What''s going on down at Seaside city hall? Is it try-out time for the city softball team? Or, a support group for the politically defeated? No, the resignation of former City Councilmember Helen Rucker has created a stampede of 15 would-be councilmembers all hoping the council will choose them to occupy Rucker''s vacated seat. The roster includes four former councilmembers, one former mayor, two former mayoral candidates and a former council candidate.

Now the council must decide on a new member by Dec. 24 to avoid a costly ($20,000) special election. How to decide? Perhaps a mud-slinging contest between Planning Commissioner and former mayoral candidate Felix Bachofner and former councilmember and former mayoral candidate Gert Foreman? Perhaps Lisa Mitchell and former mayor Lance McClair, who both ran for council last election, could undertake a groveling contest before Councilmembers Tom Mancini and Darryl Choates, the two incumbents they tried unsuccessfully to unseat. (In fact, there''s only two names that could have made this exercise even hotter--those of defeated mayor Don Jordan and departing city manager Tim Brown. They got game.)

Hot Potato

Rare kudos to the Monterey County Board of Supervisors for steadfastly refusing to re-appoint South County agriculturist Lawrence Porter to another term on the Monterey County Water Resources Agency (MCWRA). Political historians may recall that Porter--one of MCWRA''s original board members--has had to recuse himself from about a half a dozen votes (including a vote on the all-important blueprint for Salinas Valley water use, the Basin Management Plan). Why? Well, the Salinas Land Company that employs Porter as general manager has sued MCWRA over water rights. Yep, it''s hard to represent an agency as a trustee, and sue its ass over policy. Even outgoing--and fellow South County-ite--Supervisor Tom Perkins distanced himself from Porter''s nomination. It''s time for the Farm Bureau to lose this loser nominee and suggest someone with more credibility.

Turning up the Heat

Officials in charge of the dorm housing for Monterey County''s work furlough employees were quick to deny a hot tip about cool night-time temperatures--a problem apparently related to a nonworking or nonfunctioning heating system. But sources last week adamantly told CW that temperatures were a little nippy at night. Denials to the contrary, Squid heard dormies were queried by sheriff department officials as to who had leaked the hot tip. As of now, the heat is (literally and figuratively) on.

--Squid@coastweekly.com