Not because I was a fan of Herenton. Don’t get it twisted. I’ve spanked him in at least 15 columns. I shook my head when he fathered a child with a security guard. I shuddered when I saw him, shirtless, in a charity boxing match with Joe Frazier.

I sighed when he declared himself appointed by God, not the voters. I rolled my eyes when he got all street with the City Council and told them, "Don’t bring me no mess, won’t be no mess."

And I was nauseous when, in his October victory speech, he rejected an opportunity to be conciliatory and instead used his time at the mic as an opportunity to further divide the city along racial lines.

He has buried any civic achievements he could take credit for under a pile of trifling mess. His combative attitude, his condescension toward anyone who dared criticize him, his appointments of cronies to high-paying jobs, all while property taxes rose and city services shrank and citizens fled for anywhere outside the city limits.

But with his resignation, the chance — albeit an off-chance, the remotest of possibilities — of Herenton ending his tenure with honor and on a high note is gone.

OK, so maybe that wasn’t a realistic dream — that Herenton would suddenly stop acting foolish. But a girl can hope. Now, even that dim hope has been dashed.

She declares that she cannot take part in any celebrations of schadenfraude. I, on the other hand, see no reason not to.

King Willie’s resignation cannot be a bad thing. If Wendi loves her city, then she should welcome this opportunity to instill a real leader to help us recover from more than sixteen years of Willie’s ruinous rule.