City Council Member Jan Drago sure got splashy play in the mainstream press when she resigned her spot on one of the Mardi Gras task force panels. "Councilwoman quits Mardi Gras task force, citing closed talks," The Seattle Times blared while highlighting her quote: "From the beginning, I was not comfortable with the concept of closed meetings."

However, when asked point-blank by this reporter to clarify why she was resigning--did she actually object to the closed-door meetings and therefore reject the panel's legitimacy?--Drago was vague. She failed to condemn the task force, saying simply that she was resigning because she was "between a rock and a hard place" with the media and her colleagues. Huh?

So remember this: When Drago's out on the campaign trail later this year, don't let her tell you she took an ethical stand against the closed task forces. In fact, at her press conference, she introduced two members of the task force who vouched for its credibility. JOSH FEIT

Mayor Drago

Speaking of candidate Drago, the word among some of her colleagues is that rather than running to keep her council seat this fall, she's running for mayor. A pending mayoral bid would certainly explain why Drago called that press conference to resign from the Mardi Gras task force. (Council Members Richard Conlin, Nick Licata, and Judy Nicastro all resigned from their respective Mardi Gras panels without similar grandstanding.)

A Drago mayoral announce- ment would also explain the $5,000 that her campaign committee recently spent on a poll, presumably gauging Drago's popularity. NANCY DREW

Soft Taco

On Monday, April 23, Microsoft announced that it's teaming up with fast-food giant Taco Bell to help sell Microsoft's video game console the Xbox. Expect to see morphed Microsoft/ Taco Bell commercials and in-store promo kiosks. The partnership is part of Microsoft's ongoing $500 million ad campaign targeting hungry young stoners who like to play video games. PAT KEARNEY

Stolen Secrets

Two days ago, the FBI visited the Seattle Independent Media Center. The agents were looking for the activist who stole police security plans from the trade summit in Quebec City and posted them on the Internet. Here is the URL to the stolen plans: http://seattle.indymedia.org/display.
php3?article_id=2836&group=webcast PAT KEARNEY