Mayor Diagnosed with ADD

(Associal Press International)



Candidates are often loath to release medical records because of the potential unknowns hidden in their medical history. Mayor Luke Ravenstahl is a case in point. The very young Mayor would seem to have little to lose by disclosing his medical history, given his unusual young age, everyone expects that his health will be excellent. But in this political age of mastering low expectations, perhaps the Mayor's youth will work to his disadvantage by magnifying any flaw.

"It's a catch-22 for a young guy like Luke," said political-medical expert Dr. Yinzcant Belevedis. "Any blemish on his medical record will seem so much worse, because everyone expects him to be perfect."

So does the Mayor have anything to worry about. Apparently so, says Dr. Belevedis. "According to an account of his records that was reported to me by confidential sources, the Mayor has been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder." He went on to say that the Mayor does not appear to be taking any medication for his condition. Diagnosing patients, without every actually seeing has become a more common practice since it was introduced by Dr. Bill Frist.

It is not clear if the public will pay any attention, or if this will help or hurt his chances. One of the Mayor's frequent critics believes that A.D.D. may explain the Mayor's inability to fully think through his policy proposals and campaign promises. "The Pittsburgh Promise, for example, whatever happened to college for every Pittsburgh kid," barked the critic, " did he forget about, just lose interest, or did he realize that he couldn't deliver."

Other experts disagree that this is a problem for the Mayor. "It really puts him in sync with the public if he really does have it," said political consultant Max Bribeman. "People don't like to dwell on anything too long, so if the Mayor really does have A.D.D., this may just play in his favor."