Dear Friends,

I was looking at our last agenda the other day and I was reviewing the minutes from one of our previous council meetings. I was amazed at the length of the public comment section. Not at the 1 or 1-1/2 hours that the council and staff take to respond to questions from the audience, but at the submitted questions and correspondence. I also receive copies of e-mails that go between city staff and the citizens as it pertains to council agenda items.
The process goes something like this; questions get asked or are submitted to council. Staff does the research and responds to the questions via e-mail. Questions are then submitted via e-mail to staff on the answers provided. Staff does the research and responds via e-mail. Then the new sets of questions are submitted at the next council meeting. And the process starts all over again.
At some meetings I hear comments wondering what our staff do all day? Or why can’t we make further staffing reductions? Or why is city hall closed on Wednesdays? Can we cut their benefits? Can we furlough staff?
It’s not just the public either. Sometimes our council is just as bad. Mayor Delgado and Councilman Frank O’Connell have apparently decided not to meet regularly with the City Manager and staff prior to the council meeting, to go over questions they have on the agenda items. Which is too bad really. I believe this separates them from staff, and the city. And I believe that is why they have so many questions at the council meeting. They are being educated at the dais. And, at what expense one would ask? Since the new Mayor and Frank O’Connell have taken office I can only remember completing two council meetings. Most meetings end at 10:30 and the agenda items, which were not completed, are rolled into the next council meeting. I have seen items rolled over as many as three times before council finally completes the item. The City Council drove Airship Ventures out of Marina by over regulating them. If our city government continues to over tax and over regulate local businesses, then businesses will continue to leave Marina. That includes over regulating signs, or not allowing signs to be put up.
I have been on City Council for 7 years now and on the Rec. Commission for 9 years, and I do not remember hearing anything about items being continued to the next meeting as often and regularly as it is happening now. This is a new management style we have not seen before. I worry about our staff and employees. Being 30% to 35% understaffed puts a larger burden on everyone. Every department is effected and our employees have picked up the extra burden. But I am concerned on how much they can take. With the council meetings not being completed, and city business not completed, what message does that send to staff or, to the public. Council completed a special session on raising revenues for the city. Several ideas were discussed. But no action was taken. It appears that the Mayor and two council members would like to cut staff, cut benefits, cut retirements, and close the Strategic Development Department which handles new construction, before looking at raising the revenues. They also have good ideas such as closing the Marina Fire Department and contracting with Monterey Fire Department to service our area. Ideas like closing the Marina Police Department and contracting with Monterey to service our area.
Well, that was 2009.
What is in store for you in 2010?
These are the subjects we are facing this year.
The Mayor and a majority of Council have determined that residency is not a factor in consideration for commission appointments. It’s OK if a college student or renter who just moved into Marina yesterday, today he or she can be appointed to a commission and govern our community.
The Mayor has an idea to cut public announcements from the agenda in order to give him more time to complete his council meetings. The Mayor and his majority continually tie up staff time with dozens of questions and then accuse staff of not having the time to run the city efficiently.
In 2010, I predict the same number of council meetings being completed. I envision a battle to save our police and fire departments. I also think the council will stall the Cypress Knolls Development in order to slow growth. And I predict that the current city council under Bruce Delgado will continue pulling funds out of the city coffers without actually contributing one cent towards increased revenues. No individual checking account could operate this way, why would the city want to operate this way?

Councilman Dave McCall