Fans of the long-running, city council round-up (and send-up) known as Necker’s Notes were saddened last week when correspondent John Necker sent a notice to his subscribers that he was hanging up his spurs.
“After a long decade of laboring to inject just a little moderation into the politics of Sebastopol, it’s time to admit that my efforts have come closer to those of Don Quixote than those of Ida Tarbell. The windmills won,” he wrote. “Thank you for your support and criticism. Both were helpful.”
Necker has declined to elaborate on his decision to quit writing his column, but 10 years of sitting to the bitter end of every city council meeting twice a month and writing up a summary — for free — seems reason enough.
In a note to his editors, he announced his decision to lay down his pen with his usual diplomatic reserve:
“I quit. Don’t be lookin’ for anymore summaries because I hit the wall, ran out of gas, lost my sense of humor, the buzzer went off, came to my senses, saw the light, got vaccinated and got abducted by aliens, no longer want to Make Sebastopol Great Again, sobered-up, and just flat got too old for this sh–.”
Tell us how you really feel, John.
Necker’s practice of telling readers how he really felt about what was happening at Sebastopol City Council meetings irked city council members (who were often the butt of his jokes) but won kudos from readers who found Necker’s Notes’ more readable than the usual dull council summaries.
Necker’s Notes began in 2011 when Necker and a handful of his fellow citizens got together to oppose the city’s attempts to ban leaf blowers. Not that he loves leaf blowers. He dislikes listening to them as much as anyone else, but he and his fellows found the council’s approach to banning them high-handed.
After the leaf blower issue, um, blew over, Necker began attending city council meetings, taking notes, and piecing them together the next day into a bullet-point report, enlivened with sharp-elbowed jokes and funny links, which he published at SebastopolCitizens.org. In 2019, Sonoma West began printing an expurgated version of Necker’s column as “Gang of Five.” That column is also at an end.
Necker’s Notes had a good long run. It will be missed by its many Sebastopol fans.
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