The City Council will hold its regular meeting tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. in City Hall. There is a Special Work Session scheduled at 6:30 p.m. to discuss changing the method of electing City Council Members.

Mayor Kenneth Johnson is proposing an ordinance to elect five of the ten Council members at large by all the qualified voters of the City of Carthage.

"It think it would get more people involved in the Council," said Johnson.

The proposed ordinance is scheduled to appear on the agenda under first reading at Tuesday’s meeting.

Currently the method for electing members is each of the five wards in the City elects two council members. The proposed way of electing them at large would allow each ward to elect one member and the other five members would be elected by all of the qualified voters in the City.

If adopted Council members currently in office would complete their term. On the first Tuesday in April of each year there would be an election to vote for five council members. Those elected would serve a two year term consistent with current method.

The proposition to change the method of electin’ Council members was left up to the Council when the Charter was adopted. It does not require a vote of the general public. That fact makes the idea of changin’ easier to accept. It can always be changed back if at some point it becomes unpopular.

Up to this point I haven’t heard much discussion about the issue. The work session or the Council meetin’ tomorrow night would be a good place for expression of support or opposition for those who are interested.

Council members themselves will have to consider whether the idea of havin’ half of the Council elected by the entire community is a better system. I’m assumin’ for some a City wide campaign will be more difficult and more expensive.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

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Carthage Printing

THIS IS A HAMMER

By Samantha Mazzotta

Last Thanksgiving, as I bade goodbye to a small crowd of acquaintances — about 20, to be exact — a carpenter friend told me, "Your home’s great, but next year you might think about inviting 20 less people." My friend never has been tactful, but she was right. The kitchen was too small to cook a Thanksgiving dinner properly, and the front room didn’t accommodate more than six or seven guests at a time, leaving the rest to fret around the dining-room table — which only sat 10 people.

I didn’t feel too bad. After all, I had an excuse: It was my first year in the house, and I was busy fixing up the important, can’t-miss issues, like the landscaping around the foundation, the inadequate attic insulation and a couple of plumbing issues. And all this as my first New England winter closed in, a dozy of a season that tested my skills at winterizing.

But I took the comment to heart and spent my spare time putting together an inventory of home-improvement projects: those that needed to be done, and those that I wanted to do. Rooftop maintenance and window-frame replacement? Absolutely. A redesign of the kitchen, dining room and front room? Hopefully.

Balancing "needs" and "wants" as a do-it-yourselfer can be quite a task. After all, there’s a constantly growing list of things that must be done year after year to keep your property in good shape. Adding visual or lifestyle improvements on a budget can be tough. Fortunately, you’ll have a little time after the pumpkin pie has been served this holiday to settle back near the television, pull out pen and paper, and make a list of home repair and improvement projects through this holiday season and all of next year.

First, needs versus wants: create two columns with the appropriate headers. List tasks that must be accomplished on the left. Write projects you’d like to do on the right. Then, plan the times that you will perform the "Needs" tasks. Some, if not all, must be done during the warmer months. Space them out appropriately on a 14-month calendar. Once those are locked into your home-improvement schedule, pick a "Wants" project that fits your budget and time, and plan the best time to do it.

HOME TIP: Holiday parties can inadvertently highlight a home’s inadequacies. Relax, and dream of future home-improvement projects that can alleviate those shortcomings.