Spelling spats divide Boston City Council

The Boston Globe reports:

On Boston's genial City Council these days, there's rarely cause for friction, and members can hardly even find an issue they don't have some common ground on.


But here's one that is causing fireworks: the correct spelling of titles.

When addressing a member of the city's legislative body, is it Councilor Yoon? Or is it better as Councillor Flaherty?

Casual observers might be forgiven if they don't immediately notice the difference. But among council members -- and staff throughout City Hall -- the question of one L or two is very serious .

About half of the council's 13 members say the word should be spelled with two Ls, a British spelling that has been used in city documents for more than a century. Tradition dictates it, they say.

Some, like Council President Michael Flaherty and Councilor John Tobin, defend the position with some ferocity. Boston officialdom appears to support them, with most signs and placards in City Hall spelling it with two Ls, as does the city charter and the Oxford English Dictionary.

Who cares about the Big Dig project when you can argue about how many L's in a word.That's government for you.