While I do enjoy healthy debate on the Berlin porject, thus encourage posters like rich, one thing he seems to gloss over is the following:
While unseating the incumbent admin in the elections would fast track things for Laidlaw, re-election of the current mayor and council seats in no way spells doom for the project.
Most people feel this is a pro Laidlaw vs. con Laidlaw election, and it is so much more than that.