City Council squabbling over changes to a toothless code of ethics was entertaining political theater but a mere opening act for Suffolk citizens still wondering exactly what they got at the ballot box last fall.

A series of votes over the next few months will better reveal a new-look council’s philosophy on important issues ranging from taxation and support for public schools to how the city manages residential and commercial growth. In the process, we’ll also learn much about the long-range fate of City Manager Selena Cuffee-Glenn, whose performance was the subject of a closed-door meeting less than 30 days after the new council was seated.

Council newcomers Leroy Bennett, Don Goldberg and Tim Johnson campaigned on a broad platform of change and transparency. Votes over the next few months will cause them to get more specific on such important issues as:

• Property taxes. Cuffee-Glenn and staff last week proposed a 4-cent increase in real estate taxes that she immediately framed up as a pending test of council members’ “courage.” That depends on one’s perspective. A fiscal conservative would argue that a vote against raising taxes is the more courageous action. Either way, Cuffee-Glenn has put council members on the spot. In the upcoming budget debate and ultimate vote, we’ll find out each council member’s view of taxation — and whether the current $1.03 per $100 of assessed value is enough to run an effective city government.
• Public schools. Long-running conflict between Suffolk’s elected School Board and the City Council has eased since the November election, or at least the rhetoric from both sides isn’t as shrill. The city manager’s budget would give the schools half of what leaders say they need to fully address compensation inequities that have contributed to extraordinary teacher flight to neighboring school divisions. Teachers and other advocates of public education will be watching closely to see if the new council is any more responsive than the last one.
• Growth. An Economic Development Authority proposal to sell prime land on North Main Street and the Nansemond River to a developer for construction of an apartment complex has touched a nerve with citizens unlike any issue Suffolk has confronted in recent memory. A grassroots push for a park instead is gaining momentum. Resolution of the controversy ultimately rests with the City Council, which will decide between green space and economic development, and if the latter, whether Suffolk, home of explosive population growth in recent decades, needs more renters.

Will Bennett, Goldberg and Johnson maintain the united front they’ve shown on less consequential matters over the past 90 days? Will third-year Councilman Roger Fawcett continue to join them? Will veteran Councilman Mike Duman be the swing vote who backs Cuffee-Glenn on some matters and bucks her on others? Will Mayor Linda Johnson and Councilmen Curtis Milteer and Lue Ward remain fiercely loyal to the city manager?

Answers are coming, and very soon.

Steve Stewart is publisher of the Suffolk News-Herald. His email address is steve.stewart@suffolknewsherald.com.