I've been to most council meetings in the past three years. A majority of the council can be progressive – Pugh, Spivey, Brown, Jenkins and Tate. When it comes to urban agriculture, Cockrel can be progressive, as evidenced by his support of Hantz Farms. But those five – called the "Frivolous Five" by opponents of change – can be really stubborn and easily influenced by the loudest public voices. From what I've experienced, any progress has been slowed or killed because of the toxic relationship between the mayor and everyone on council. So while the progressive side may have some good ideas, they won't put them into action because there's no willingness to cooperate or compromise. And that probably has everything to do with politics: Pugh has used this term as a springboard to mayor in 2013. Anytime he had a chance, Pugh drove a wedge between himself and the mayor. The result? Both bodies of government stopped communicating. Completely. All at the expense of residents and services.