Tag Cloud
Friday, February 10, 2012
Mayor, councilmembers clash over charter committee
by Kathleen Haley, published on November 3, 2009 at 11:11 PM
Storyline: Sacramento City Hall / Politics
Loading images
Councilmembers clashed with Mayor Kevin Johnson over the usefulness of the Charter Review Committee’s work after the committee presented its final recommendations on city governance Tuesday. Johnson and Councilwoman Lauren Hammond questioned the value of the charter’s work, while Councilmembers Ray Tretheway, Kevin McCarty and Sandy Sheedy called for the 11-member committee to keep working past its deadline so that it can address additional issues.
The 11-member committee is advising the City Council to keep the city’s current council/manager form of government. The committee’s recommendations oppose the strong mayor form of government that would be established if voters approve an initiative in June.
The City Council listened to the committee’s presentation but did not take any actions. After Tuesday’s discussion, it remains unclear if the City Council will decide to try to create an initiative to place before voters.
The committee’s work is planned to sunset in late January, according to Supervising Deputy City Attorney Matt Ruyak.
The City Council had earlier moved up the committee’s deadline for its work on issues relating to the strong mayor issue.
Johnson said the committee’s recommendations offered no substantial policy change. Community members “don’t want to wait” for the committee to continue working on city governance issues. “This is an extension of business as usual from my perspective,” he said.
Hammond also criticized the committee’s recommendations. “It’s basically the status quo with a little tweak,” she said.
Committee chair William Edgar said the committee was willing to stand behind its recommendations even though it did not have enough time to examine further issues including outdated and obsolete provisions of the charter, or topics such at-large city council seats.
Sheedy said the committee should have more time. “I think this is half-done,” she said. “I think you need some more time.” Tretheway also said the committee’s work was incomplete. “It’s just like we opened the book and read the first sentence,” he said.
While the committee supports the current government system, it recommends making two changes. One recommended change would enable the mayor to appoint and fire the city manager. The mayor’s choice for city manager would need to be approved by a majority of the City Council, according to the committee’s recommendation.
The majority of councilmembers must approve the mayor’s decision to fire a city manager, the committee recommends. In addition, a City Council majority would have the power to fire a city manager, according to the committee.
The city manager is appointed by the City Council under the current structure. The City Council currently has the power to fire the city manager.
Another change recommended by the committee would empower the mayor to make policy recommendations for the city’s budget. The City Council would have the power to review the mayor’s policy recommendations, the committee’s recommendation states. Currently, the city manager delivers budget recommendations to the City Council. The committee recommends that the city manager continue to create the budget recommendations that go before the City Council.
Read the committee’s final report here.
By contrast, an initiative will placed before voters in June that would give the mayor much more power than the committee recommends.
Mayor Kevin Johnson and Sacramentans for Accountable Government organized the campaign to put the strong mayor initiative on the ballot.
While the Charter Review Committee made recommendations and Sacramentans for Accountable Government developed an initiative, Sacramento citizens will have the power to decide whether the city changes its government system. That’s because changes to Sacramento’s city charter must be placed before voters.
If Sacramento voters approve the initiative, the mayor would take over the city manager’s duties. He or she would gain many other new powers, including the ability to create the budget and hire hundreds of city staffers.
Photo by Anthony Bento.
Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.
Conversation Express your views,
debate, and be heard with those in your area closest
to the issue.
Leave a Comment
I recall a while back reading (I believe it was Susie Shields) comments on Johnson's hiring and firing practice with St Hope. It was concerning. Red flag-- I've read of Johnson's strategist- consultant- advisor-alleged volunteer Michelle Smira leaving her position to put focus in Strong Mayor Initiative - Red Flag, Our mayor appears to consistently hire volunteers (Maviglio and Smira) S-T-R-A-T-E-G-I-S-T (for goodness sake) AKA - PEOPLE SKILLFUL IN MANEUVERING/ SWAYING Public opinion and not necessarily for the good of the community but for the good of the person WHO HIRED THEM. -- Red flag--Johnson's practice of HIRING PEOPLE TO PEEL OFF LAYERS OF OPPOSITION should send red flags proving his inability to hire/ fire folks for the good of the community. He appears to hire to benefit -self- not the community. If he were manager of his own firm that would be acceptable. But for goodness sake he wants to be manager of the city with his questionable hiring/ firing practices.. For goodness sake he hired MAVIGLIO- campaign manager- special assistant- spokesperson-volunteer who he didn't know when to fire. Who appeared to attempt to skillfully sway public opinion and sometimes not so truthfully I might add.. For goodness sake he hired Graswich- quite frankly a heck of a good move--their went much talented opposition to some of Johnson's practices. He hires people to take away his opposition- red flag. THAT WOULD NOT BOTHER ME IF HE WERE MANAGER OF A NBA TEAM AND ASSIGNING AND RECRUITING BALL PLAYERS FOR THE NBA TO PLAY THE GAME OF BASKETBALL. BUT HE IS PLAYING WITH THE CITIZENS OF SACRAMENTO- MAKING POLITICS A SPORT FOR GOODNESS SAKE. I'd have no problem with that if he appeared trustworthy, competent AND COULD STAND ON HIS OWN WITHOUT STRATEGIST, ethical, and focused at all times on issues other than those than benefit him or sway public interest towards HIS strong mayor proposal.
Smira's POLITICAL Affairs Firm MMS STRATEGIES is hired by Nestle in efforts to st-r-a-t-e-g-iz-e to obtain city support for the bottling plant--RED FLAG The SMP receives $10,000 from OATES who owns a NESTLE Bottling plant. RED FLAG-- ANOTHER VOLUNTEER Gerber is given the paid position of arts liaison, her salary monopolozing the grant funding for a part time position. When city employees were loosing their jobs he's finding paid positions for volunteers. Smira's sister offered a city position... and some think he should be given the power to hire and fire folks??? For goodness sake. I have a provision for them to look at-- look at giving that power to the next mayor- (Ron West, you can save the "if you don't like Johnson think of it for the next mayor" crap -heck you too --his sibling-- raises a red flag) Johnson isn't looking at the city for the next mayor- this SMP is for THIS MAYOR.- and this mayor has too many red flags--WHAT THE HECK- surely we don't want a government filled with people who maneuver, strategize, manipulate, sway public opinion when unfortunately too many people have too much to concentrate on with jobs, loss of jobs, families... to have to give their undivided attention to the strategist and their skillful ability to maneuver around public concerns. We have too many roadblocks --layers of strategist-- DISTRACTIONS- already preventing our concerns from being heard and addressed!!! AND with all the s-t-r-a-t-i-g-i-s-t he is placing on his team WE WILL BE STUCK with him the next term. Heck if it's not difficult for them to maneuver this SMP in our laps-- without transparency--how the heck are we to be assured it won't be difficult for the strategist to see to it we're stuck with this mayor and all the power given to him on the next term? He isn't just building a SMP-- HE'S STRATEGICALLY BUILDING A TEAM TO CONTINUE TO MANUEVER AROUND THE COMMUNITY AND OUR CONCERNS-- RED FLAG!!! (I apologize I wrote so much but I could not help it)
One message Bill Edgar mentioned is that Sacramento is a city that seems to like bottom-up rule: neighborhoods communicate their wishes to council districts, the council districts to city government. That's real democracy--the voice of the people, at the neighborhood level, being heard by city government. Edgar mentioned that this form of government is inefficient, which it is--an autocratic government that does not bother listening to the will of the people can be far more efficient. But there are values greater than efficiency--like democracy, and openness, and community empowerment. The moves of Johnson and his supporters all seem to be in the direction of this sort of efficiency--an effort to skirt the rules, bypass the community and work for the interests of their financial supporters, not the voters who elected them or the people in the communities they serve.
As was demonstrated so plainly last night, and amplified so eloquently by former Mayor Anne Rudin, among others on the Committee itself, THERE IS NO NEED FOR THE SMI, whatsoever! The measure was planted by a group of nephariously acting private concerns who backed KJ and his run of corruption that has made a mockery of good governance since their arrival at City Hall, and further exacerbated by scandal after scandal all having KJ's paw prints all over them in this year of deception and fraud. SMI should be removed from the June 8 ballot and Johnson should be removed from office NOW!!!
And, in retrospect, developing a system of government in the late 18th century was a far simpler process than in the 21st century. One might also point out that the Constitution included some not-so-great ideas that might have called for further revision, including its tolerance of a certain "peculiar institution" in southern states. Leaving that in the Constitution resulted in some conflict for later generations.
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/13082362/Special-Report-Strong-Arm-for-the-Strong-Mayor
http://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/snog/blogs/post?oid=902048
(Looks like Arno gets $100,000 for the signature-gathering effort.)
http://www.sacbee.com/government/story/1837243.html
Here's a Wikipedia article about "California Counts," an effort by the Republican Party to change the way that California's electoral votes are applied to Presidential elections. Tom Hiltachk drafted the measure, and Arno Political Consulting did the signature-gathering. Some of their methods included telling people they were gathering signatures to support children with cancer, and handing out snacks to hungry homeless people in return for signatures.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Counts
Here's a link to the Sacramento County Taxpayer's Leagye, a conservative organization, that gave an award to Hiltachk. They also thank the efforts of signature-gathering firm Arno Political Consulting for their work on an anti-tax measure.
http://sactax.org/taxfax/index.asp?body=tf_may02
Here's a story about Arno Political Consulting from Columbus, Ohio: apparently their signature-gathering methods were so shoddy that ALL of their signatures were declared invalid.
http://glasscityjungle.com/wordpress/?p=3677
Looks like they have made a pretty bad impression in Oregon too:
http://hisvorpal.wordpress.com/2009/11/03/freedomworks-and-their-oregon-franchisees/
I want to thank everyone for the information shared and I wish everyone a good day.
Much respect to you all.
BTW, what kind of BS is it that when you go to his blog and comment, none of the comments appear...ever!
bbbmer: not only can they not handle the truth they appear to not want the people to see the truth- for goodness sake that has to be a red flag for people so people won't give power to a person who can't handle truth, afraid of truth, won't give the people truth.
That's correct: from the perspective of someone with no policy making experience or interest in the current process, who wants more power to do whatever he wants as unitary executive, this would look like (bumper sticker) "business as usual."
"Community members “don’t want to wait” for the committee to continue working on city governance issues."
That's incorrect. The power grabbers agenda forced a shortened time frame on the charter review process and the committee. Informed community members don't want the charter changed arbitrarily and haphazardly.
"Committee chair William Edgar said the committee was willing to stand behind its recommendations even though it did not have enough time to examine further issues including outdated and obsolete provisions of the charter, or topics such at-large city council seats."
This statement hints at the crucial matter of the 9th district/council seat that would be necessitated/created by the Strong Mayor Initiative. In the meantime -- with no clue how long that would be -- the mayor would serve as the 9th "at large" council member.............. with a vote as mayor, a vote as member "at large" AND the power of the veto.
This statement seems to indicate that crucial 9th district matter is being ignored and unresolved. The Strong Mayor Initiative lawyer and Johnson are offering no plan for how that will be addressed (they wrote the SMI without resolving this complicated jurisdictional matter). The Charter Review Committee is not being given time to "examine further issues," all of which will lead to lengthy disputes, disruption of public representation and lawsuits the city does not have the money for.
Given his way, Johnson will have control of budgeting those funding decisions too.
What's it called when "unprecedented power" is compounded by multiple votes and veto power for an indefinite period of time?
Also, worth mentioning:
"If Sacramento voters approve the initiative, the mayor would take over the city manager’s duties. He or she would gain many other new powers, including the ability to create the budget and hire hundreds of city staffers."
If the Strong Mayor Initiative is approved by voters, "he or she" would automatically be Kevin Johnson, effective 45 days after the votes are certified.
There are rumblings at the AG's office of a pending investigation of ARNO POLITICAL CONSULTING because of methods employed in this and other petition drives carried on throughout the State, in overwhelming part on behalf of Republican causes...
If this is indeed the case, THIS is getting ***good***....
One clue the petition drive was shady: at the kickoff event at the Grand in March, there was no info beyond a talking point sheet, no discussion of the SMI just Hiltchak and Johnson cheerleading the crowd, no free Kool Aid because the petition people had already had theirs.
The head of the petition company made a statement and was clearly all about the signatures, not the issues. He didn't mention how to engage the public or talk about SMI at all.
The only point of substantive discussion/information was after the event, the petition people had quickly left with their petitions, a group of 30-40 people waited to talk with Hilthsytk and the other presenter (Elvis had left the building).
And THANK YOU for the information on the investigation of ARNO Political consulting that is of extreme interest to me and I do hope to learn more of petitions they had a hand in getting to the voters, tactics... it can show the character of the mayor or spokesperson who sought them out to come into communities to gather signatures. If our mayor sends a snake or consistently hires, consults, seeks snakes to sliver their way and come into our garden (communities) then we need to see the red flags and vote no on the SMP. WHY on earth would people want to give power to SNAKES
I LAUGHED SO HARD- A MUCH NEEDED LAUGH-- THANK YOU
OTOH, if there's going to be a "red flag" campaign, please consider posting updates here or elsewhere so those of us who are following the issue can stay up to speed.
Next, a KJ aide gets a PR job with Nestle. Okay, back up the truck on that one. Conflict of interest.
Next, in the back-pocket of AKT. Red flag for me.
Next, I think KJ is doing all this for the Maloofs. If this passes, it simply will not matter what the majority opinion in this City is -- it will get built. Heck, it won't matter if it's 90% opposed to an arena.
KJ needs to run his school and his properties better. I'll be blunt, I do not like this man.
The part where posts just disappear at his "blog" is just. plain. bizarre. Even Ray Comfort allows comments on his blog, and those are run about 95%, "What? You are insane, Ray!".
NOW it's time for me to go. Thanks to you all for all the lessons learned..... (I know I write too much but that is because I am processing it all, to think through it all and do more than follow my intution. I wrote so much not to be heard but to learn......and I am serious when I say thank you to all of you. Blessings and respect
It is no coincidence that KJ, who proclaims that he's a 'Democrat', is intimately associated with the Bell, McAndrews law firm, which employs Tom Hiltchak, who authored the legally flawed SMI, and which firm has provided defense work for GOP electoral lapses and dirty tricks across the nation, and which firm is associated with Das Governor as well... It is also no coincidence that the local Democratic Party has NEVER endorsed KJ, and hopefully NEVER WILL...
Rhonda has mentioned many red flags. In fact, the red flags are so many it's easy to forget one or two. I think another red flag is the staff turnover at his schools. His management style caused massive turnover in staff and students. His management style has caused St. HOPE to be running in the red for most of its existence. His management style has promoted lying and spinning in order to appear as though his schools are something they absolutely are not. Also, the incestuous nature of Johnson's volunteers, employees, and supporters is cult-like and weird.
I just hope that Sacramentans can see that voting for a man wearing a suit constructed of red flags isn't very smart or safe. It's just plain naive.
In the words of Gandhi, "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you - THEN YOU WIN!" The community does have a voice in this-- heck i read the voices of the community everyday on this site and I am soooo glad to have heard the voices, passion of all of you!!!!.
I hope that those who oppose the SMI will get involved. KJ and his money/connections will able to fund a campaign that (more likely than not) be full of lies, mistruths, empty promises, and hot air.
How this guy has gotten away with so much for so long is a mystery.