Katy Grimes is a longtime political activist, writer and columnist who lives in Sacramento.
Mayor Kevin Johnson should not give up on his campaign to enhance the powers of Sacramento’s mayor. Sacramento is ready for a strong, accountable mayor who wields more strength and responsibility than that of a council member.
Why else should a city have a mayor?
It is understandable why Johnson sidestepped the City Council and went straight to the ballot originally. It was well known that a majority of the council opposed changing the status quo.
While I was critical of Johnson’s original strong mayor plan (Viewpoints, Sept. 25, 2009) and many city residents were surprised by the swiftness with which Johnson sought his ballot initiative, he had made no secret of his plans to enhance the mayor’s power during his campaign for office.
Earlier this month, the 3rd District Court of Appeal blocked Johnson from placing his initiative on the ballot. The court sided with labor leader Bill Camp, who claimed the mayor’s proposal was a charter revision that could be placed before voters only by an elected body or a charter revision committee.
Smartly, Johnson and team have rebounded and modified their initiative, with a more common-sense approach to governing – described as a “collaborative executive mayor reform package.” Initially, the mayor hoped to place his proposal on the June ballot.
This week, he backed off and is now aiming for November.
City residents can only hope that City Council members understand political expedience, and back Johnson’s modified initiative. Several City Council members have openly discussed making the council positions full time instead, commensurate with full-time pay. Given the mood of the taxpaying voters, they should rethink that notion; most city residents are not interested in further expanding our dysfunctional City Council or doubling council salaries.
The lawsuit and resulting ruling by a single judge in this case is extremely frustrating. This is where “the system” goes sideways when one person can file a lawsuit and bring the matter before one judge. Camp, representing union and labor special interests, took the initiative out of the hands of the voters by going directly to court.
Johnson has created something bigger than just this initiative. People all over Sacramento are talking about how our city operates. City residents are scrutinizing the system and pushing for more accountability from our elected officials and city employees.
From the Department of Parks and Recreation to Regional Transit to the city Utilities Department, nearly every city agency needs serious scrutiny. Whether the initiative passes or not or ever even makes it to the ballot, Johnson has already succeeded in getting more people involved in Sacramento politics and local issues, whether people agree with him or not.
Under Sacramento’s current city council and city manager, the city has become mired in highly questionable financial practices.
Top on the list is the scandal- ridden Utilities Department and its rate hikes of the last four years. The Utilities Department has received federal stimulus money to pay for water meters, even though the recent rate hikes were supposedly to cover the cost of the meters.
The department is sending representatives to local neighborhood association meetings to explain away the meter installations, the tearing up of neighborhood streets and yards, and to smooth over the double-dipping cost increases in spite of the stimulus money.
Last month a grand jury report was released that was highly critical of city officials for diverting $21 million in ratepayer money in apparent violation of Proposition 218 and the California Constitution. It also found that city officials have been engaged in a cover-up of the spending of city utilities funds.
Who in our city is accountable? Heads never seem to roll, yet residents are angry.
Regional Transit is a financial wasteland. Where is the oversight and accountability by the city’s elected leaders?
Sacramento also has a problem with the tail wagging the dog. Local unions are calling the shots. The result? Continual cost increases to city services.
The City Council has caved in on nearly every vote to increase service costs, passing the increases on to residents, instead of forcing the unions to back down on their pay and fringe benefit demands.
What better way to face the big issues head-on than with a strong mayor? Why else would Bill Camp try to put an end to the initiative before it ever makes it to the ballot?
Johnson was voted into office by Sacramento residents weary of a lack of accountability by elected politicians and city employees.
Just by challenging the entrenched local politicians, Johnson started this movement, and now, citizen representation is on the upswing.