A political flyer. It was from a guy who’d wanted to set up a daycare but found himself jumping through hoops with the city such that he was paying rent for “nearly three years” waiting to get the permits to open.

So he’s running for city council. If you can’t fight city hall, get inside it and change it. It’s the American way. Good for him, was my first thought.

I looked a little more closely. His cropped photo suggests that the rent he was paying may have been on his house, but never mind.

His proposal (good luck, sir) is that it take 30 days for small projects and 90 for big ones if we elect him, and if it takes longer than that your fees are waived.

Given that the large projects can take several years to get approved after environmental reports, road studies, sewer updates–and especially given the 32-story monstrosity a Russian oligarch wants to plunk in the middle of ranch-house suburbia in the next town with no roads nor schools that can possibly accommodate that, they should–I can see why he’s frustrated. But.

There’s so much to his story he didn’t tell. Was his daycare alongside a major road where you wouldn’t want a toddler dashing into the street when someone opens the front door?

As Richard pointed out, with all the 1950s tract houses in this city turning over and new owners wanting to remodel them to match the idea of the outrageous amounts they’ve paid for them, if you’re going to knock the permit timeline down that far you’re saying you’re going to vet and hire a whole lot of new inspectors. How are you paying for that if you’re ditching lots of fees? And if you don’t, you’re essentially throwing out the idea of inspectors altogether because people can only work so many hours in a day.

And let me tell you, having remodeled years ago, you really really need good inspectors. We had to replumb the entire house for water and gas a second time when ours was done because the pipes used were substandard and oh did you know your water heater was releasing carbon monoxide the way they set this up, lady?

We didn’t know, and the inspector should have refused to sign off.

So yeah, I get where this guy’s coming from.

But I would far rather that inspections be done and be done right and pay the city those fees than fork out $40,000 in 1999 dollars again to remedy what was left behind so our house could be safe and in good working order the way we’d paid for it to be the first time.

“Lower cost home improvements,” he says.

Oh you sweet summer child.