Nothing shows a person’s character more than their actions after a defeat. Unfortunately, it appears as though the true character of defeated Houston City Council member Brenda Stardig and her staff may not be as honorable as it should be. In some ways, the transition from her staff to the staff of Council member-elect Helena Brown is reminiscent of the staff of former President Bill Clinton as they left the White House:

GAO: Damage, theft, vandalism, and pranks occurred in the White House complex during the 2001 presidential transition. Incidents such as the removal of keys from computer keyboards; the theft of various items; the leaving of certain voice mail messages, signs, and written messages; and the placing of glue on desk drawers clearly were intentional acts. However, it was unknown whether other observations, such as broken furniture, were the result of intentional acts, when and how they occurred, or who may have been responsible for them. Further, with regard to stolen items, such as the presidential seal, because no one witnessed the thefts and many people were in the White House complex during the transition, it was not known who was responsible for taking them. Moreover, regarding other items reported missing, such as doorknobs, cellular telephones, and television remote controls, it was unknown whether all of them were thefts, and if they were, who was responsible for taking those items and when they were taken.

This account comes from a source involved in the (attempted) transition:

When Conservative Helena Brown and her transition team recently met with the Mayor and City Council officials one member of the team overhead Ms. Stardig warning her staff that Ms Brown and others were on their way to District A offices.

When the transition team arrived and asked to see the offices, current staff refused. Further phone calls from the transition team were not returned . Eventually a member of Mayor Parker’s staff placed a call and was told in no uncertain terms that Ms Stardig’s staff had no interest in cooperating with or interviewing with Ms Browns transition team.

Sad. I wonder how many keyboards will be missing the “B” key?