• POOL REPORT: The city administration report on city pools — the report that took up nearly 90 minutes of conversation at Tuesday night’s City Council meeting — was very close to not being discussed at all. There was some debate whether or not there would even be a report presented on the pools — going into the meeting, several councilors including Mayor Konnie Lukes were unsure if the report was going to be on the agenda, and hadn’t heard it was ready. And with City Manager Michael O’Brien rushing back from a vacation, councilors couldn’t imagine debating the issue without time to read the report or discuss the issue without him in the chambers. DPW Commissioner Bob Moylan apologized for the timing of the report, saying it was still being worked on during the day Tuesday, and couldn’t be ready any earlier.

• SMILING EYES: Irish President Mary McAleese’s visit to Worcester was marked with fanfare (color guard), tight security (Secret Service and safe rooms), and the only known picture of nemeses Mayor Konnie Lukes and Lieutenant Governor Tim Murray walking up City Hall steps next to each other. Irish press highlighted McAleese’ laying of the wreath at City Hall’s Celtic Cross to honor the 150th anniversary of Irish settlements in Worcester as part of her cross-state trip.

• THEY MOVED THE LAW AND THE LAW WON: After a long process, the Worcester Law Library is finally open at 184 Main St., the longtime Palson’s building. The move resolves a controversy created when the plans for the new courthouse on Main Street eliminated space for the library, leaving them as the lone tenant in the old courthouse since 2007.

•THE PHANTOM TASK FORCE: Councilor Rick Rushton has fully assumed the mantle of the City Council’s regular administration inquisitor, regularly pestering the city manager with queries on when things will get done or why things were done (or not done). On Tuesday, he questioned when the tax rate task force — first proposed about two years ago — would be appointed. “It’s gone on way too long,” said Rushton. This past November, the council voted for the task force; earlier this year, Mayor Konnie Lukes cited unspecified problems with figuring out who exactly should be on the group. On Tuesday, O’Brien said that the timing has been hindered by several crises and staff cuts, but called the task force a “priority.” “We’ve got a budget crisis at hand, and we continue to focus our energies there … and economic development.” He said the tax task force would be officially appointed after the new fiscal year, probably by the end of July.

• WE’VE SEEN THIS BEFORE: Rushton’s call for the task force quickly became a minor debate over the major issue of tax policy, with Paul Clancy saying the onus to approve a tax rate was on the council, not a commission. He reiterated his long-held position that he would only vote for the lowest residential rate, and never vote for a shift, regardless of what a task force reported. Rushton retorted the issue was about a long-term shift. Clancy said he wanted to make sure any task force had both sides represented. Mayor Lukes assured him it would.

• ROSEN’S REELECTION RUN: Gary Rosen is running for reelection to City Council. That decision runs entirely counter to what we reported in this column several weeks ago, when he was on the cusp, we said, of officially announcing a run for School Committee. Rosen’s announcement, made official Tuesday, came after such an internal debate lasting through the Memorial Day weekend, at least a couple colleagues didn’t know his final decision until minutes before Tuesday night’s meeting. Rosen says that while he was “very close to trying to make the jump to school committee ... I just believe the place for me to be right now is on the City Council.” But why even consider School Committee? Rosen says he thinks the School Committee needs to spend more time talking about present and future fiscal matters, and that incoming Superintendent Melinda Boone needs some board support. Still, “I just love the city side.”

• AL FRESCO REDUX: Every year, it seems al fresco dining becomes an issue in the city, with businesses clamoring for sidewalk/outdoor tables and some residents/city officials complaining about noise. Most of those complaints have been alleviated by imposed time restraints on outdoor licenses. To secure an outdoor license — legally, at least — businesses need to go before the License Commission. One of the intriguing things has been a steady stream of businesses requesting outdoor seating so early in the year. In the past, it hasn’t been unusual to see requests come in during a July meeting with summer half over; a huge problem if the License Commission delays a vote for any reason. This week alone, three businesses — 1001 Hookah Nights on Pleasant Street, Mahoney’s on Park Avenue, and Emerald Isle (which has started building a deck) — are on the agenda for either outdoor seating or patio seating. To date, we have heard no vocal neighbor protests. o

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