City Battles Bedbugs with Board

The city is finally confronting its greatest menace: bedbugs. After hearings on the growing pestilence, the city council has called for a Bed Bug Advisory Board. Its sometimes poetic bill finds "that the Cimex lectularius population is ubiquitous and affects the quality of life of residents throughout the City," and stipulates a board of ten -- three members from the Mayor's office ("at least one such member shall be from the pest management industry"), two drafted by speaker Quinn from the council, and one apiece from five city agencies including sanitation and "the department of information technology and telecommunications" -- to find ways to get rid of them.

At first service on this board might seem a noisome duty for local pols, but as we have noticed, bedbugs are big: complaints are up 34 percent from last year. It's a national problem, too -- the EPA is holding a national bedbug summit in April. If one member could find a way to drive these pests out of New York, he or she may be hoisted into higher office by hordes of grateful citizens.