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Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Mayor wants council to discuss new strong mayor plan in early June
by Kathleen Haley, published on May 24, 2010 at 10:36 PM
Storyline: Sacramento City Hall / Politics
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A new "strong mayor" discussion at Sacramento City Hall may be just around the corner.
Mayor Kevin Johnson’s office wants to present the draft of a new strong mayor proposal to the City Council in early June, Johnson staffer Kunal Merchant said Monday night.
Johnson’s office is aiming for a City Council vote on the proposal in mid-July, Merchant said at a town hall meeting on the proposal.
The proposal’s backers hope to gain City Council approval in mid-July in order to place the plan on the November ballot.
A draft of the proposal has not been completed. At this point, the plan is an outline which can be read at the campaign’s new website.
In the proposal, the mayor would be the city's chief executive. He or she would propose the city budget, and appoint the city manager and department heads, according to the outline.
Both the new and old strong mayor proposals gave the mayor the power to appoint the city manager and propose the budget.
The new plan also says that Sacramento’s city clerk, city attorney, city treasurer, independent budget analyst and city auditor would be hired by the City Council. The proposed budget from the mayor would need to be approved by the City Council.
Under the old strong mayor proposal, the mayor would have hired the city clerk, city attorney and city treasurer.
The new proposal also includes plans for setting up an ethics program and term limits — these plans were not part of the first strong mayor initiative. Another new idea is a rule that the new form of government would end after six-to-10 years unless voters keep it in effect.
City Council members will be the first to receive the draft version of the proposal, Merchant told an audience member after the meeting.
Asked when the public will be able to read it, Merchant said: “There will be ample time for the public to review the draft details prior to council discussion.”
If the City Council moves the proposal onto the November ballot and voters approve it, the new form of government would take effect January 2011, according to Merchant.
Monday’s town hall forum was hosted by the Sacramento Police Officers Association, which backs plans for a strong mayor form of government. Ten people attended the forum. The forum's panelists were Merchant, SPOA’s Mark Tyndale, Jaymes Butler from Sacramento Area Firefighters Local 522 and Chris Tapio, who was a member of the now expired Charter Review Committee.
Butler said the Sacramento firefighters’ union has not yet decided whether to support the proposal.
Aaron Donato, a member of SPOA, asked the panelists if they thought there had been enough process to put it on the ballot.
“We’ve had 18 months of dialogue on this,” Merchant said, adding that the dialogue included petitions gathered by citizens for the previous proposal, the Charter Review Committee’s analysis and discussions at several City Council meetings.
In a 5-4 vote last August, the City Council decided to put the old strong mayor initiative on the June 2010 ballot. But the initiative was struck down in January by Sacramento County Superior Court.
Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.
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The unyielding gall of this mayor knows no bounds, yet again seeking authority he is unfit to manage at a time when so many other crises affect Sacramento.
There is no need for the SMI to be an effective mayor, and a recent Time Tested Books gathering attests to this fact, every single one of whom does not support Kevin Johnson's affected hubris and powergrab.
In fact, this mayor epitomizes greed and corruption and toxicity in government, and has demonstrated this with virtually every single action in office... Now we merely await yet another shoe to drop in the saga that is his past, with all its less than savory and potentially criminal acts.
He and his grubby handed greedy backers deserve a good swift boot -- not more authority.
The proposal still has not been drafted? Take effect Jan 2011? Stop the presses...
Having followed this ongoing discussion and revelations on Sacbee the last several weeks, a lot of troubling issues are coming out.
The Mayor stated in one article, prior to the Ray Trethway incicdent, that: "I think I have four strong (votes)," … "Our strategy has been if I get five votes and it gets on the ballot, I know we'll win the campaign." http://www.sacbee.com/2010/05/11/2742752/kevin-johnson-still-aiming-for.html?
It would appear that the soliciting of Trethway could have been for the fifth vote, of a non drafted proposal. Who would the other 3 be? Are they up for re-election or election to a State Assembly job?
The comments that follows that article include a most popular one that explains in detail how soliciting votes for a proposal by use of a serial meeting is a violation of the Brown Act.
Back in February, our Mayor, almost made another violation of the Brown Act, when he mistakenly indicated that he was going to bring his new SMI proposal to city council...without the 72 Hour notice...that got caught and corrected.
For those not familiar with the act here's how it starts:
“ The people, in delegating authority, do not give their public servants the right to decide what is good for the people to know and what is not good for them to know.” CA Government Code §54950
Serial Meetings occur:
Directors have either directly or indirectly heard each others opinion on a topic enough to collectively develop or begin to develop an agreement on an issue....sound familiar?
For far too many reason...to post here...there is one comment that really stuck with me and I endorse 100%...especially since no proposal has been drafted, Let's start the proposal with...
Quoting "youwantwhat"
"Any proposal deemed constitutional, successfully approved by the voters, would not go into effect until July 1st 2013, the beginning of the new fiscal year. This will ensure that the voters of this city will elect their Mayor in Nov. 2012...knowing fully the role that Mayor is to play and most importantly, allow for a systematic and orderly transition to any affected operations of the City."
Amen!
"The general who advances without coveting fame and retreats without fearing disgrace, whose only thought is to protect his country and do good service for his sovereign, is the jewel of the kingdom."
- Sun Tzu
Hallowed words for any leader!
You might want to check out KJ's Twitter page updated by none other than city paid $80K RE
http://twitter.com/KJ_MayorJohnson/co-workers
R.E. Graswich REGraswich Now Mayor Johnson addressing Metro Chamber Town Hall on exec mayor and charter reform. Says council will place on Nov ballot for voters. 5 minutes ago via web
How can a proposal, not drafted yet, have 5 votes? What about the Brown Act? Fabrication or???
So, really, we've had 18 months of dialogue, but so far zero time to see the latest version. Why won't they simply make the details public before the June election? Are they worried about what revealing the facts prematurely might do for the election (or re-election) chances of SMI supporters?
Excellent questions now getting an honest and transparent answer may be difficult. But I sincerely hope I'm proven wrong.
It would appear that the soliciting of Trethway could have been for the fifth vote, of a non drafted proposal. Who would the other 3 be? Are they up for re-election or election to a State Assembly job?
The comments that follows that article include a most popular one that explains in detail how soliciting votes for a proposal by use of a serial meeting is a violation of the Brown Act.
Back in February, our Mayor, almost made another violation of the Brown Act, when he mistakenly indicated that he was going to bring his new SMI proposal to city council...without the 72 Hour notice...that got caught and corrected.
For those not familiar with the act here's how it starts:
“ The people, in delegating authority, do not give their public servants the right to decide what is good for the people to know and what is not good for them to know.” CA Government Code §54950
Serial Meetings occur:
Directors have either directly or indirectly heard each others opinion on a topic enough to collectively develop or begin to develop an agreement on an issue....sound familiar?
The Council members were elected to a level of power which they work with. They did not immediately enter office demanding more power than the office they were elected to. In Johnson's case, he was not qualified for that position as it was. He didn't want to learn process or precedure -- he wanted to immediately change everything so he was the Boss Mayor.
His insistence at this point that he should have his way makes him look even more delusional, unqualified and full of himself.
See the difference?
And he is indeed delusional, qualified, and full of himself -- aka narcissistic...
Like a novelist writing a book without ever having read one....
the mayor's greenwashing and the presentation was cheesy and he tried to make it sound like he thought all this up himself. poking fun at lameness is not hatred. i agree, if it is more than greenwashing it is a good thing. if it's another dog and pony show, that's all it is.
Some right wingers are just so myopic that they refuse to acknowledge EVIDENCE of the corruption of one of their heroes, perhaps because they have sports in common, or being straight guys, or some other ephemeral linkage -- nonetheless, such people are simply incapable of rational considerations that would otherwise condemn any other similarly situated individual but for these common interests.
I believe this to be a form of mental retardation, an incapacity, a disability, which challenges its sufferers to a live of selfloathing and contempt for others who are more articulate, more informed, and just a little higher up on the food chain...
They conflate critical thinking with 'hatred' when confronted with complex issues that span the gamut from a to b, and are content to just lay asleep while the likes of our mayor run roughshod over issues like the fundamental democracy framed by our current city charter, and the struggle and complexities and wisdom that arose to build that charter...
Instead people like 'strychnine', aka '2112', aka 'regularjoe' issue no real reason for their fondness for our mayor and this SMI thingy, for they lack understanding of its implications to make a rational argument, but instead denigrate the messengers who do hold such understandings and penetrate this issue far more deeply than he can understand.
It's ok -- stupid people come and go, and for short times they attempt to sleepily join the pop crowd and its pop leaders and the fluff they bring forward, even when such fluff is harmful to fundamental principles of civilization, because their cultural saturation exists of MTV and ESPN and FOXnews, never doing the hard work of digging deeper into issues that will ultimately affect themselves.
This is the phenomenon of why stupid people vote against their own self interests, as Bill Maher has so often spoken of...
I'm sure such people find even this nominal discussion 'boring' and would rather play a video game or watch IDOL...
Unfortunately it's this type of discussion that cuts to the quick of their lives and the policies we all must advocate and endure, and you just can't get that from lazing around in hate kvetching about a more enlightened viewpoint expressed by another for the mere score of a put down....
apparently bbbbmer you haven't read anything i have ever posted. if you think i am a right winger you are surely mistaken. you can take those right wing numbskulls and dip them in the BP oil mess for all i care. and, shockingly, bbbbmer if you think i am enamored by KJ's basketball career, you really are blinded by your ideology. on numberous occasions i have said i am not a KJ supporter or hater. unlike you, i am trying to keep an open mind about the state of our local government and how it operates. and right now if you think KJ is the problem, then i have a newsflash for you. this mess isn't his. and, the position he holds is powerless to do anything about it. your publicly elected city council (all of whom have been in office for at least 6 years with the longest serving being 16 years). why don't you open up your liberal eyes and actually look around. the city council passes legislation moving the city in a direction and the city manager (who no longer is here....hmmm i wonder wny?) is the one who has the power to enforce the laws and legislation passed by the council. these are not functions of the mayor as the charter reads now. i suggest you read the city charter. and i am sick of people saying "well past mayors have worked within the system". if fargo had more powers when she was mayor, maybe she is still in office today.
lastly, bbbbmer, where is this evidence you speak of? you constantly use that word but never back it up. oh that's right, you are stuck on things that KJ has either settled with the accuser (which is all they are, unless you want to get into the entire Clinton argument again) or other accusations that have been unfounded and no charges were ever brought on. i am sure they taught "evidence" in your legal education days, or did you miss that day at clown college?
Once in office, the mayor moved quickly to consolidate his power, firing hundreds of opponents in the city’s bureaucracy, at all ranks from heads of departments and board members to rank-and-file civil servants. He filled the vacancies with patronage appointments from his own network of political supporters. Every city employee who depended on the mayor for a job was expected to pay a portion of his or her salary directly into the mayor’s political war-chest. These funds were kept in a famous locked “deduct box” to be used at the mayor’s discretion for political purposes.
However
Replace mayor (‘s) with governor (s’)
Replace city (‘s) with state (‘s)
And you have a glimpse of the real life and times of Huey Long as governor of Louisiana during the last great economic upheaval in this country as explained online by authors on Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huey_Long
The original , unconstitutional, BOSS MAYOR proposal created the foundation for this to happen, why should we expect anything less from the BOSS MAYOR-Lite proposal?
Strychnine, you appear to loath the public process as ordained by City and State Codes & The State Constitution
You might find life better for yourself in a more tropical region....say a Banana Republic run by Despots with Kangaroo Courts
History is a great teacher, ignoring it dooms one to repeating it!