Three of four Lemon Grove councilmembers voted tonight to place a sales tax increase on the November ballot, but that wasn’t enough as Mary England single-handedly owned the power of veto.

In a city that requires four votes to qualify such a measure, Councilman Jerry Selby’s vacation absence couldn’t have come at a more intriguing time, thus resulting in only three of his colleagues in support.

So, unless Selby can get back to town in time for a special meeting, including proper Brown Act advance notification (mind you), and a resulting four person affirmative vote before the 5 p.m. deadline on Friday, it appears Councilmember England solely owns all the cards in this city.