Power.

It’s a word that’s been buzzing around in my brain lately.

And within the community, there appears that there could be a political shift in power.

This is not necessarily a good thing, or a bad thing. We’ll just have to wait and see.

We had the “old boys” (I apologize for lack of a better word). We had the “Mead progressives” (again, I apologize, maybe I’ll think of something better). And now we have this “new dichotomy.” The political world in Newburyport, MA starting January 1, 2008 (possibly shaping up a little sooner).

When Lisa Mead came into “power” in her first term in the 1990’s, for a then “young” woman, like myself, it seemed like a brave, happy, new world.

But, alas, politics is complicated, and never made up of “perfect” people (never has been, never will be); and learning curves and power plays on all different levels, unfolded over the years.

The brave new world I thought would evolve, became unavoidably, I suppose, a muddled business (and in 20-20, I guess one would think that it would).

And I imagine that that is what would most probably happen with this, pure as the driven snow, new political landscape. That it too could experience learning curves and power plays, and end up muddy, like a muddy, month of March in Newburyport, MA.

The frogs (we haven’t seen or heard from the frogs in a while) think I’m being cynical.

No, George and Georgiana , not cynical. Simply being realistic.

And what interests me is, who might end up rolling around in the mud, and how the muddy stuff might come about.

George has reminded me, that frogs actually like the mud, which protects them during long, cold, hard, New England winters. So, not only could mud be a necessary thing, but a good thing as well. So there.

Good grief. Possibly a wise frog? Or just a silly frog? I’m going to have to think on this one.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport