What Really Happens in the Mayor’s Office

You never know what you’re going to see when you’re waiting in the mayor’s office for a news conference. Today we were treated to Dukes, the mayor’s dog, putting his front paws on the counter to keep an eye on us reporters.

We media-types also debated the heritage of the homeless dog brought to the news conference in hopes of finding a home. Her name was Denise, and the animal shelter described her as a black-lab mix, but a television reporter said she looked a little like a Dalmatian. I agreed. She and Dukes were eyeballing each other.

Then, we settled into the mayor’s conference room. About eight children wearing Santa hats dropped by to treat us (and the mayor) to Christmas carols.

As for the news, Chavez announced plans for an economic summit with business leaders next month. They will discuss ways to help local businesses.

We also learned that the city’s financial projections aren’t quite as dire as they have been. The economic activity that drives sales-tax revenue is down 1.9 percent so far this year, compared with last year. The last report pegged it at 2.7 percent down.

The picture above is from 2005, when Dukes was promoting a spay and neuter program.