Catching the steward's eye and motioning for additional wine for his guests, Gallus thought for a moment about the traditional role of the Aedile as master of public works. "A wealthy Aedile with some reasonable motivation could produce some tangible material progress for the city, but one only bent on putting on spectacular games entertains the people for a few hours, but in the end nothing has changed."

Turning to his fellow Tribunes, he asked "But does it have to be that way? Should there be some law or constitutional construct which lays out the specifics of his duties, and goes so far as to provide a budget of public monies...not for public spectacles, but for tangible and lasting public improvements? Vipsanius Agrippa, were you thinking along those lines? Or something more like a one-time grant of public monies accompanied with orders to go about the specific task of improving the worst streets? The former approach is more profound, but the latter approach could produce some quick results for you. It might annoy the Aedile to publicly tell him to do his job, but it could be fun to watch!"

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Again, for those concerned about the timelines: Nobody's missing the race! This conversational string took place the night before...