Short Fuse

Arroyo: Buff enough to push paper

Dismissed Boston firefighter Albert Arroyo suffers from a disabling credibility problem, and his attorney isn't helping to improve that condition. The muscular Arroyo, who worked as a fire inspector, continued to press for a disability pension this week despite evidence that he competed in a bodybuilding contest just six weeks after reporting he was permanently incapacitated in a fall. Now Arroyo's attorney, Neil Osborne, suggests that his client's workout regimen was simply a way for Arroyo to "try to get better." Arroyo's job was to ensure compliance with fire codes, not rush into burning buildings. The public's patience has long since run out for a bodybuilder who can't press a clipboard, which weighs about 11 ounces soaking wet.

State politics: Mutually assured reelection

Once again this election year, Massachusetts Republicans are unilaterally disarming when it comes to challenging Democratic dominance on Beacon Hill. This fall, the state GOP will leave 75 percent of the 40 state Senate seats uncontested, and 76 percent of House seats. But before we completely discount the hapless Republicans, check it: The mighty Democrats aren't doing much better at challenging Republican incumbents this year. Of the 21 Republicans seeking reelection to either House or Senate, Democrats are fielding only seven challengers, for an uncontested ratio of 66 percent. Seems like both parties have signed a nonaggression pact.

City Council: A nontransparent giveaway

Christmas came early and often in 2007 for several staffers of the Boston City Council who received bonus checks that lifted their salaries above the ranges set by city ordinance. Even if voters accept City Council President Maureen Feeney's argument that the bonuses reflect extra duties or superior job performance by workers who receive no overtime pay, the raises still reflect poorly on the council's methods. Pushing bonuses through docket orders and late-filed motions that are not transparent to the public gives new meaning to the term Secret Santa. The council regained some credibility earlier this month by adjusting the salary ranges to match job duties. The question now is whether the council will respect the new limits.