Steve Radack: Listen In To The Sausage Being Made

The Radack Tapes: Not quite as compelling

He and the city of West U have been going at it over county drainage projects. The West U mayor, Bob Kelly, had been publicly critical of the county's efforts. West U city manager Michael Ross tried to smooth things out.

Ross taped the calls between him and Radack, and the website InstantNewsWestU.com has them.

There's nothing too overtly over the top about any of it (except possibly the taping, which has pissed off Radack to the point he told the website he would never talk on the phone with West U officials again). But it's a nice inside view to a disgruntled county commissioner and a city manager desperately trying to preserve the peace.

Reports the website:

[Radack said] "I'm going to do my best to see if I can get you a new county commissioner and a different precinct so maybe you all will be happier."

"Have you seen this silly letter?" Radack asked Ross in the recording. "You ought to hear what the old mayor had to say about us being afraid to come to a meeting."

We can't say these two secretly recorded phone calls rank up there with LBJ's calls complaining to his tailor about how his nuts hang in his pants or, of course, any of Nixon's calls.

But they're worth a listen.