An editorial by Jackson Frolic 

Guy Soundguy has resigned as mayor of Bass Lake.

I say that not as a news announcement, but as a traditionally emphatic way to open a news column.

If they give awards for Tree-Falls-In-The-Forest news, Soundguy’s decision earns a gold medal. We aren’t even sure, here at The Beacon, if Soundguy formally or directly approved the move. Most of the information came at least second-hand from his cronies, handlers and occasional co-workers.

Town council member Enos Felger said he did not speak to Soundguy once during the span of the mayor’s term, which began in November 2014. Felger also did not witness a conversation between the then-mayor and anyone else.

“Closest we came to talking was one time in the rest room at city hall,” Felger said. “I entered as he was about to leave, I nodded in his general direction, he sneezed shortly after that, then — out the door he went.”

Such memories!

Soundguy’s motto could have been “Out of sight, out of mind, all the time!” But I’m glad it wasn’t. That sounds dumb.

Soundguy, you may recall, shocked the local-world in 2014 by stepping into the shoes of Delores Denominator, who had resigned abruptly. Who could have know the beginning would be the most prominent portion of his run? 

One thing we can say about the Soundguy Regime: He presided over one of the most peaceful periods in recent Bass Lake history. Unemployment was relatively high, but it usually is. Infrastructure remained mostly stagnant, so there was consistency. What more do you want, people?

Soundguy could be considered a “hands-off” mayor (to say the least). That made him a more effective leader than some previous, in-your-face mayors, such as Margaret “Squawk” Newstead (1992-92) and LeRoy “In Your Face” McBevins (1999-2001). They, along with Soundguy, are the three shortest-tenured mayors in Bass Lake history, but Soundguy was the least-noticeable.

Anyway, now the town council will select an interim mayor, which worries me a little. Then, in November, it’s up to voters. That’s any even greater concern.

Another thing: Who’s gonna run, gonna run, gonna run?” That may be the ultimate worry.

It may seem like a low-pressure challenge to fill the seat of a public official like Soundguy, who was as invisible as “The Invisible Man. On the other hand, if you try to follow someone who made almost no (known) mistakes, that can turn up the pressure cooker, just like a pressure cooker. And you know how dangerous those things are. You could put an eye out.

Alas, for now, our former mayor will go off in pursuit of a career in construction work, people have said he said. Bis new employer might see that as addition by subtraction.

With that, I leave you with this: Mr. Felger is on the right track —remember the good times under Mayor Soundguy and forget the good times, too, because it was all the same. If you happen to see the new ex-mayor, wish him luck in his new endeavor. But you probably will not see him.

Jackson Frolic is senior editor a Bass Lake Beacon. His email address is private.

Other viewpoints from Jackson Frolic:
Voter turnout (a)pathetic
Corn-planter recycling: Drop-off or rip-off?