New Year, New City Council: Don't Expect Many Waves

​If you are planning for fireworks and more drama than a Maury "Who's the Daddy?" show when the new city council finally settles down next week ... well you will be in for a surprise. Expect a tame, courteous council that may run into bumps every once in a while for the most part.

Annise Parker and her perception of the city financial situation will dictate the City Council agenda. Accountability and saving taxpayer dollars will be at the forefront of the next council's goal. Their relationship with Parker will be a courteous one.

Keep in mind that there will be a lot of freshmen members who will be getting their feet wet so 2010 will be their playground until they have to step it up for the 2011 Mayoral Elections. City Council will have some members that will challenge Parker but for the most part there will be a cordial relationship.

Many folks expect Jolanda "Jo" Jones to go rogue and create controversy this next session as a response to current and former council members that spoke against her. This is unlikely. Jones tells Hair Balls that she is "predictable" and will not be distracted. Her job is to concentrate on her constituents.

She was an early supporter of Parker and Parker reciprocated the favor. Their relationship will remain in good standing and Jones will support Parker the majority of the time. Jones' life has prepared her to deal with adversity and this is just another instance in which she will have to put her head down and work hard to overcome any obstacles. She is an outspoken council member that will continue to ask the tough questions that others are hesitant to even entertain.

Is it no surprise that Parker is personally looking into Houston Police Department and the Houston Fire Department ... the same agencies in which Jones was pulling teeth for answers? When asked about the HFD discrimination scandal status update, Jones told Hair Balls that she is waiting for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) investigation results to address the situation.

2010 will be a calm year but expect 2011 to be more exciting as members enter campaign mode. There will not be a repeat of the environment that Bill White enjoyed for much of his tenure as Mayor but it will not be much different either.

The only reason why there will be issues is because of money but we knew that more money causes more problems didn't we?