In the eight months since I have been in Sacramento and following local politics, one person’s name has come up the most: City Manager Howard Chan.
I have even met Chan out at a dinner. I didn’t want to lean on any preconceived notions about the man. I wanted to get to know him. So I went up to introduce myself and asked for a chance to get a cup of coffee. To which he replied “The Bee knows how to get in touch with me” and turned around. That was when I realized this guy wasn’t really about relationships and he cares little about how he comes off.
Opinion
Chan has climbed up the pay ladder to become the highest-paid city manager in California. The way in which he got there is questionable. Yet on Tuesday, the city council was set to vote on whether to defer any extension of his contract until a new mayor and a new council gets sworn in on Dec. 10.
During the public comment portion of the meeting, Marbella Sala, an active member of Sacramento’s Gardenland community speaking as an individual, summed up perfectly how this rocky relationship with the city manager and the council is perceived by the public.
“I understand the reason why you’re delaying the extension of the contract and you’re putting it to the new mayor and the new council. I get it,” said Sala. “But I also think, his contract is over and I believe that the city council should take action now. It’s your responsibility. It’s not the responsibility of the new mayor or new council.”
But action takes courage, and Tuesday’s council meeting demonstrated little to none.
“From a community perspective, what we have witnessed is a lack of collaboration, is a lack of respect,” Sala said. “I’ve witnessed him disrespect you on the dais, “ she said to city council members. “Some of you, because he didn’t agree with you and for me, that was horrible because I would never disrespect my boss.
“We don’t understand why you have not held him accountable when he makes mistakes. And he has made them. When he sneakily put his salary to be voted on, you should’ve reprimanded him for that.”
Sadly, it appears that Chan’s mistakes and bullying have never been confronted by the council. But at every point, he has been praised.
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Chan’s inner circle
What I’ve noticed is that Chan has an inner circle that feeds into his ego. On Tuesday, after Sacramento’s Downtown Partnership President Michael Ault praised Chan, Mayor Darrell Steinberg wanted to be sure he knew that other people are involved in government.
“Michael I love ya, but all this, getting through the hardest of hard times, it would be important for the future to also recognize and acknowledge that he works for the council and this has been a collaboration with the entire council, not just the city manager,” Mayor Steinberg said.”
And that’s not where the blind loyalty ends.
Josh Turner, a supporter of Chan, made a post on LinkedIn just a week ago in support of Chan’s performance in his role, while also slamming the council.
“Members of the City of Sacramento City Council are seemingly clueless to the fact that they are one of the most difficult governing bodies to work for in the entire profession,” Turner wrote on LinkedIn. “They are political power brokers used to serving in the Sacramento legislature or other political capacities or they’re wannabes more interested in grandstanding to the public than actually voting on real policy.”
Chan reshared the post, thanking Turner for his support.
When the council has the platform, they use it to rave about Chan and his work. Yet when Chan is allowed to back his council up, he doesn’t. This sort of relationship not only hurts the council but the people it serves.
The council has one boss: the people of Sacramento
Mayor Steinberg had a great point in saying that within the city’s history, there have been moments where city managers had a rocky relationship with mayors and the city council. There will of course be times of friction with any dynamic in any government. But what we’re seeing is a council that is afraid to have the harsh conversation out loud and upfront for the community to see.
But this current iteration of the city council is showing to be a group of people more focused on not rocking the boat than openly speaking their views.
I’m not here to comment on the pay of Howard Chan. What I believe needs to be called out is the love affair for a man who can’t and hasn’t done his work alone. Except for councilwomen Mai Vang and Katie Valenzuela, the rest of this council was happy to punt the Chan issue to the next one.
One thing’s for certain. If the council can’t stand up to one man, it won’t be able to stand up for us.
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