Indianapolis City Councilors have a great opportunity before them

Lemonade requires lemons.

Anyone who was at Wednesday's council meeting which invited the public, business owners, the CIB and the Colts and Pacers, could easily tell just how terrified the city council is right now by the fact that truck loads of lemons were dumped at their feet. Our city potentially is going to hemorrhage a sour mess.

No one will take the blame and no viable solutions are apparent yet.

I was impressed by how many councilors that did not have to attend that meeting made the effort to be there. That tells me that they genuinely want to solve this problem. Keep in mind, our city councilors don't get huge salaries and most of them are just regular people who also have other jobs.

We all know by now where the fault lies. If you don't, may I suggest reading the vast archives of Advance Indiana? It is there that you can learn the history of the reckless, greedy deals made by self-serving politicians from both parties with their billionaire campaign contributors. It is not hard to figure out.

We cannot change the cards we were dealt. However, we can be thankful the place we are, for it is an opportunity for city councilors to earn political clout by steering us out this mess.

Our councilors have help available unlike ever before. At Wednesday's meeting we heard from small business organizations representing breweries, wineries, restaurants, hotels, car rental agencies, and well informed members of the public. Each offered assistance by calculating the realistic outcomes of the tax and spend solutions offered by the same political leadership that created the crisis. Some offered possible parts of the answer.

We also have at least two activist attorneys, Gary Welsh and Paul Ogden, who have shown they will lend their expertise to the massive problem facing us.

The only question is which councilors will rise up and work on behalf of the people by putting our interests ahead of party? I hope each councilor sees the opportunity to make lemonade from this massive crop of lemons dropped at their door step.

We are all in the same boat. These are the moments that present opportunity for true leaders to emerge. I have no doubt that lemonade will be made.