HUTCHINSON -- It's hard not to follow the Wiley Building story without a little admiration for the hustling skills of Greg Payton and Ron Kelley.

These two men - active, committed, semi-important residents - have, after all, come up with an incredibly expensive idea no one likes and somehow - somehow - convinced city government to not only appoint a task force to study it, but also to consider scheduling public hearings that a disinterested, sleepy public will not attend.

Their proposal is this: our non-elected city leaders think expanding city hall is necessary, and they may be right about that. They'd like to add on to the present, reasonably attractive, single-story municipal building a block off Main Street on East Avenue B, at a cost of roughly $5 million.

Payton and Kelley, on the other hand, suggest it be relocated to an 8-floor walk-up in the center of downtown, in a century-old building on the verge of spontaneous combustion and owned by a man who has no intention of selling. And it will cost twice as much.

Our city manager says, "Uh, wait, boys ... I don't know about that ...."

Two city council members, Mayor Ron Sellers and Councilman Dave Razo say, flat out, "When pigs fly."

Two others, Bob Bush and Cindy Proett, say "Study all you want, but I'm still not voting for it."

Only councilmember Trish Rose was supportive, warm to both the idea of a task force and the possible relocation. "All they're asking for is time," she said, according to published reports, prematurely referring to "they" (Peyton and Kelley) as "the task force."

If all they want is "time' then I'm with her. Three days in jail or two locked inside the Wiley sounds about right.

Anyway, Rose was appointed as the third member of the "task force," a city employee will be told to join up and each council member will appoint one. In the end you can expect the number of members to reach the statutory minimum of 27 because, as we all know, anything smaller would be uncivilized.

The Hutch News waded in with its front-page editorial support and encouraged interested people to "contact their respective council members as soon as possible" and when the list is finally compiled, I promise: you'll know each and every name -- they'll be drawn from the same pool of suspects that gave you the tax-funded Salt Museum, the 20/20 Growth Coalition and the "artwork" on the Roundabout.

And they'll meet a couple of times a week to decide how best to get the council to discard the idea of spending $5 million on a reasonably fit, attractive building in favor of spending $10 million on one not only too ugly for its mother to love, but also about to crumble.

But wait ... there's more!

The Wiley Building is privately owned. And its stubborn out-of-state owner, George Nerhan, doesn't want to sell ... or, more accurately, doesn't want to sell at a price Payton and Kelley like.

No problem ... "We'll just take it," responds the "task force"

. "Eminent Domain!" they smugly cry. And, says The Hutch News, City Attorney Carolyn Patterson says, yes, it's probably legal.

Which, of course, affirms what I've always believed about businessmen like Payton: they will do whatever they have to do, including inviting government intrusion into their traditionally sacrosanct "free market" philosophy, and will willingly eat one of their own if they believe that some way, somehow, it will put a buck in their pocket.

There are no "ideals" here ... no grand plan for a roomier municipal building to better serve the public ... no hand-wringing concern for preservation of a landmark building or historical Hutchinson hotel.

All that's in play is a local businessman or two wanting to rid downtown of an eyesore, because they think it will bring them more business. And they want it paid for by public funds.

My own view is they and the city ought to leave Nerhan alone. It's his building. He bought it and he can sell it or not, keep it or not, lower his price or not. If Payton wants to address his own obsession with the Wiley Building, then he should sit down with Nerhan and write the man a check.

Otherwise Payton, Kelley and the city should leave him the hell alone. It's none of their business what he does with his privately owned property.

He bought it, he paid for it, it's his. It doesn't take a "task force" to understand that.

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