The best part of my job is getting out and meeting people – Sacramento residents, visitors and especially city employees. For the past week, I’ve been moving from city department to city department, talking to the men and women who keep Sacramento moving. I’ve met with everyone from the folks who design our streets to the technicians who maintain our computer systems to the people who keep the drains clear in rainstorms.
Every city employee is unique, but they share many concerns.
Each meeting has included discussions about the transition underway in the City Manager’s office as we move to replace outgoing executive Ray Kerridge.
There have been many questions about the budget deficit, which looms between $35 million and $40 million.
Some questions, such as those involving the process of finding an interim city manger, have straightforward answers. Others, such as those concerned with budget cuts, have no immediate answer.
One interesting question came from the transportation department. A woman asked whether being mayor was more difficult than playing in the NBA.
I didn’t have to think about this one. I said I get up every morning remembering how much I love my job, and how I haven’t had a moment’s regret about running for public office.
I also say being Mayor of Sacramento is much harder than playing point guard for an NBA team.
When I played basketball, things were pretty basic. We had 12 guys and worked toward a common goal. We worked hard and things didn’t always fall the way we hoped, but we were almost always on the same page.
Life in government is more complicated. And the stakes are much higher. We have about 4,600 employees and almost 470,000 residents, each of whom has concerns about the economy and public safety and the education of their families.
I told the city employees I’ve never had a more challenging job than being mayor.
But inspired by the hard work and dedication of city employees, being mayor is a job I wouldn’t trade for anything.
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