Developments affecting Mayor Kevin Johnson’s strong mayor initiative have been highly controversial and complex. Several entities have weighed in on the initiative, including the Sacramento City Council, the Sacramento County Superior Court and the Sacramento Charter Review Committee. Government officials, attorneys and citizens have interpreted the initiative in a variety of ways. Here’s a road map to make sense of some of the key events in the strong mayor debate: Johnson’s Day One Plan: Before taking office, Johnson promotes a strong mayor form of government in his “Day One” plan. An executive mayor system would mean that one leader would be accountable, Johnson says. “Explore a cha

The Sacramento City Council likes the idea of an ethics commission. Councilmembers decided Tuesday to examine possibilities for a future ethics committee. The proposal to research ideas for an ethics commission came from the city’s Charter Review Committee. Councilman Kevin McCarty said in a message after the meeting that he had suggested that the Charter Review Committee analyze ideas for an ethics commission. Councilwoman Sandy Sheedy spoke in favor of the idea, saying that an ethics committee would be a way to ensure “sunshine and bright light.” *** Underground tours in Old Sacramento are likely on the horizon. The City Council unanimously decided Tuesday to loan the Historic Old

The Sacramento Charter Review Committee decided Monday to adopt its draft recommendation that the city continue to use its council/manager system of government. This means that the 11-member committee’s final recommendation to the City Council will oppose a “strong mayor” form of government. The committee will deliver its final recommendations to the City Council on Nov. 3. An initiative to create a strong mayor system that would give the mayor many new powers will go before voters in June. Mayor Kevin Johnson backs the initiative, which was led by Sacramentans for Accountable Government. The committee also suggested that the city change its system for hiring the city manager. Currently

Twelve Sacramentans who attended Wednesday's Charter Review Committee town hall meeting at San Brannan Middle School did not come to debate the "strong mayor" initiative. They said they wanted to have their questions answered so they could better understand the proposed changes to Sacramento's mayoral authority. Committee member JoAnn Fuller led the meeting and presented an overview of the recommendations of the Charter Review Committee. Each attendee was provided a handout describing the eight tentative recommendations with illustrations that depicted Sacramento's current system of mayoral authority and how the system would change under the strong mayor initiative and under the recommend

Residents and members of a city committee discussed on Wednesday night issues relating to the “strong mayor” initiative, including a statistic which says that a Sacramento strong mayor would have the power to hire a total of 800 city employees. The city’s Charter Review Committee, which has tentatively recommended that the city maintain its existing City Council/city manager system, held the first of nine town hall meetings with 18 residents at the Natomas High School lunch room. The committee is accepting feedback from the public on its draft report. A separate strong mayor initiative -- which clashes with the charter committee’s draft recommendations -- will go before voters in June 201

A committee recommending that the city maintain its current City Council/city manager system is taking its ideas to the public in a series of town hall meetings. The Charter Review Committee’s draft recommendations object to the “strong mayor” system that is being proposed in a 2010 ballot initiative. The committee’s nine town hall meetings will be held at various locations from Sept. 23 to Oct. 15. Each meeting will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The locations are listed at the end of this story. While the committee has been receiving public input, members now are reaching tentative decisions that they want to explore with the community, said Bill Edgar, Charter Review Committee chairma

The two opposing camps on the "strong mayor" initiative are remaining consistent in their views as they react to the Sacramento Charter Review Committee's draft recommendations.  The panel recommended Wednesday that the city maintain its existing City Council/city manager system of government rather than adopt a "strong mayor" system.  The initiative would expand the mayor's job to include the responsibilities of the city manager. The strong mayor initiative will go before voters in June 2010. Sacramentans for Accountable Government, the group that created the strong mayor initiative, opposes the 11-member committee’s draft recommendations. "Not surprisingly, the do-nothing Charter Commi

The city’s Charter Review Committee has released its draft recommendations on the “strong mayor” issue. It suggests that the city maintain its current council/manager form of government. Read the committee’s draft recommendations here.  The committee’s draft recommends that the mayor should continue to serve as a voting member of the City Council. The mayor would not have the ability to veto the City Council’s decisions, according to the draft report. “The separation of an executive mayor tends to diminish the authority that is very clear in the City Council and the unified accountability in a parliamentary system (unified executive and legislative branches) is highly desirable,” the com