Since the end of part 1, Danny has read The Mayor’s document. The transcript continues:
Danny: Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay. We can…we can fix this, we can fix this. Mayor, did you talk to anyone before deciding to do this?
Mayor: Dude, I don’t know why everyone’s getting all insane in the membrane. I saw the problem, I saw the solution to the problem, boom! goes the dynamite, and I save the people in Bradford mucho dinero — muy mucho dinero.
Danny: Okay, fine, so you saved us some money, but don’t you think that some people in…no, most people in town would rather spend a little extra money and keep…
[J.L. and I walk in.]
J.L.: Okay, all right, I think that we’ve calmed down a little bit, so, if we could, we’d just like a little time here to state our very reasonable…
Me: HOW DARE YOU! HOW CAN YOU EVEN YOU TRY TO…HOW DARE YOU, YOU HALF-BRAINED, EMBRIOTIC EXCUSE FOR A…
[J.L. pushes me out the door.]
J.L.: Okay, okay. Okay. Now, first off — and let’s just try to ignore the feelings that we’re having right now — there is no way you have the right as the mayor, without Danny’s permission as the school board president, without the school board’s permission in total, to close down Bradford School.
Mayor: Yes I do.
Danny: Yes he does.
J.L.: Ah. Okay. Scratch that. Um, so, uh, second off, you can’t just leave the kids at this school without fulfilling our public duty to give them an education. I am absolutely positive that there are laws — Federal laws, state laws, Interglobal laws, I don’t know what kind of laws, but some laws — that say that we are required to offer public school education to all minors starting at the age of 5, and if we close down our school…
Mayor: Tri-County Elementary and Tri-County Junior-Senior High have agreed to take Bradford’s students.
J.L: For free?
Mayor: No, dude, not for free. But their school tax rate is a third less than what ours is, and with all the repairs we need for Bradford School, our rate is gonna have to go up, up, up. And Tri-County’s a financially solventish district, so we should be set on the long road to kickin’ back and watching less of our money flying away. And after we sell the Bradford School building, we’ll…
J.L.: Sell it?!?
Mayor: Dude, what do you think, we’re going to keep it around as a museum for all you teachers and former students to go, “Wow, how awesome is this empty building.” No. Anyway, what do you care? You and Miss Will will have jobs with Tri-County.
J.L.: What do I care?!? What do I care?!? What do I care?!?
Mayor: I believe that was the question, yes.
[J.L. lunges at the Mayor, while Danny holds J.L. back.]
Danny: Look, look, we…have you mentioned this to anyone in the town yet? Anyone? Even Rand and Thomas?
[The Mayor shakes his head no.]
Danny: Do you have any idea how angry people in the town are going to get about this idea? Any idea? Can you…I mean, if this town had a rail, they’d ride you out on it. You saw what Miss Williams’ reaction was, and she’s only been here six years. Think of the people who have gone to Bradford School, and then they saw their kids go to that school, and now they’re just waiting to see their kids’ kids go to the same school they went to fifty years earlier.
Mayor: Dude, this is not a town of Richie Riches…
Danny: I realize that.
Mayor: …and I know they’ll be much happier pulling out much less from their wallet then spending more and keeping a school nearby.
[There's a long pause.]
Danny: You’re sure about this, that getting rid of the school and saving money is what the townspeople want.
Mayor: Yes.
Danny: You’re positive.
Mayor: Yes.
Danny: Okay. How about this: We call a town meeting next week, and if the townspeople like your proposal, fine, we take it, we join Tri-County, we sell the school.
J.L.: Danny!
Danny: Hey, hey. It’s okay. Let me finish. But if they don’t agree with you, if they hate the idea of selling the school, if you start hearing guns being cocked, you throw away this idiotic idea and never speak of it again. Capeesh?
[The Mayor points and winks at Danny a la Herb Tarlek. He walks out the door, whereby I, while yelling, jump on his back and try to wrestle him to the ground.]
