Power to Some People

The Citizens Association treasurer is lawyer Tim Kristl, who, in his day job, represents the Briarcliff developers who recently received widely scorned tax incentives. One day not too long ago, "citizen" Kristl went before a City Council committee — made up entirely of members who had been endorsed by the Citizens Association at one time or another — to sew up those Briarcliff incentives.

In the upcoming election, the Citizens Association has endorsed Councilman Jim Glover for mayor. The choice came as a bit of a surprise — Glover is as dynamic as particle board. But since then, we've seen Glover campaign on the magic of tax incentives ("Shop at Costco?"). Maybe the endorsement wasn't such a shocker.

The group's chairman, Ford R. Nelson Jr., a lawyer by trade, defends its practices. He doesn't see a disconnect between its mission and all of its donations from business interests. "When they give the money to us, they don't control the ads or where the money is spent," he tells me. "We do."

In the 4th District in-district race, Nelson's club endorsed one of its own. Jan Marcason is a member. (She also serves on other prominent groups and boards.) Forsythe, meanwhile, hopes to follow in the path of Jim Rowland, the last elected city official to win without the all-knowing Citizens Association's endorsement when he beat Charlotte Hill back in 1999.

And I'm starting to think he's right when he says the group should rename itself the Powerful Citizens Association. Instead of a broom, the group could adopt a winking eye as its symbol.