I have this vague hope that maybe the 'top comment' position is also based on number of replies, not necessarily upvotes, but then... the discussion itself is pretty sobering. The current program cost relative pennies, proved to be effective at both helping people and freeing up police workers to focus on crime/traffic-related issues. More effective use of city tax $$$$ through targeted spending of $. Seems like a win win win. Anyway, I agree with this particular branch of the discussion-tree.
The FAQ doesn't have a specific entry about comment rankings, but I'd guess it's based off a similar system as the Stories rankings:
"How are stories ranked?
The basic algorithm divides points by a power of the time since a story was submitted. Comments in threads are ranked the same way.
Other factors affecting rank include user flags, anti-abuse software, software which demotes overheated discussions, account or site weighting, and moderator action."
