I’m good at making decisions, especially when it comes to terminating city clerks and water bill inserts, not so much on elections.
It is very evident that if the city decides to have a joint election with the school district this spring, it will be the SF city council’s decision to do so, not the mayor. The contract that the school district has signed already has been deferred, again, to the December 4, city council meeting (after the meeting was down for 20 hours, a continuing problem*). Which seems a bit odd, since council chair doesn’t seem to have a problem with making decisions without consulting the council first (Watch this exchange between Staggers and Erpenbach about the authorization of a water bill insert. FF to about 5 minutes before the end of the meeting). Everyone from the past city clerk to former mayors and city councilors have said the council must call this election and appropriate the funds, including former councilor, Vernon Brown – who has also signed the petition. They would be crazy to flout the public’s wishes on this petition.
Is the city council waiting to make a decision until the petitions are turned in? I do know that collection of signatures will end in November and they are expected to be turned in before the end of Decemeber.
I think this delay in signing the contract has more to do with the icy relationship between the city clerk, Lorie Hogstad, and Bev Chase, SF School District election official. Remember, Lorie and the city council leadership had no problem throwing Bev under the mini-van in the past joint election, and now, they may have to work together.
Karma is a bitch, huh?
*(The delay in videos of city meetings being posted on the city website has been going on for several months. First off, as a taxpayer, I pay for this service, it SHOULD work. Secondly, I shouldn’t have to load some special software to view the meetings. And thirdly, delaying a public meeting is a FORM of censorship by holding back critical information to the public. If this continues, as it has for several months. I am considering filing an ethics complaint against the city clerk. Maybe this will get her to FIX the issue once and for all.)