ParkwayBoston.com reports the council's committee on public safety will hold a hearing to consider banning the devices in public places. Councilor John Tobin first proposed the idea after Boston Police shot a guy on the Common when he refused to drop what turned out to be a fake gun this past May.

The Globe (well, technically, a University of New Hampshire survey group hired by the Globe) is surveying Boston residents to try to discern who might put up a good fight against Tom Menino next year.

The list of potential challengers, as seen by Globe survey takers: City Councilor at Large Michael Flaherty, West Roxbury/JP City Councilor John Tobin, Suffolk County Sheriff Andrea Cabral, Suffolk County District Attorney Dan Conley, successful businessman and unsuccessful candidate Chris Gabrieli and, of course, 1-800 Joe 4 Oil Kennedy, who, by law, has to be included in every single poll taken in Suffolk County.

Among the basic questions are how satisfied residents are with everything from education and crime fighting to street cleanliness and the state of public transportation and taxi service in their neighborhoods (taxi service as a big issue next year?).

ParkwayBoston.com has the scoop: She'll be running for re-election this fall.

So John Tobin might want to start thinking about running for mayor in 2009.

On myDedham, Brian dishes that consiglieri for Boston city Councilor John Tobin and West Roxbury state Rep. Mike Rush had a little breakfast chat in Dedham Square on Saturday. Purpose: To discuss their guys' possible senate runs should incumbent Marian Walsh get named a judge (the district includes both West Roxbury and Dedham, along with some other neighborhoods and towns). The two have run against each other before - for the city-council seat Tobin now holds. No word if they came to any meeting of the minds or how they took their eggs.

Brian also handicaps other possible candidates for a seat the incumbent herself has yet to actually say she's vacating.

WBUR reported this morning that City Councilor John Tobin will ask Gov. Patrick to require the guy with the 500,000 lights to hire a police detail.

The station quoted Tobin as saying it would be just terrible if somebody were hit by a fast-moving car on the Jamaicaway/Arborway while stopped to gawk at the brighter-by-the-year Castle. Tobin said he asked Dominic Luberto to hire a detail, but that Luberto refused, saying he's already given the city its largest Christmas display. Because the road is a state parkway, it would be up to Patrick or State Police to force the issue.

City Councilor John Tobin, whose name has been bruited about as a one-day mayoral candidate, is proposing 12-year term limits for elected city officials:

... Term limits create a sense of urgency to move your agenda forward. Give elected leaders a deadline. When the time is up, they should step aside for someone new. Longer terms may also attract new candidates who are now disinterested in running for a two-year term. ...

Boston Mag's Joe Keohane gets City Councilor John Tobin to commit to looking at ways to shrink the city's pigeon population, following the news that pigeon poop might have helped cause the Minneapolis bridge collapse.

But it turns out that while Tobin dislikes pigeons, what really terrifies him are squirrels:

... I hope there's a contraceptive for squirrels too, something to, you know, cover their nuts. Squirrels scare the crap out of me.

Charles Swift jumps into the poet-laureate debate (i.e, should Boston have one) with both historical feet: For more than 100 years:

Boston had an official orator whose job was to commemorate notable occasions--first, the Boston Massacre until the end of the American Revolution and then, after the Revolution ended, to commemorate the Fourth of July. This role lasted until at least the early 20th Century. ...