Talk about missing the forest for the trees, he thought to himself as the vampire responded to his accusation like it was fact and not an example. He didn't know Ben Samson from any other supernatural brick in the wall and he was the Mayor of the goddamn city. Was Samson really just expecting the Mayor to give up information without gaining from it somehow? It could have been a massive security breach that, if it fell into the wrong hands, would leave him not only jobless but have him facing a hefty prison sentence.
Elected officials couldn't just hand out citizen's private information without a significant amount of trust. As civil as Samson was attempting to be, there were some crucial details it was missing about holding a public office. Mainly, you don't shit where you eat.
Eddy's face remained a neutral expression, listening and waiting and nothing else. There was a second reference to 'cross-checking' that damn list. There was definitely something wrong with that. At first he considered handing the census over simply because it would help him unseat that little prick McCloud, but instantly reconsidered, weighing his knowledge against his options. He tucked the acknowledgement of the list away for future use. Blackmail, maybe? Perhaps he could subpoena that list on grounds of city welfare? He'd have to think on it.
"Look, Mr. Samson," Eddy said, tucking his hands into his pockets and rocking back onto his heels. "I've met with McCloud before. The kid's a flashy idiot with a position of power in a big city. He walked into my office like he ran the damn city, not me." At mention of the so-called 'Central District Leader', Edgar gave a nod in the general direction of the office door. "You're a much better politician in a much better position than he is right now; I heard about the West District and the trials and all that. And if that school of yours is doing as good as I've heard, then you have nothing to worry about." He smirked wryly at the vampire.
"Of course I'm interested in getting human representation on that council you're building. But you have to give me something to go on here." He looked hard at Ben, his words sounding like common sense in his ear. "A public statement about your platform for the safety of humans and supernaturals alike is not only going to go a far way with the voters, but it's telling me that you're the right guy to put trust in. It's a show of good faith that you are a man of your word. And in return, you'll get the city census and the unwavering support from the Mayor's office."