Give me four minutes to explain why Sacramento should be a strong mayor city under Kevin McCarty.
Maybe I’m not the most credible messenger.
I criticized mayors Joe Serna Jr. and Heather Fargo when they tried to nudge the city toward strong mayor. They made the job full time and stopped there.
Next, I worked for Kevin Johnson when he tried to become strong mayor. Together we campaigned for charter reforms. We lost.
Then I ridiculed Darrell Steinberg when he ran the same play.
At least I’m inconsistent. But on the positive side, I know every argument for and against strong mayor.
Here’s what convinced me about McCarty. He’s the first mayor in 33 years who doesn’t want more power.
Unlike Serna, Fargo, Johnson and Steinberg, McCarty appreciates the insignificance of the weak-mayor, council-manager system.
Weakness is McCarty’s strength.
He opposed strong mayor proposals while serving on City Council in 2008, when Johnson made his first power grab. In 2020, when Steinberg tried to bum-rush voters with a strong mayor initiative, McCarty went into hiding. He offered no help.
Running for mayor last year, McCarty doubled down on his strong mayor denials. He really hates the idea.
“I opposed all the previous strong mayor measures,” he told Inside. “I don’t see the voters wanting that, either. Strong mayor cities have experienced corruption and cronyism. We need to use a collaborative approach to help solve our challenges.”
Irrefutable evidence McCarty is the perfect strong mayor.
There’s another reason the city needs McCarty as chief executive.
The City Council is desperate for a leader who can understand and weigh policies vs. politics and make decisions to serve all residents. Not just special-interest service providers. Not just neighborhood insiders.
The City Council is adrift. The council-manager system failed. Look no further than the botched dismissal of City Manager Howard Chan.
A disjointed, clueless council couldn’t explain why it raised Chan’s salary to double the governor’s pay, then sacked him 11 months later.
Chan instantly exercised his bumping rights. He returned for another payday as assistant city manager.
Seems nobody at City Hall read Chan’s contract.
More disgrace and humiliations await.
Consider the Del Rio Trail bicycle bridge fiasco. Built with subpar concrete and rebar under the city’s watchful eye, the bridge over Interstate 5 and Riverside Boulevard faces demolition.
Front Street Animal Shelter is a disaster zone for unwanted pets. The city can’t maintain retail property it owns in Old Sacramento, forcing out successful restaurateurs. Downtown is a ghost town. The Sac River Parkway bike trail is unfinished 50 years after it was promised.
Around the corner looms a $62 million budget deficit. The city predicts the deficit will grow to $122 million.
Steinberg mesmerized the City Council into thinking federal and state money gushers would never stop. The mayor and council indulged in giveaways to youth programs and homeless remedies without accountability. The commitments continue. Spigots are dry.
The situation demands a spotlight in the night sky, shining a bright “KM.”
Strong mayor requires several rewritten paragraphs in the city charter. AI can do it. Or use language left by Johnson and Steinberg. Just don’t involve the city attorney.
The best strong mayor arrangement has the City Council proposing legislation and McCarty holding veto power. The mayor oversees budget proposals. McCarty loses his council vote. Redistricting isn’t necessary. City councils can function with eight members. Tie votes lose.
The biggest task is a strong mayor ballot initiative. This requires City Council action. If the council were smart, there would be an 8-1 vote in favor of placing strong mayor before voters this year.
McCarty votes no. He crisscrosses the city and campaigns against more power for himself.
Meantime, the city continues its sad decline.
When the votes are counted, strong mayor wins in a landslide.
R.E. Graswich can be reached at regraswich@icloud.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram: @insidesacramento.
