Tuesday, February 7, 2012

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Monday marked the kick-off of Mayor Johnson's unprecedented campaign to transition the mayorship from a weak mayor to a strong mayor. The campaign needs over 32,000 petition signatures by Jan. 16 to make the change.

Sacramento has previously operated under a "weak mayor" type of city government. The city council operates as the executive body as well as the legislative and the city manager - an unelected official - acts as the city's Chief Executive Officer. The mayor serves only ceremonial duties.

A "strong mayor" type of government gives the mayor a wider range of political independence and authority. The city council functions solely as a legislative body while the mayor retains his executive powers and functions as the city's Chief Executive Officer.

So what does Mayor Johnson hope to gain with this transition? In a word: accountability.

Since Sacramento still has a weak mayor system in place, the Chief Executive Officer is the unelected city manager.

"[Ray Kerridge is] the Chief Executive Officer of the city and he's not an elected member. And as a result you have council members and a mayor who are actually elected but aren't accountable for the day-to-day operations of the city," Mayor Johnson said on Monday in an interview on NPR's "Insights" with Jeffrey Callison. "If a mayor is the Chief Executive of the city then a voter's vote is able to hold that mayor accountable."

What do you think about Mayor Johnson's campaign for a strong mayorship? Do you agree that it will provide more accountability? What do think are the upsides or downsides to a strong mayor? Do you think a strong mayorship has a better structure than a weak mayorship?

This is what SacBee and KCRA also have to say about the campaign.

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Conversation Express your views, debate, and be heard with those in your area closest to the issue.

Ben Ilfeld

January 6, 2009 | 4:44 PM

Do you have a link to the text of the actual proposal?

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Kevin Johnson

January 7, 2009 | 12:59 AM

http://www.reformsacramento.com/pdf/Sac_Init_CharterAmendment_WEB.pdf

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Sarah Payne

January 6, 2009 | 5:13 PM

I have yet to find a text document of the actual proposal. But, the Sacramentans for Accountability website (http://www.reformsacramento.com) has a lot of great information, including an initiative summary and a downloadable copy of the petition.

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Kevin Johnson

January 7, 2009 | 12:59 AM

http://www.reformsacramento.com/pdf/Sac_Init_CharterAmendment_WEB.pdf

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William Burg

January 6, 2009 | 6:19 PM

I'd really, really like to see the actual proposal. I'd also like to know who wrote it.

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Kevin Johnson

January 7, 2009 | 12:57 AM

It was drafted by my transition team. They looked at best practices from more than 15 cities across the U.S. The independent budget analyst component is similar to that of San Diego's.

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Geoff Foley

January 6, 2009 | 8:20 PM

Being able to read the actual proposal would be nice. On the surface I would side with a "strong" mayor. The idea of an unelected executive officer, not accountable to the people, doesn't appeal to me.

I think it will provide greater accountability for the actions of the Mayor's administration. I also think that a Mayor that has a stronger position than merely ceremonial would have a stronger sense of responsibility and duty to the city.

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Kevin Johnson

January 7, 2009 | 12:56 AM

You can find the initiative summary on the www.reformsacramento.com website. I understand there will be additional information up on that website in a few days. In the interim, you can visit the cityofsacramento.org and find additional information there.

Appreciate the positive comments here, and the continuing dialogue on this proposal to modernize city government. We haven't had charter reform since the 1920s, and it's time Sacramento modernize its government so that it is accountable and nimble.

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William Burg

edited on January 7, 2009 | 8:58 AM

I am very interested in who actually wrote this initiative and the proposed modifications to the charter. Can you provide any insight for the curious?

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David Watts Barton

January 7, 2009 | 9:08 AM

Not to get too nit-picky about this, but Jeffrey Callison's show is actually called Insight, singular. And thank you Mr. Mayor, for posting the link to the proposal - twice! I am interested in who wrote the initiative, too, but I'd like to see the actual initiative itself discussed.

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William Burg

January 7, 2009 | 9:41 AM

David: It's not a link to the proposal, but a link to the campaign website, with a brief question-and-answer document but nothing documenting the actual changes. The text to the proposal, meaning the specific changes, has not yet been provided. There's nothing on the City of Sacramento homepage about the changes, and a search for "charter" is not very helpful--is there a direct link on the city website to these proposed changes?

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Kevin Johnson

January 7, 2009 | 10:32 PM

I provided the link to the text above. The language is on the petition, which can be downloaded from the website

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Raoul Kleven

January 7, 2009 | 2:19 PM

In theory, I'm very in favor of increasing the accountability of city officials, but I'm also a little wary about overly centralizing authority in one person. I'd like to see specifics on the changes, as well.

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Sarah Payne

edited on January 7, 2009 | 5:37 PM

Technically there already is a centralized authority in one person - the city manager. Kevin Johnson's proposal is to transition that existing authority from the unelected city manager to the elected mayor. The city council will lose some executive powers (like having primary control over the budget) but will still retain all legislative powers and approval/disproval rights.

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Kevin Johnson

January 7, 2009 | 10:33 PM

Sarah is correct. It works just like the President/Congress, Governor/State Legislature. It's an executive/legislative system. The City Council actually will GAIN power.

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William Burg

January 8, 2009 | 9:50 AM

So who plays the role of the Supreme Court?

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Ryan Sharpe

edited on January 9, 2009 | 9:39 PM

The proposal seems nice overall, but man does it smell bad to have a city charter amendment drafted by a personal coterie and pushed without public input after only a month in office, especially since it will take effect pretty much immediately. Even state and federal legislators give themselves raises that take effect after they're re-elected to avoid getting called out for shenanigans.

I don't think I can in good conscience support it as is. Give me the opportunity to vote for a strong mayor charter amendment and then for that first strong mayor, and you've got a deal. Give me the opportunity to vote for something that looks and smells like a power grab, noble though it is, and I'll walk away.

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Jerry Montoya

January 12, 2009 | 2:36 PM

If Mr. Johnson wanted to be the City Manager, why didn't he apply for that position?

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Sarah Payne

edited on January 12, 2009 | 6:02 PM

My guess is that he ran for mayor for purposes of accountability. If Kevin Johnson was the city manager, he could do everything that he wants to do as a strong mayor, but without accountability. As an appointed rather than elected official, he wouldn't have to answer to the public for his decisions.

Personally, I like the strong mayor initiative. Although some of the campaign tactics may be a little questionable (http://www.sacramentopress.com/headline/2200/Strong_Mayor_Weak_Ethics), I would still rather the major decisions be made by someone who is directly accountable to the public than by someone who doesn't feel the pressure to answer to the public's demands.

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Jerry Montoya

February 8, 2009 | 12:36 AM

I got busy with work. Where is this issue now? And to reply to the previous, we elect the City Council who hires the City Manager. The City Manager is still accountable.

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