Entries in City Councils (3)
Benefit...or Bribe?
Ahhh, to be a member of the Anaheim City Council, with access to free tickets to baseball games at Angel Stadium, Ducks hockey games at Honda Center and rock concerts at the Grove.
That line got my attention when I saw it in posted on the Los Angeles Times website. ... I do like baseball.
But, like the Ducks' offense, those perks may soon disappear.
In Pasadena, the 2,100 grandstand seats for the Rose Parade that are gratis for the mayor and other city officials may also be in jeopardy. Ditto the luxury box reserved for San Jose city officials at Sharks hockey games and hip-hop concerts.
The grinch who would restrict the freebies going to politicians is Ross Johnson, a former Orange County state senator who some would say has turned against his kind since he became chairman of the state Fair Political Practices Commission.
On Thursday, Johnson sided with the commission staff on a proposal to limit free tickets for officials to cases in which their attendance at an event serves a legitimate public purpose. The gifts should be curtailed, Johnson said.
Free tickets? Legitimate public purpose? Tell me how that works?
Anaheim officials argued that their city owns Angel Stadium, the Honda Center and the Grove of Anaheim, and leases and other contracts require that private operators provide the city with tickets to all events.
Anaheim City Atty. Jack L. White said in a letter to the panel that when tickets are given directly to an elected official, there may be at least a perception that the giver is "seeking favor from" the official.
"On the other hand, where tickets are provided to an agency pursuant to contractual obligation . . . there is no such incentive to provide favorable treatment to the party which provides the tickets to the agency because such party is obligated to provide such tickets to an agency," White wrote.
He argued that tickets provided under contractual obligation are not a gift but consideration for using the city-owned facility. Once owned by the city, "such tickets are similar to compensation and benefits provided to public officials," White said.
How's that for legal gobbledygook?
By that logic, Johnson countered, the city could reach a contract to buy 400 cars for its police force and negotiate a provision that set aside five or six free cars for City Council members.
The commission agreed to meet with city officials to hear their concerns before voting on the proposals.
I'll bet those are really good seats that are on the line! This will be a real battle!
Al Arnold
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Flip-Flopping on Prayer
Prayer.
I don't know how it got such a dirty name...but it has.
It's like smoking. Both are legal but just try to do either one in public.
Deerfield Beach, Florida is having a prayer flap.
In recent years residents and commissioners have discussed whether to allow clergy-led prayer at the start of municipal meetings, a ritual held since the city’s 1925 incorporation.
Last fall Mayor Al Capellini read non-sectarian remarks to try and quell the controversy, but in April the practice of invoking a deity by clergy was resumed.
I guess you could say the Council had a relapse? They tried to kick the habit but just couldn't.
At the most recent commission meeting, resident Caryl Berner handed out pink flip-flops to the three officials that supported a return to clergy-led invocations: Capellini and Commissioners Steve Gonot and Marty Popelsky.
Berner has been against clergy-led prayers and said the beach shoes represented how the men on the dais changed their minds on the issue.
For heaven's sake ... how silly.
How will this be resolved?
Commissioners asked City Attorney Andrew Maurodis to specifically define what is a clergy member.
The reason...
The officials’ request for a definition of clergy came after Berner and others requested to be a part of the ministerial rotation for future meetings. Berner, calling herself Lay Sister Zelda, was ordained April 16 with the Universal Life Church in Modesto, California.
So Caryl... who doesn't want prayers at the Council meetings... has become an internet ordained minister so she can give the prayer at the Council meeting.
And she is giving out the flip-flops?
Anyone can win a local election
I always get a kick out of people who say, "I can't run for City Council. I wouldn't know what to do."
Then there is Chris Brown. The Dallas Morning News tells us his story.
Last week was especially busy for Chris Brown: He had to juggle the final days of a political campaign with final exams.
The Bedford teenager successfully completed both, winning a contested race for the Bedford City Council by an overwhelming margin and passing finals so that he could advance to his sophomore year at the University of North Texas.
Such a feat might be daunting to most 19-year-olds, but not for Mr. Brown, who contemplated running last year as a high school senior but decided to wait and fully prepare.
"Running for the council is something I thought about for a long time and really wanted to do," the political science major said. "This wasn't just a spur-of-the-moment quirk."
Despite his determination and dedication, Mr. Brown still had to overcome a lot of skepticism because of his age.
After all, he hasn't yet voted for president, held a full-time job or bought himself a beer. And he still lives in his childhood home with his mom, dad and 15-year-old sister, Katie.
How did he do it, you ask? The same way everyone does.
Mr. Brown worked diligently on his campaign, including spending several days going door-to-door to meet voters.
Running for local office isn't rocket science.
If anyone reading this post ever has questions about running for a local elected office, feel free to send me your questions.
Click here and use this form to ask your questions.
If 19 year old Chris Brown can do it, so can you!