By Kevin Johnson
Mayor of Sacramento
One sure way to see the competitiveness come out in this mayor: Try stealing one of the city’s best people.
Back in April, I heard Sacramento Police Chief Rick Braziel was under consideration as Seattle’s chief of police. Having observed Rick over the past couple of years, I wasn’t surprised. He’s a world-class chief.
But I wasn’t prepared for the reality that he might actually leave.
It soon became clear the threat was serious. Unfortunately, under the Sacramento City Charter, there isn’t much a mayor can do – officially – to retain or get rid of a police chief.
Many residents probably don’t know about the restrictions, but it’s written right in the charter. Important issues such as retaining the chief are the responsibility of the city manager. The mayor and council members can’t interfere.
But losing Chief Braziel still didn’t sit right. I was determined to help find a way to keep him.
First came an informal meeting with City Manager Gus Vina, Chief Braziel and me. The goal was to identify the issues and see how serious Chief Braziel was about Seattle.
He was very serious. And the issues were basically simple. He loved Sacramento and didn’t want to leave, but felt he had to see if Seattle might be a good fit.
Finally, there was the issue of some pay Chief Braziel had voluntarily given up two years ago: eight percent, or about $15,000 per year. The money was supposed to be restored. But the budget deficit prevented an easy way to let the city uphold its end of the bargain.
Chief Braziel was consistent about one thing: he didn’t want more money. Not a dime. He just wanted the agreement honored.
As mayor, I was not involved in specific discussions between the city manager and chief. But I was concerned that the 8 percent reduction might become a sticking point that would cause far more damage than $15,000.
I surely didn’t want to lose a world-class police chief over it.
As June arrived, it was obvious Chief Braziel would likely receive an offer from Seattle. I wanted to make sure the city manager knew exactly how I felt: losing Chief Braziel is not in the city’s best interest, and if we can keep him, we should try.
Last weekend, City Manager Vina and I shared more thoughts on the issue. I realized he was ready to make the decision to honor the pay deal, and keep Chief Braziel. It clearly would have cost more to lose the chief: an executive search consultant would have billed the city far more than $15,000. And that would have been just for starters.
The city manager and chief sat down Tuesday night and worked out the details. Chief Braziel was staying. City Manager Vina was pleased to have honored a deal and spared the city a major loss.
Those two men put the city of Sacramento ahead of everything else. They deserve our praise.
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