r r onlack of leadership on the waterfront development issue. Earlier this year, he publicly spoke out against council's handling of the firing of economic and business development director Fred Bemis. Soden's remarks brought Aid. Wally Dever into the verbal fray. He said he didn't "know where Soden has been for the last year because I've had excess time to think about the building." Dever then said he's "getting a little tired" with the way Soden "constantly attacks the mayor " "It's not only the mayor who makes decisions here...but everytime something happens, he (Soden) seems to point a finger at the mayor. Council makes the decisions. If you don't agree, attack all of us." Dever wasn't finished "It's time you quit trying to grab front-page headlines and appeasing some people...and started to think of what's best for this council." Soden retorted he wasn't surprised Dever was worried about him "picking on the mayor." "It seems people are too sensitive to the fact the mayor is in a political position...he should be able to defend himself." And then he chided Dever for his remarks at a recent public meeting when as chairman, Dever told people that he didn't want to hear renetiUw r-·..-< "::, ! presentations so as to end the meeting on time. "That is a person," said Soden, "who doesn't have a grasp of the whole picture." In the end, however, only Soden and Aid. Jean Smith voted against calling for demolition tenders. Smith had questioned the wisdom of immediately demolishing the building. Other alderman, by contrast, indicated the building's poor structural condition and the fact it apparently has a negative impact on the property's value are two good reasons why it efcnuUI^