Following the 2007 Primary Election in Englewood, I wrote a piece entitled "Wildes Star No Longer Rising." Englewood Mayor Michael Wildes, whose ambition for higher office has been no secret, had undergone a series of political setbacks, capped by the inability of his handpicked City Council candidate, Planning Board Chair Marvin Anhalt, to win the Primary in Wildes' own Second Ward. In the year since, Wildes has fared little better. In April, as Democratic County Chair Joe Ferriero briefly flirted with endorsing Rob Andrews against Senator Frank Lautenberg in this year's Primary, Wildes unsuccessfully attempted to gain Ferriero's endorsement to run in Andrews' column against Congressman Steve Rothman. And, more recently, Wildes-backed City Council candidates in the First and Third Wards were decisively defeated despite unprecedented levels of spending on their campaigns.

Wildes' unabashed narcissism, his excessive and unrealistic ambition, and his inability to gain the respect of his Council colleagues, were initially more pitiable than otherwise. But after five years as Second Ward Councilman and four and a half years as Mayor, his self-focused behavior has become increasingly harmful to the City and embarrassing to its residents. His ability as Mayor to influence City Council actions is now minimal in the face a 4-1 veto-proof majority of non-supporters. But Englewood's City Charter gives the Mayor significant appointive powers, which Wildes has notably used on the Planning Board.

The Planning Board has in fact become his power base, giving him leverage in dealing with County boss Ferriero. Both Wildes and Ferriero have consistently displayed a cynical willingness to sacrifice the interests of the public to those of developers who make political contributions to them. In a front page headline story on June 1 The Record charged, in considerable detail, that Wildes had packed our Planning Board with contributors and friends, including developers. In a later editorial The Record pointed out that, although not illegal, such behavior "raises questions about the mayor's sphere of influence and the planning board's objectivity and credibility." We agree.

Wildes has twice, in 2003 and 2006, run unopposed in the Democratic Primary for mayor. His high visibility and his financial resources generated a sense of inevitability among potential opponents. Now, however, that his ties to Ferriero and his misuse of the Planning Board have become evident, there should be no such sense. The fate of his anointed Council candidates in the 2007 and 2008 Primaries indicates that he is vulnerable to opposition in the 2009 Primary. Whether Wildes chooses to run again or not, this newsletter hopes that one or more qualified and unbought candidates to replace him will surface soon.