Straight from the OPP (Office of Perilous Predictions)

Predicting the exact outcome of city council votes is not something I've done up to date. Since party whips and agendas are not involved at the local level, one has to get into people's heads.

I have no qualms doing it, however, when someone else is doing the predicting.

I'll have more on this later at www.recorder.ca, but for now, here's how fearless council veteran Jeff Earle predicts his motion on rescinding the OPP costing will go:

Six councillors are backing the motion: Earle, David LeSueur, Jane Fullarton, Leigh Bursey, Mary Jean McFall and Mike Kalivas.

Three others, Tom Blanchard, Jason Baker and David Beatty, are undecided, in Earle's estimation, while Mayor David Henderson is clearly against rescinding the costing, as he stated in an opinion piece last week.

It will be interesting to see if this math proves accurate tomorrow night.

But if you think Earle's prediction has him winning the day and scrapping the costing, well... not quite.

Before any vote actually takes place on the OPP matter, city council must pass a motion to suspend its rules of procedure, then a motion for reconsideration, both of which require a two-thirds majority of those present.

So, if all ten council members are there, one of the undecideds will have to vote with Earle if there is even to be a debate.

We shall see..