"No!" "Nyet!" "Nein!" "Nada!" "Bah Humbug!" "Bullcrap!"
The Grand Old Party reps were incredulous that someone would have the audacity to propose one of the nine assistants be given any more than the others.
Unless it's a Republican doing it, of course.
After the council brayed down Horiuchi's proposal, it passed a resolution that the assistants' salaries be frozen. The understanding was that no single council member would increase an assistant's pay without the approval of the entire council.
The council also passed a resolution on the mayor's budget with intent language specifying that the council be made aware of any pay raises given to exempt employees of elected officials.
But this week, Republican councilmen Cort Ashton and Mark Crockett entered into a private agreement that Crockett's assistant, long-time Republican bureaucrat Julie Peck, work just part time and make $37,500 - about $14,000 less than the set salary for council assistants. The difference, they schemed, would be used to increase the pay of Ashton's assistant, Michael Chabries.
They tipped off the three other Republicans to their plan before they rammed it through the Auditor's Office. But the four Democrats were left completely out of the loop.
Bad timing: Spike TV on Saturday afternoon aired "Born on the Fourth of July," an anti-Vietnam war movie starring Tom Cruise.
In one scene, Cruise's character discusses with a friend the horrible things they had to do in the war, like killing civilians, and how it messed up their lives. The station then broke for a commercial - a recruitment ad for the U.S. Marines.
Pocket change: The Wall Street Journal reported last week that the Salt Lake City bed-and-breakfast inn owned by Kay Malone, wife of former Utah Jazz star Karl Malone, has been sold for $2 million.
Blending in? The Jade, a Chinese restaurant near downtown Salt Lake City, recently featured these specials: liver and onions and corned beef and cabbage.
The Chinese Gourmet in Murray has a tip jar for the cooks at its Mongolian grill bearing the sign: "Gracias."
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Paul Rolly welcomes e-mail at prolly@sltrib.com.
