Strong Mayor Proposal

by Jean Quan

What Form of Government Will Help the City Most Now?

I support a strong mayor because it brings more accountability to the Executive branch of the City. It allows the mayor to focus city leadership and resources on key issues.

Oakland and other cities instituted a city manager form of government in reaction to political corruption in the early 1900s and as an attempt to provide professional management. While this improved city government and services, it also developed a bureaucratic system that can be less responsive to changing public needs. The Council hired and fired the Manager, but accountability varied depending on each Council's ability to reach consensus and willingness to challenge the Manager.

All Oakland citizens now vote directly for their chief executive, the mayor. The mayor hires the city manager with Council input. This arrangement can give Oakland bolder leadership while maintaining professional management.

A Strong Mayor Form of Government Needs a Strong City Council

The Council is an important part of the balance. I agree with Mayor Brown's focus on downtown development and safety, but I know District 4 cares about a wider range of issues: after-school and recreation programs for youth, neighborhood retail, and better basic services (fire, street repairs, litter and vegetation removal, libraries, and parks). Through the Council's control of the budget, they must balance neighborhood and citywide priorities.

I believe we need to improve citizen involvement in this process. The city needs to give citizens "transparent" information on the budget, readable and understandable one-page reports. Citizens should be surveyed on priorities and given easier ways to comment on the budget.

A Strong City Council Needs Strong Neighborhood Organizations

Whether we have a strong mayor or manager form of government, Oakland cannot move forward without more citizen involvement. I have helped put people together to form new block groups, neighborhood associations, and parent groups to help build stronger neighborhoods.

If elected, I plan to work directly to help organize and support these groups. I will pull together regular meetings of neighborhood leaders and develop regular newsletters to keep them informed and solicit input. Public information is a critical foundation for democracy. I believe our District 4 councilmember needs to keep voters informed and involved throughout the year and not just at election time.

For over a decade parents have relied on me to bring before them key issues, holding monthly forums, publishing monthly newsletter, and being accessible. This is why I believe this district deserves a full-time councilmember without any other conflicts of time or interests.

I want to thank the Metro for focusing on this important issue. The early move to put the renewal of Measure X, the Strong Mayor charter provision, on the fall ballot with little public input or discussion, makes this kind of public forum more important. I hope the League of Women Voters will continue to work on how we can improve our government structure.