• Several City Council members are under investigation by the FBI for allegedly taking bribes
• The mayor is under indictment for perjury
• The school district is about $400 million in the hole
• Sales for the Big Three automakers for the first six months of the year were the lowest in about a decade

Oy! At least the Tigers are playing better.

Sure, Wichita has some issues. But I think we probably do more things right than wrong. Sometimes it takes a little reminding to remember that.

Earlier, he  told the editorial board that it would take “an absolute nutcase” to think Boeing’s tanker bid was better than the one offered by Northrop Grumman/EADS. Apparently Gov. Riley has already met members  of our Congressional delegation.

Most of the complaints from the Gulf Coast, where Airbus plans to build the new tanker,  concern the delays that will be caused by Boeing’s protest. There also are complaints that politics are playing a role in the bidding process. Let’s see: Potential $100 billion contract being debated in Washington, D.C. with tens of thousands of jobs attached. And there are politics involved? I’m shocked, I tell you. Shocked.

Kansas and Washington lawmakers were doing the squealing when Boeing originally lost the contract. Now it’s Alabama’s turn. Just remember that this thing is a long way from over.

Today’s decision means there may not be a KC-45. And if there is, it probably won’t fly anytime soon. If the Air Force does what the GAO suggests, reopen the bidding, it will be some time before any new tankers are flying. That’s unfortunate because the losers are the men and women who have to fly and service the ancient tankers the Air Force currently uses.

Before Boeing gets too giddy about today’s decision, remember that none of this would have happened if Boeing hadn’t screwed up the initial tanker deal in 2003.

According to the e-mail, the GAO will only say whether it sustained, denied or dismissed the protest. It will post the decision on its site. It will not release a copy of its decision publicly, but will release it to the attorneys for both sides. It is up to them to release a redacted version to the public. No word on how long that might take.

If Boeing’s protest of the contract, which was awarded to Northrop Grumman/EADS, is denied, expect Congress to take steps to void the contract. The GAO decision will only be Act II.

Northrop officials still maintain that their tanker is better, and that cost is only one of several criteria. That may be true, but you know the Boeing folks are looking for anything to show that the Air Force did a poor job in evaluating the competing bids.

All this comes about a week before the GAO’s deadline to rule on Boeing’s protest over the contract. The next few days will be very interesting.

Plus he’s  not George Kolb. Many, many people in the business community felt Kolb was an obstacle to business growth and to development (one developer had an epic rant about Kolb and little trees a few years  ago during an interview at The Eagle.) Kolb, of course, had the misfortune of following Chris Cherches, who had a legacy of getting projects  done during his 18-year tenure. My guess is Salerno is built more  in the Cherches mold, though I don’t think he will last 18 years.

His letter underscores the problem that occurs whenever the city gets into the corporate aid business: The playing field is no longer level. That’s part of what brought objections from Bill Warren when the City Council was interested in spending millions of dollars on an entertainment venue in Cowtown (Warren later dropped his objections and the city later delayed its plans for a theater).

The city has a legitimate interest in seeing the Broadview succeed. It needs another convention-quality hotel for downtown. But at what point does its interest unfairly unburden other businesses?

That slight glitch aside, it was a nice event with a good turnout (including Pizza Hut founder Frank Carney, who was there to support Terry Newman of Papa John’s, one of the nominees.) The keynote speaker, Jeff Manning of the Got Milk? campaign, was interesting and entertaining. I didn’t know that Oreo — the consummate milk partner — actually embossed its cookies with the “Got Milk?” logo.

Eagle reporter Brent Wistrom’s piece in Sunday’s Eagle on Salerno elicited both praise and criticism from folks who worked with Salerno in Sunrise, Fla. That’s not unexpected for any public official who has served in the same capacity for 18 years. The one shining highlight on Salerno’s resume is the BankAtlantic Center, the home of the NHL’s Florida Panthers. The arena has sparked tremendous growth in the area.

I’m guessing that Wichita officials would like the same thing to happen around Intrust Bank Arena. Right now, no one is really steering that ship, and the arena opens in about 18 months. Is a vibrant arena neighborhood worth the price of bringing in Salerno and some of his baggage? We’ll find out.

Forgeard  is big-name guy in Europe. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2004 and served as industrial adviser to the French prime minister for more  than a decade.