All we want is a City Council and leadership that is responsive, respectful and responsible while making good decisions.
What would seem to be a rather straightforward request from residents, has gone absent at City Hall.
Our Council minority of Pat Mahan, Raj Chahal and Karen Hardy have taken to heart the desire of our community. Most often their minority position on issues includes that great ingredient called “common sense.”
What we see from the Council majority of Mayor Lisa Gillmor and Council Members Debi Davis, Teresa O’Neill and Kathy Watanabe is a lot of nonsense. The price of their nonsense is astronomical.
This majority, along with City Manager Deana Santana, have told us repeatedly how transparent their work is. When you hear that statement, you can almost be assured…it’s not.
What historically was unusual, a lawsuit, has become a regular occurrence.
If you have ever been involved in a lawsuit, you already know…it is expensive.
Even if you were not actually wrong, the defense expense is huge, the time involved immense and the strain exasperating.
Fortunately, most residents stay out of issues which require legal action, but, it still happens.
However, our Council majority has not led us into greener pastures, but into lawsuit land.
So many, it is difficult to track them all.
At last count, our City has been sued by the 49ers six times.
The City has also sued them.
Why don’t they talk these issues out? No one from the City meets with the 49ers and when the 49ers used to come to the Stadium Authority meetings, they were treated which such disrespect and disdain by our Council majority, they stopped coming.
What is with our Council majority?
Now, they want to take over operations at the stadium for non-NFL events and have voted to terminate the 49er management company.
Let’s see, the last time they made such a questionable decision on management was when they “fired” the Chamber of Commerce as managers of the Convention Center after 35 years.
The Chamber turned in a $2.2 million dollar profit and were fired.
The Council is not talking about the current management, which is operating the Convention Center wearing handcuffs. This Council majority eliminated the incentive of offering a free room with meetings if the Center obtained the food and beverage (standard practice).
Anyone seen a profit and loss statement on our Convention Center?
When this Council majority voted to enforce the 10 p.m. weeknight curfew at the stadium, they soured the market for future huge events like Taylor Swift and U-2. This, of course, reduced City revenue. Even though it was only three or four nights a year, the Council wouldn’t budge.
As a result, they didn’t make any money, blamed the 49ers and voted to terminate them as managers.
These actions do not fall into the category of responsive, respectful and responsible, nor good decisions.
