Nicholas Goldberg: Jeering, screaming and upending the City Council is arrogant, irresponsible and ineffective. It will lead to increased frustration and a volatile climate.
Linda M. Clark: Well, I think there are a couple of things that the mayor has to be aware of, that he needs to hear the concerns of the Council.
As an aside, I would also like to say that on any major decision, the mayor should ask for the Council’s recommendation.
He should ask that recommendation, just as you would to get a recommendation from another city agency. It’s not out of an oversight of the mayor. It’s to make sure you get a decision you could be proud of, that you could stand behind, that you could say with confidence, that whatever you decide, if the city council decides that they want to come out on the same side, we’ll go with that. We’ll make a decision — just as you do.
The council president could make a recommendation to the mayor that a motion be put on the floor of the council to take a vote on whether to proceed with the ordinance.
But the same is true for the mayor to ask for the council’s recommendation. The recommendation should come from the council itself, and the council president could make a recommendation to the mayor to put on the ordinance.
We’re going to make a decision here. We’re going to make a decision based on the facts. It’s not whether the mayor wants to do it or not, and it’s not whether the council wants to do it.
We’re going to make a decision based on the facts and the best evidence — the best-available evidence.
It is arrogant, irresponsible and ineffective. It causes a volatile climate and makes it difficult for other cities to deal with. We need to make sure that we have a good relationship with other cities, and if they are not dealing with us and working with us, then we need to talk to them.
We need to tell them we’re coming out of the blue, we’re not going to be backed off, and we’re not going to be intimidated
