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Lawmakers arrived at work on Monday promising to investigate patient neglect at the state veterans home — and to do so by putting politics aside.

Pressed by Notebook on whether a legislative committee he wanted to create would be bipartisan, Speaker of the House Jim Weiers responded: "Everything we do here is bipartisan."

Needless to say, Notebook tried its best to keep a straight face. When the members were announced, Democrats were included in the list, but is a committee with two Republican co-chairs really bipartisan?

How about when one of those co-chairs gets things started right off the bat with a comment like: "It is inconceivable that the governor of Arizona and U.S. Rep. Harry Mitchell, who served on the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, could overlook such shameful conditions of veterans entrusted in their care."

Credit goes to Sen. Jack Harper, a Surprise Republican, who doesn't generate visions of working across party lines.

Mitchell had recently announced a visit to the VA Medical Center in Phoenix. The care home, on the same campus, is actually managed by the state, not the feds.

The comment didn't go over well, even with some Republicans, who saw it as tacky.

Tip to GOP lawmakers: If you plan to announce a bipartisan committee, check your press releases for signs of partisanship.

The only Democrat brave enough to float his name as a potential rival to Republican Mayor Bob Walkup has launched a Web site — danielpatterson.net — as part of his exploratory campaign.

Daniel Patterson, an ecologist, neighborhood leader and city planning commissioner, said he plans to make a decision by mid-April. "Walkup is not a bad guy, but maybe two terms is enough," Patterson said. "It's healthy every so often for a system to have some new leadership."

He said a big question is whether he can get the party rallied behind him.

But with no other apparent candidates, Patterson just might be the dark horse Dems need.

Although the mayors race is, at this point, still a bore, one city race is shaping up to be saucy. The Ward 2 council contest has two candidates, each with pretty strong personalities.

In fact, Notebook was chatting with Republican candidate Lori Oien, and she dropped an interesting reason she finds herself a better potential councilperson than Democrat Rodney Glassman: She has a swamp cooler at home and figures Glassman has A/C. "You think Rodney can relate to the humidity?" she said.

Say again? This has to do with politics, how?

Oien is trying to play on the notion that Glassman is a "fox in sheep's clothing" and can't relate to middle-class Tucsonans.

Glassman confirmed he has central air conditioning (like a whole lot of people these days).

"I have A/C, and the dialogue I'm going to be having in this campaign is one of listening to business people, social service advocates and neighborhood leaders," he said.

Of course, Oien said she plans on doing the same thing.