Published: 1 years 356 days ago
Sacramento Bee: A proposal to give more power to Sacramento's mayor is not, in the end, about Kevin Johnson – or at least it shouldn't be.
It is about the best governance system so that City Hall works more smoothly, is more responsive to residents' needs and, ultimately, makes this a more vibrant place to live and work.
Johnson's scaled-back plan is a vast improvement over the original, which vested too much authority in the mayor and which he tried to push through before the courts blocked it.
Through it all, a large number of Sacramento residents have made clear they'd like to vote on a strong mayor proposal. That's why a new version of the plan deserves to go before city voters in November.
Under the latest proposal, the mayor would be the city's chief executive, submitting a budget, wielding veto power and hiring and firing the city manager and department heads. The City Council would approve budgets, could override vetoes, would confirm the mayor's appointments and would hire and fire the city clerk, city attorney, treasurer, auditor and independent budget analyst.
A ninth council member would be elected to replace the mayor, but not until 2012, after the new district is created in 2011 as part of the once-a-decade census redistricting. In the interim, the council would drop to eight members, and it would take five votes to pass anything.
To build support for the package, Johnson is also open to term limits, either two to three consecutive four-year terms, or two to three terms total.
If approved by voters, the changes would take effect in January. Following a test period of six to 10 years, voters would decide whether to make the new system permanent or repeal it.
The council, which is to discuss the new package on June 15, needs to act by mid-July to put it on the November ballot.
The strong-mayor debate has been sucking up too much attention and causing too much drama for too long. It's time for the council to get over Johnson's lightning-rod persona, put the proposal to the voters and bring some resolution to this issue, one way or another.
http://www.sacbee.com/2010/05/30/2784881/editorial-sacramento-council-should.html
###