KJ strong mayor, not a slam dunk

January 23, 12:45 AMSacramento Environmental News ExaminerHarry Osibin

Previous Next

Comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Sacramento Environmental News Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

Sacramento Press

 In Sacramento another basketball-playing politco is trying to boost his power and influence through a petition campaign to place a strong-mayor measure on the ballot.  Kevin Johnson says it's about "accountability".

There appears to be a classic battle brewing and I, for one, am glad there is grass roots participation in the city.

There are petitions circulating to place the measure on the ballot and an opposing campaign to blunt the mayor's effort.  The photo at right was taken at a rally on January 16th.

In the Sacramento Press I commented, "On the surface the weak-mayor system seems like a recipe for inertia. Couple that with a former mayor who's leadership was questioned and you get this kind of initiative. Personally, I am tired of the petition process, which seems to be susceptible to the dollars of self-interested entities as are those officials already elected or appointed. Besides petition campaigns are almost never transparent."

When Jerry Brown took the mayoralty in Oakland, he pushed and passed a strong-mayor government. We can debate from now until the next election for governor whether or not strong-mayor is working in Oakland.

San Francisco?  Strong mayor=political circus (and to be honest, plenty of intrigue).

My romantic vision: citizen participation, political transparency, honesty, ethics, active, minimally-biased local media and good attendance at Town Hall meetings.

Citizen participation should not be limited to signing or not signing a petition thrust into your space in the parking lot of a strip mall.

However the initiative process does create jobs for those doing the legwork.

The petition filing deadline has been extended.