What do you do as a public official when some issues are headed South?
Deflect!
Redirect the public’s attention to other innocuous issues and attempt to keep the real issue under cover.
Like most politicians, Mayor Lisa Gillmor desires to stay in power.
She has groomed her three amigos, Debi Davis, Kathy Watanabe and Teresa O’Neill, to follow her lead and help plot their plans with precision.
Rumor tells us the four of them meet after every City Council meeting to recap their performance of the evening and plan their agenda items for the next meeting. If this is true it would be a violation of the Brown Act. However, since no one has ever been successfully sued or penalized for Brown Act violations, this is another law with no teeth, only dentures.
In watching City Council meetings, it becomes quickly apparent the evening is scripted by the fearless foursome. Particularly on controversial issues.
Another rumor that is a bit more serious surrounds Santa Clara’s high- priced City Manager. Sources indicate that in violation of Santa Clara City Charter, Deanna Santana does not reside in Santa Clara.
Santana’s financial package included a $3,750 a month Santa Clara housing allowance which would be adequate to find a local property within Santa Clara. If she is not living in Santa Clara, where is the housing allowance going?
For decades, Santa Clara’s City Charter has been the Bible of authority and directional intent for Santa Clara officials. Is this now being disregarded or only used when beneficial to the City Council?
Never have Santa Clara residents been so divided, disturbed and dumbfounded as they have the past few years. The Jekyll-Hyde personality of Santa Clara’s Mayor does not allow for even-handed and honest dispensation of the authority. The smiling, cheery personality of Mayor Gillmor presenting a plaque to a non-profit reverts to a scowling, glowering and angry critic when addressing business partners like the San Francisco 49ers.
Once the most sought-after city in which to locate, Santa Clara has become one of the most difficult with which to deal.
Former City Managers Don Von Raesfeld and Jennifer Sparacino combined for 50 years of managerial experience in making Santa Clara the place to be. Their legacy is under siege as we watch the current band-aid approach to City leadership, planning and approval.
For example, the misguided and faulty attitude surrounding the management and use of Levi stadium is a sham.
Santa Clara has one of the newest and greatest stadiums in the world. The recent attempt to make the 49ers the “bad guys” in this partnership lies at the feet of Mayor Gillmor and her Council.
Her attempt to deflect the public’s attention by voting to oust the 49ers management company has no teeth nor truth. It is the Mayor and her Council’s bad management decisions that will bite them in the end.
View Comments (3)
Is this supposed to be worthy of our time reading? Not a lot of content, just a lot of accusations thrown around without well thought out arguments.
Tired of this site turning into a few 'reporters' who obviously hate everyone managing the city. And to put similar 'articles' on the SVV emails newsletter like this is worthy of reading.
Unsubscribe!
Looking at this article again, I see only one supposed "deflection". Attempting to put the blame on the 49ers management rather than the city. However, that isn't deflecting from the issue of problems with the stadium. This articles discussed rumors, but doesn't do anything to show how the mayor is supposedly deflecting to hide real issues. In no way does the article even attempt to show how the mayor is attempting to "Redirect the public’s attention to other innocuous issues and attempt to keep the real issue under cover."
Do better.
So if the City Manager is not living in Santa Clara as is required by the City Charter if she is being subsidized then any City Resident should be able to ask to see her current address if requested, I think. Maybe this news paper can request it through some public information law?
Now if the Mayor and her Three Amigo's ARE meeting after each council meeting to discuss that evenings reports and issues ( Which does violate the Brown Act) and there are no witnesses then #1. Ask all of them if they had meet directly and see what they say and #2. have this newspaper or a private party to get their cell phone records or through the courts to triangulate ALL four of the Council Members cell phones after these previously held public meetings to see where they were at. Yes it can be done. AND there are Black Hats that can do it.
So as the Public, go on the hunt to find the truth. Or you guys Mr. or Mrs. The Silicon Valley Voice.