From the Sun is Hot/Water is wet department.

TAMPA - At a recent council meeting, two of Mayor Pam Iorio's highest-paid administrators sat side by side for hours. One was there in case the council had questions about a new code enforcement director. The other was there to lead a discussion on a reclaimed water project.

That same morning, Fire Chief Dennis Jones spent hours waiting around council chambers before being called upon to give a two-minute presentation about a permitting issue.

The frustration in the room was palpable. By meeting's end, veteran council member Charlie Miranda declared the board so dysfunctional he wanted to run for county commission.

What has become of the Tampa City Council?

Nothing, they are just acting like any other run of the mill group of politicians. The people of Tampa would probably be shocked if their elected officials were actually efficient.(As we all would be)

Council members often spend hours debating issues over which they have little say - such as complaints about Verizon's customer service or whether to make state road Florida Avenue a two-way thoroughfare - while issues they can influence often take weeks if not months to resolve.

"I'm a lot more frustrated," said council Chairman Tom Scott, who served on the county commission when that board was considered highly dysfunctional.

Part of the problem is that the council's ambitions to shape city policies runs into the reality of Tampa's political system, where the mayor has far more power to shape issues than the council.

The council also might be a victim of its own meeting schedule. Often, as many as 20 items are scheduled for the same time, causing people with business before the board to arrive in the morning, only to wait hours as the council slogs through the agenda.

Whatever the reasons, this much is certain: Residents are upset they need to spend so much time at city hall. Council members are frustrated with themselves and one another.

Taxpayers are paying the salaries of city administrators who end up sitting at council meetings rather than getting work done in their offices.

Hurry Up And Wait

Politics is more important than real issues, elected officials keep people waiting. Why is any of this newsworthy? It must have been a slow day at The Tampa Tribune