Speaking of Dave Weaver, what was up with his lashing out at the Glendale city employee unions at the council meeting last week?

It was an oddity that aligned the councilman with his nemesis -- City Hall gadfly Barry Allen -- who blames unions for what he believes is an overstuffed city payroll.

The clip starts at 3:43, when Weaver, who got no love from the Glendale Management Associaiton, and the police and fire unions (the GMA gave $11,000 to incumbent Rafi Manoukian, who lost) wanted to strip their right to contribute to council candidates.

Weaver: One thing I like to see ... I would like to see every association in this city, GMA, fire, police, not be allowed to give a single penny to any council candidate.

To this day, GMA has not congratulated me. the police have not congratulated or spoke to me, fire has been kind enough just to say congratulations. Now there's no dialogue, all because the association sat out there and forced-handicapped who's going to win. We wanted to be on the winning side. I was supposed to lose -- well gee I didn't ... and now we ahve a problem. I love to see that removed off the books.

Uh...not so fast Dave. Isn't there a First Amendment issue here? City Attorney Scott Howard was around to remind our honorable councilman: "With regard to a ban on union contributions, I'm somewhat reticent about recommending that you can do that pursuint to Supreme Court deicions."

In fact, while the city can prevent city employees from donating to City Council candidates due to conflicts of interest (it's in the city charter), it can't prevent individual employees from participating in the political process -- a First Amendment right -- through their unions. Still, the city could set contribution limits.

Weaver wouldn't have any of it -- "I say ban it! Let them defend themselves in court."
Howard: "Actually if we impose our ban as a government, we would be defending ourselves in court."

I wonder which Constitutional right Weaver will try to curtail next...just because some person or group didn't congratulate him on his council win.