- Lesson 1: When it comes to sense, the "common" type is typically the best choice. It's pretty simple really - the election process was flawed, Mr. Arnold and company appealed, Judge Vance agreed. The common sense thing to do was wait until May or even November, have a new election at zero cost to tax payers, restore voters rights, elect a mayor, be more vigilant about proper procedure in the future. Lesson learned. Life goes on. Why couldn't it have been that simple?

- Lesson 2: Proving a point is good for bruised feelings and ego, but not always for the purse strings. Judge Vance basically said a flawed system - not a flawed individual. Nobody needs to prove their innocence here - we just need to prove we can do better next time. We all need constructive criticism and some of what we are getting has been a long time coming.

Lesson 3: Trust is earned - not given. Transparency promotes trust. Unanswered questions fuel unrest. I'm a taxpayer and I'm frankly tired of paying for things that make zero sense. Am I missing something here? If so - explain it. Answer our questions. If you make a decision - own it. That's part of being a leader.

Lesson 4: Know what you are signing up for - the devil is in the details. At this point no one can say with confidence who will be responsible for the financial burden of appealing Judge Vance's ruling. Is the county responsible? Is the city? The individuals on the Board of Elections? More importantly, no one can tell us the price tag. Is it $4,000? $40,000? $400,000? I wouldn't hand someone a blank check on my business or personal bank account and our leaders shouldn't be handing them out funded by taxpayer dollars either.

Lesson 5: When times get tough and the wheels start falling off - work smarter not harder. Tighten the ship up. Streamline things. Become more efficient. Do more with less. I think our wagon limps around with missing wheels quite often. Is now the time to discuss merging city and county governments?