Nature may abhor a vacuum but politicians don’t. They spy opportunity.

That’s why all those well-paid department heads at city hall who imagine they have the current council by its collective tail should tread carefully.

Not because Calgarians are livid these days, thanks to the constant barrage of daft bylaws and ludicrous rate hikes emanating from those elected to supposedly serve our interests. That’s of little concern: city administrators know that, come election day, such outrage invariably dissipates and the endless spending will subsequently ratchet up once again under a fresh council — one that will quickly accept there’s no alternative to such civic gluttony.

But, eventually, such quietly effective arrogance suffers from a most human trait: overplaying your hand. And thanks to this current crop of councillors — not all of them, but enough to form a steadfast majority — the cosy setup of soaking citizens might come to an end.

Why? When a gaggle of politicians is........

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