Making decisions is part and parcel to being alive. It doesn’t matter what junction you have arrived at in life, your next decision determines what train you ride on to the next station.
In the case of City Council representatives, they have been elected to make prudent decisions on behalf of those whom they represent and some they don’t.
Confusing and confounding this agreed-upon form of representation, voters rely on the good judgment of their representatives to make sound and solid decisions based on sense and desired impact.
There is no better representation than a majority that acts within the bounds of common sense. The opposite of this axiom could not be better explained than the Santa Clara Gillmor Gang who robbed Peter, didn’t pay Paul and ignored common sense.
Their majority decisions were predetermined by Mayor Lisa Gillmor, discussed in confidence prior to Council meetings, then ratified in public as a supposedly spontaneous and righteous position and policy.
Just a case on this point. Way back, about nine years ago, when Santa Clara and the San Francisco 49ers were speaking to each other, they mutually agreed to have concerts and special events at the stadium, some of which would go past 10 p.m. The offset of this “inconvenience” was the payday to Santa Clara. The revenue share to the City could be a million dollars or more for one evening performance.
Then, in a calculated and spiteful action, Mayor Gillmor and her Council majority voted to eliminate weeknight performances based on a spurious noise survey. Damage to the 49ers? Zip! Impact to Santa Clara? Loss of millions.
The new Council elected in Santa Clara in 2020 is still getting its arms around the multiple bad decisions made by Mayor Gillmor. One of their most productive decisions thus far was the termination of City Attorney Brian Doyle. However, in addition to all the committees they serve on, the boards they work for, the meetings they must attend, these council members are still working on the eraser of Gillmor’s prior bad decisions.
Ranking right up there as having the most detrimental impact on personnel, policy and procedures is City Manager Deanna Santana. She is known statewide, not for her accomplishments, leadership, and foresight but for her $800,000 compensation package.
Santana was handpicked by Mayor Gillmor allegedly for her reputation.
Simply explained, Gillmor got what she wanted, long-term City employees got replaced, and Santa Clara voters got the bill.
It is time for Santana to follow Doyle.
The cost to oust her is one night of revenue from Levi’s Stadium that is now back in the budget.