Meeting Recap for Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Posted by Richard Davis 
on Sep 17, 2014
 

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Mayor Kevin Johnson

Some two thousand years ago a guy named Virgil (the Roman poet and Dante's escort in Inferno) noted, "The noblest motive is the public good." Such was our clear theme for this meeting, as we hosted the Honorable Kevin Johnson, Mayor of Sacramento. We started (really) early at 11:15 am with a reception for him in Red Lion Room 118.  The mayor kindly stayed with us for the next two hours, sharing the well-known conviviality of our club and, at lunch, presenting his thoughts on the State of the City.

President Susan also opened our meeting early (12:08) to maximize time for His Honor to speak to the public good of our community. As a way of foreshadowing Mayor Johnson's themes, President Susan brought to the podium Ms. Laine Himmelmann, corporate development officer for Sacramento Habitat for Humanity. Ms. Himmelmann shared Habitat's focus on family stability, the pride of home ownership, and the importance of building neighborhoods. She announced the affiliate dedicated its 108th home this month. On 25 October, our club will host the Sacramento Century bike ride, with Sacramento Habitat as beneficiary. (Both riders and donations are still welcome!) Beginning in January, we will have an opportunity to participate in an actual home build. Thus, we ourselves embrace the public good.

Mayor Johnson spoke beginning at 12:40, after an excellent introduction by Dan Cole. The mayor mentioned he was proud to be an honorary member of our club, then (to a hearty applause) became the latest supporter of our Sacramento Century project. His subsequent presentation was superb: fun, charismatic and articulating a clear vision for the city. Two major themes obtained: Measure L on the November ballot, and the potential for Major League Soccer to establish itself here.

  • Measure L, a.k.a. the "strong mayor" initiative. Key components of the measure include:
    • Accountability. Mayor Johnson claimed this as his #1 issue. Despite his accessibility and visibility, the mayor does not run the city. This is the province of our city manager, whose activities do not always cross the mayor's desk.
    • Ethics, meaning transparency into city governance. Measure L mandates more open government, a new Code of Ethics, and high standards to avoid fraud, waste and abuse.
    • Neighborhoods. Measure L provides checks and balances on elected officials, term limits, a new Advisory Council for protecting and strengthening neighborhoods, etc.
    • Independent budget analysis. Analysts would provide an objective third-party review for the city during the budget process.
    • Sunset clause. This may be the least known component. If Measure L is approved, city voters will have the chance in six years to either keep the "strong mayor" approach or return to the current system.
  • Major League Soccer (MSL). MSL representatives will be here this week to assess the region's viability as a center for soccer. The mayor felt Sacramento is competitive for consideration and offers a number of strengths.
    • A good market. Sports do well in our region. We also have a good soccer team: Sacramento Republic just beat the Wilmington Hammerheads (4-1 on 13 Sep) to advance to the semi-finals.
    • Ownership. We have the city size to make the investment viable. Key local figures retain an interest in owning and growing soccer in our community.
    • Stadium. The railroad yard offers an excellent site, although in the mayor's view it should not be built with public funds.  

His Honor concluded by emphasizing the need for a more cohesive master plan, especially as we embrace and develop the 244 acres of the railroad yard. Thinking should be regional, including (say) Elk Grove, as a possible partner for soccer, and West Sacramento, as we develop the waterfront and a more robust transportation nexus. He then fielded some lively questions from the floor, many holding him accountable (as he requested). Bottom line: for Mayor Johnson, the "public good" is best served by "common sense."

Elsewhere for the meeting, Stephanie Foster (Ray Stone Senior Living) was our meeting sponsor. Gene Pendergast (Wilke Fleury) supplied our wine reception, Jeanne Reaves reminded us in the Thought for the Day that good works start with good attitude, Sgt-at-arms John Lemmon recognized our honored guests and visitors with his usual aplomb, and Dick Osen led us in another superlative rendition of God Bless America the Beautiful. Or something like that.

We also welcomed Pam Saltenberger back as a member. (Welcome, Pam!) And solicitations for Sacramento Century (Community Service) brought forth the generosity of Ken Cross, Jon Snyder, Frank Cook and Paul Bystrowski.  A hearty Rotary thank you to all four of you!

As we wrapped up, Sgt-at-arms John Lemmon advertised our next meeting: September 23rd at the Red Lion again. Our speaker will be Dr. Randi Hagerman, UC Davis MIND Institute.

At 1:30 pm, President Susan adjourned us with the closing bell. RLD