As close followers of the City Council know, I’ve asked that staff and my colleagues refer to me as “the chair of the Council”, or “the chair”, rather than “the mayor”. That’s because the overwhelming majority of my responsibility is to coordinate and run the meetings — chair them — and not to exercise any distinct executive authority. Which “real” mayors have, but which the “mayor” under our councilmanic form of government does not.

I don’t expect this shift to last beyond my term as chair. Besides, I wouldn’t deny any of my colleagues whatever personal satisfaction they get from being “the mayor”.

But apparently I’m having an effect. I recently received this anonymous letter:

Kudos to the author for understanding that I’m not a real mayor!

But he or she extrapolated the learning too far: the Council is very much a real city council. Too bad. Then again, even the best students don’t grasp everything the first time.

Oh, and the content?

Delusional paranoia, anyone¹?

1. leaving aside the potentially valid argument — I’m not a lawyer — that a 19th Century Native American might have a lawful basis for considering the Federal government as a hostile foreign power