Breaking News:
City Council to Appoint New Council Member
Tonight the Emeryville City Council chose to decide for themselves who should replace former City Councilwoman Ally Medina instead of letting the people decide. Councilwoman Medina resigned early, effective last Friday and on the agenda at tonight's Council meeting was a choice; who should decide about a replacement.... the people or the Council?
Some council members balked at the estimated cost of holding a special election, up to $152,000 according to the Alameda County Registrar of Voters but in the end it was decided the cost is less important than the idea of having only four Council members until next November, the earliest date date a special election could be held. The Council will have up to 60 days from today, March 16th, to come up with a replacement.
An appointee would only need to secure three Council votes to become the next City Council member, it was announced.
Mayor John Bauters expressed strong views that an appointment is the best choice while Council member Kalimah Priforce expressed reservations but he ultimately agreed an appointment is the best way for Emeryville citizens to get their next representative.
Names thrown out for appointment included two who ran for Council last election, Brooke Westling and Sukhdeep Kaur and also School Board member Brynnda Collins. Other names were hinted at but not revealed tonight.
John Bauters wants to decide who our next council member will be because he wants to keep in power.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Brian in this article. It was, in fact, the people of Emeryville that decided NOT to elect Brian into office this past November. I agree that the people know best. Great article!
ReplyDeleteEmail the City Council and tell them you want to be able to vote for your city council representative. If they get enough push back they may allow democracy to happen. When an ossified and insular body such as the School Board and the Council don't allow fresh ideas, terrible public policy is the result. Look at the Emery School District for an example of this.....and the children suffer for it. The School Board hit upon an easy way to continue on this culture....we should not let it infect the Council. Thanks for commenting Tattler reader.
DeleteI will email them immediately. The people really do know what's best. We've proven it before, we could prove it again.
DeleteThe people don't always know what's best. The people voted for Trump and countless other horrible politicians. Still, they should get whom they voted for; it's the bargain of democracy.
DeleteWhat is the process for city council-person recalls? The present city council, with the exception of Kalimah Priforce, seem to be following a John Bauter's driven agenda of their own with no relevance to the stated desires of the city's General Plan or to the current desires of the city's residents. We don't want more housing! Emeryville has alrewady fulfilled the housing quota as set by the State of California. We must attend to much more pressing matters such as crime control and safety, climate change and the environmental destruction that is imminent, better schools and educational programs not just for current students but also for seniors and residents, business organizations, city clean-up and more trees planted, and a much needed and overdue, Code of Ethics, which previous and current city councils have failed to address and install! The city of Emeryville has no accountability! It is falling further and further away from the real desires of its residents! A Cide of Ethics is a simple solution and look how cleverly it has been avoided. It's proof of the complicity of the City Council and their self-centered agenda.
ReplyDeleteJohn Bauters will simply appoint another yes-person to the City Council, as he has done his entire term on the city council, and, with the exception of Kalimah Priforce, the city council will continue to blindly support rental housing. It is a fiefdom of short-term vision. Where is the purchasable housing? Where are the tree-lined streets and neighborhoods? Where is the much needed clean-up of trash and garbage from city streets and sidewalks? Where is the improved quality of schools and interaction with businesses? It has been a dysfunctional government run by personal interests. It's no wonder that 7 staff members resigned last year!
ReplyDelete