Jun. 25--Here's looking forward to a scientific, reasoned debate now that the Tampa City Council has called an election on whether to use highly treated wastewater as drinking water. The relevant issues are (1) can they get the right stuff out of it and (2) is it worth it. Not a relevant issue: "Ewwwwwww."

THERE'S A TRIAL IN PASCO COUNTY this week over a lawsuit filed by the parents of a 21-year-old man who charged at another guy in a McDonald's drive-through. He body-slammed him before the other guy got the upper hand and killed him. Both fighters had been drinking. The lawsuit claims the McDonald's franchise should have had better security to stop them. "We have been wronged," the mother testified. I do not know what to say. Actually, I do.

OUR NEW POLL says that 61 percent of voters are still undecided in the St. Petersburg mayor's race. Clearly there is no obvious successor to Rick Baker, and the candidates have made little headway despite their efforts. Voter psychology is a factor, too: The election feels far off, when in reality the first by-mail ballots go out next month. Maybe the winner will be the candidate with the biggest family. (Assuming the family doesn't vote for somebody else.)

MARCO RUBIO was ridiculed for speculating, via Twitter, that things in Iran might be different if that nation's citizens had the Second Amendment-style right to bear arms. Rubio's critics contrasted the inspiring moral courage of the unarmed protesters with the prospect of mere armed rebellion. I am too ignorant to prescribe remedies for Iran, but would gently point out that we chose armed rebellion; our own "inspiring moral courage" had the help of guns.

SHEER, PAROCHIAL GRUMPINESS makes me say that I wish Florida's second-biggest electric utility was owned and controlled in Florida; that its executives were not subject to being shipped off to North Carolina; that I do not believe our soon-to-be-ex-Florida chief can serve two states with all his heart even if his intentions are good, and that they oughta get a new guy for that baseball-stadium thing.

BRIGHT HOUSE first moved the democracy itself -- that is, the government-access channels -- off its lower tier and up into the digital tier where the public had to pay more to see it. Now goes WUSF-TV as well, because, you know, we can't have two public-television stations down there where people can actually see them. Fortunately, Girls Next Door is still readily available.

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY is studying whether to divide and sell off that publicly owned land known as Cone Ranch to private owners who would, in theory, promise to "preserve" it. Because, you know, already being owned by the government is not enough protection. (Actually, if this were a Pinellas County land preserve, that would be true; the County Commission would already have carved it up for utility lines.)

HERE IS A STORY Phyllis Busansky told me 20 years ago about getting the nerve to run for public office. One day in a checkout line she impulsively whirled around and accosted the stranger behind her, asking: "If I ran for the County Commission, would you vote for me?" The line fell silent. The man eyed Phyllis and finally said firmly, "No."

She was shattered but managed to ask: "Why not?"

"I'm from Montana," he said. So she ran after all. And I do not know anyone who is not glad that she did. There is a hole in the world now.

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