Council. The rules can't be "there are no rules." So it is up to you to make sure that all Council offices have policies and practices to ensure that staffers are working for their pay and that Council members deal appropriately and swiftly with those who break the rules -- and it is up to you to put forth and enforce modern personnel policies to discourage sexual/romantic relationships between Council members and the staffers they supervise to make sure that taxpayers' money is not at risk in a future sexual-harassment lawsuit.

The City Controller -- You have pointed out in audits that City Council "does not have payroll policies and procedures for time-tracking and leave approval or lateness and sick-leave-abuse monitoring." But, your office has never used its power to demand a higher level of documentation for payroll approval. Thus, even though your office has identified the problems in this area, paychecks have been routinely approved as if everything was a-okay. The citizenry is counting on you to be more than a watchdog who watches...we want a watchdog who acts.

The Mayor -- If memory serves, you had a sign in your Council office that read, "The hottest place in Hell is reserved for those who remain neutral in times of great moral conflict." Now, the Goode/Bryant matter is not the greatest of moral conflicts, but your suggestion that this is not a matter for the Mayor to weigh in on is not the kind of leadership the citizens are looking for from the Mayor. Certainly Council members would be commenting on it if one of your staffers was caught getting paid for hours not worked."