Best unexpected performance by a city administrator

When Tea Party founders Chuck Bonniwell and Mike Dunafon wanted their man in Glendale, they brought in Veggo Larsen, a financial planner from Manhattan, to run the town -- and do their bidding. But it turned out that Larsen was his own man who ignored the Tea Party's agenda in favor of pushing for the people. As a result, Bonniwell and Dunafon tried to dump Larsen along with former Tea Party faithful who'd turned against them. But so far, good government is winning in Glendale, and when the Tea Party's latest recall efforts failed, Larsen sent a sympathy note to Bonniwell. "He dedicated so much of his life," says Larsen, "and toiled endlessly to destroy the reputations and lives of people who lived and worked in Glendale, and it's gone largely without rewards. Having been the close and dear friend I was for so many years, I just figured some acknowledgement was appropriate."