Aaron Goes to Oakville

(NOTE: REVISIONS AT THE END)

I covered the Oakville City Council meeting last night to learn more about their outstanding water (named tastiest in the state, actually). I always make a few mental notes during meetings like that with vague plans for a blog, but never follow through. Today, it turns out, is my (or your) lucky day. 

The meeting began promptly at 7:30; by promptly, I mean Mayor (and CHS shop teacher) Mitchell Smith was watching the second hand pass the big 12 and literally banged his gavel at 7:30 to call that meetin’ to order. 

First, the setting: the city council meets in the town library, so you have to pass through a short maze of fiction shelves on the way in. There’s four rows of old movie theater seats set up, church-pew style, for the audience. I counted six people in those seats, aside from myself, and seven sitting at the tables up front: four city council members, the Mayor, a clerk, and the city’s legal counsel. The lawyer had a large bandage covering his right ear, like he’d been attacked by a sparrow or something. 

Also attending were Dan “Aquaman” Thompson, the city’s Public Works Director and one-man city crew, and a sheriff’s deputy that looked A LOT like the guy who played Lloyd Braun (Matt McCoy) on Seinfeld. 

But today I’m talking more about my “other” job as a reporter: second-string photographer. I took a few photos at the city council meeting, but they were deemed “garbage” for two reasons. First, nothing cool happened. No one grabbed a full jug of ice-cold H2Oakville and dunked Mayor Mitchell or Aquaman. No one brought out a squirt gun and fired streams into the “crowd.” I would have settled for a good hosing, but got nothing. 

Second, I was really hoping that I could get a shot of the council members with tall glasses of tap water. Oddly, when I arrived, only one of the four in attendance was drinking water, and it was from an unmarked plastic bottle. Three others were drinking Pepsi, Cherry Coke and bottled tea. 

So, this morning, I headed back to the O-Town to try to meet up with Thompson and get a better photo. City Hall, I learned upon arrival, didn’t open until 9 a.m., so I had a cup of coffee (and glass of water) at Jag’s diner. The restaurant’s name, the cook-cashier-waitress-hostess told me, was a combination of the names of original owners Jack and Agnes.

My glass of water was iced, served in a plastic cup, and tasted ... wet. Apparently I have no business in the field of water judging (or, I’d pondered at that point, photography).

After my sample of the town’s finest fluid I found the ever-jolly Thompson and, after a discussion of trucks, real estate, lawyers, the Jag, and the ever-pressing fuel pinch, we proceeded to the site of a wayward wire or pipe. As Thompson was getting ready to break ground I snapped a picture, which I later recommended for publication with my water story. 

I was, sadly, overruled for a more “serious,” less “self-aware” photo (basically, one where Smilin’ Dan wasn’t looking directly into the camera and laughing). Here's my original pic, and a big thanks to Dan for his hospitality today. 

REVISION: This morning a change was made and the photo you see above was run with the Oakville water story; apparently there was some issue with glare in the other photos were deemed "garbage" (a common theme when I'm behind the lense). I have mixed emotions, because it sort of voids my blog, and at the same time puts the shot I liked in print (and on the front page).