If Yogi Berra were Mayor of Novato

Have you been watching The Boys in the Hall? It’s a great series, with half-hour shows dedicated to various Baseball Hall of Famers.

Yogi Berra is my favorite, hands down. I just love this guy. He’s in no way a doofus, though some of his famous quotes are the subject of much mirth. He is sincerely low key and humble, even with his 10 World Series rings. He regrets his lack of education but can partially blame his World War II combat service for that. I think he’s wise beyond his words.

I think he’d be a great mayor of Novato. He’d meet with the rest of the city council and the people of Novato in accordance with the terms of the Brown Act and offer a simple caveat to get things rolling: "You've got to be very careful if you don't know where you're going because you might not get there."

If he were scolded by the office of Marin County District Attorney Edward Berberian for a violation of the Brown Act by the Novato City Council, Yogi would ‘fess up without compunction: "I made a wrong mistake."

With all the heated give and take at our city council meetings these days, I think he’d quietly caution everyone in the room when the debates get too feisty: "You can observe a lot just by watching." Or he might lament later to Patch: "It was impossible to get a conversation going; everybody was talking too much."

Regarding the I think he’d opine: "This is like deja vu all over again." And, as for the intense efforts of so many different groups and elected officials to get the state and federal governments off their high and mighty perches, dictating what Novato must do regarding said housing issues, he’d be handing out a lot of high fives: "You give 100 percent in the first half of the game, and if that isn't enough in the second half you give what's left." (The second half yet to be decided?)

Regarding , I think he might put his two cents in regarding the financial aspects of this hot-button transportation topic by noting:  "A nickel isn't worth a dime today." (The crux of the issue?)

Yogi Berra would offer much to us Novatoans as we struggle together through some difficult times and situations. He’d get the “big picture” and offer a final bit of wisdom as we plod forward to 2012 and beyond: "When you come to a fork in the road, take it."  

To hear Yogi "in his own words," click here.