A kiddie pool in every front yard!

It all started with Judd Saul's opposition to a lock box ordinance. Within months, he had morphed from a disgruntled citizen to a candidate (a not unheard of progression). Now running for Cedar Falls City Council, Saul tried to latch onto another "issue" in a memorable way. Seeing the not-so-svelt Saul in swimming trunks and flippers was perhaps a little too memorable for those in attendance at the Aug. 22 meeting. While an eye-catching gimmick, there was almost literally no substance to Saul's concern. He was there to oppose a proposed ordinance regulating temporary swimming pools. The ordinance --- not on the council's agenda that night --- was pushed by one councilman. The rest of the council gave the idea a "cool reception" at a committee meeting two weeks earlier, according to The Courier. He seems to have tapped into the tea party concern with government overreaching. The only problem is that his "Exhibit A" is a lousy piece of evidence. It appears unlikely the swimming pool ordinance will get much beyond the hearing stage --- which itself seems like a hazy, distant possibility. His prior opposition to an expanded lock box ordinance, expounded upon earlier in this blog, was also a very weak argument that an out-of-control government needed to be reined in. Some people even advanced a ridiculous argument that firefighter access to their homes or businesses through the lock boxes would leave them open to theft, murder or rape. Opponents did amass quite a collection of alarmist nuts on that issue, though, apparently from across the country. We'll see on Nov. 8 if Saul can coax those voters out of their homes or businesses, where they doubtless are vigilantly guarding their stuff from a possible incursion by the city's public safety workers.