Jill Klajic: The fly in the ointment

"Mom! Wake up! Geez, traffic is moving and you're staring off into space and smiling really goofy."

"I'm going! I was just thinking about what it would be like if we had a new road that would take us around this gridlocked intersection."

"Mom, you're funny. If we had more roads, we wouldn't have gridlocked intersections, and we probably wouldn't have to leave an hour early to get to Canyon Country for hockey practice. Wow! I think we moved two car lengths that time!"

"Well, we're stopping again. I guess this would be a good time for you to jump out and grab us something to eat for dinner. It looks like Big Macs again. Get me the usual, dear."

"Wake up! I'm back! You were daydreaming again, Mom. Mom, do you think we'll ever get new roads?"

"Well, sweetie, we all thought that our City Council was finally going to get us some money for the new roads, but a council member named Jill Klajic decided to sneak behind everyone's back and sent a secret letter to the people who were going to give us the money. She told them that they shouldn't send us the money for our new roads. Understand?"

"No! Why would this nasty Jill person tell someone that we don't want any money for new roads? Wasn't it bad for her to sneak behind everyone's back and mess everything up? Isn't the City Council supposed to be a democracy and vote on stuff? I think they should kick her out! And if this mean lady is so dishonest, how did she get elected?"

"It's a little complicated to explain, hon. You see, a lot of people in this valley didn't bother to vote. Added to that, a lot of people thought that a certain man shouldn't have tried to run for a City Council position before he was ready. But because he ran anyway, he took votes away from more qualified people. That's how this Klajic person squeezed in."

"Oh, no, he's not bad at all. Some of us just think he was just much too inexperienced. But some people like to start at the top and skip all the hard work climbing up. Understand?"

"I think so. Like needing to know how to add and subtract before you multiply and divide?"

"Exactly! Hang on to your food, I think we're moving again. Almost four car lengths that time."

"Doesn't Jill like the people in this valley, Mom? Why would she want to be a City Council person if she doesn't like us?"

"Well, I don't really know, but Jill also doesn't like a big company called Newhall Land and Farming. She thinks that if she takes the money for our new roads away from us, Newhall Land will have to build the new roads."

"I bet you wish you could send her to her room for being so man and sneaky, huh, Mom?"

"For a long, long time, dear. But there are some really good, hard-working people on our City Council. Unfortunately, Jill Klajic has made it very difficult for these people to help us."