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Friday, February 10, 2012
Metro Chamber endorses strong mayor initiative
by Suzanne Hurt, published on December 10, 2009 at 7:30 PM
Storyline: Sacramento City Politics
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The Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce on Thursday endorsed the strong mayor initiative going before primary election voters next summer.
Following study by a task force, the business association voiced support for an executive mayor with more power than the current city charter allows.
The initiative's passage would change the form of city government that was established in 1921, according to the chamber.
"The city of Sacramento deserves a government structure that is effective and accountable," said Matt Mahood, president and chief executive officer of the chamber, in a press conference at chamber headquarters.
The press conference was held about a week after several local union leaders threw their support behind a lawsuit against the strong mayor initiative.
The initiative was put on the June 8 primary election ballot by Mayor Kevin Johnson and a group called Sacramentans for Accountable Government. The initiative calls for city charter changes allowing the mayor to assume city manager duties such as creating the budget and hiring hundreds of city employees, including department directors.
Most city councilmembers have expressed opposition to the ballot measure.
On the other hand, a City Charter Review Committee recommended keeping the current city council/city manager form of government, with some changes.
Currently, only the council can hire or fire the city manager. The committee recommended the mayor have the power to appoint and fire the city manager, but only with the council's approval. The council would retain its power to fire the manager with a majority vote.
The committee also recommended empowering the mayor to make policy recommendations for the city budget, which would continue to be created by the city manager.
Business association members believe Sacramento has outgrown the current system. A majority of large U.S. cities — 31 of the largest 50 — have executive mayors, said Linda Cutler, chairwoman of the chamber board.
"The Metro Chamber's endorsement is based on the belief that the time is now for changing the way Sacramento is governed and managed," she said.
Chamber members fear the City Council is "unfriendly" to business, especially after a temporary stop-work order was placed on a water-bottling plant being built in Councilmember Kevin McCarty's South Sacramento district, chamber CEO Mahood said.
Work was halted while city officials and staff members investigated how the work began without a formal building permit. The city building division program involved in approval for the plant — known as the Facilities Permit Program — has been suspended pending city investigation.
The business association is concerned that issues "get caught up in the political process" and don't get resolved because the city manager must report to nine city councilmembers, including the mayor. Those members "have very divergent interests," Mahood said.
Johnson thanked the chamber for its support of the measure at the press conference.
"This was an opportunity for the Metro Chamber to do what you do best: Lead by example," he said.
The current city council/city manager form of government is the most widely used in this country, said Matt Kelly, co-founder of SAVE Sacramento — Sacramentans for Accountability, Voice and Ethics in Sacramento — which supports the lawsuit filed Dec. 1. Members of the group include workers, and union and business leaders.
"What we believe is the strong mayor initiative, as it is written, is nothing more than a power grab that puts all the power in the hands of the mayor, without any accountability or checks and balances," Kelly said in a telephone interview Thursday. "To change the structure of government in Sacramento, I think you would need to demonstrate that something is wrong with that government.
"We don't think there's anything wrong that some good leadership would not remedy," he said.
Photo provided by the Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce. Suzanne Hurt is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.
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Within the City-From the Registrar's results
Q Yes Vote 31,523 30% R Yes Vote 22,789 22%
Q No Votes 72,955 70% R No Votes 81,175 78%
From Source Watch
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Bell,_McAndrews_%26_Hiltachk,_LLP
Under Other Clients for BM&H
"Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, sponsor of the "Yes on Q & R" campaign"
It's no surprise that such a conservative organization would support this measure -- they represent many of those seeking backroom largesse from a scion of corruption as the current incumbent...
Let's hope either injunctive relief is granted via the SAVE Sacramento lawsuit or the city council acts to remove this legally and constitutionally challenged measure from the ballot... Now THAT would be the right thing to do!
If the Mayor wants to change business as usual, he needs to work with everyone in the city, build inclusive and democratic coalitions and he would be shocked how much he'll be able to get done under the current system of government. Joe Serna did not need to change the City's Charter to be a Strong Mayor.
It's leadership that makes a Mayor strong, not the city's charter.
The SMI was a scheme to address a 'problem' that doesn't really exist. Its advocates tout remedies to nebulous issues, such as "we need to grow our government as our city grows" or words to that effect. But they quantify NOTHING in their effort.
Even if the SMI finally and ultimately reaches the ballot, which I frankly do not believe it will, it should be remembered that those supporting the measure offer NOTHING in the way of benefit to the city and its residents... They found their candidate in KJ, who is as empty-suited as the SMI itself... They belong together...