Diane,
As indicted earlier, I will not be attending the January 24, 2013 special city
council meeting. Therefore, please read my comments into the record as to my
non appearance and thoughts regarding the replacement appointment for councilmember
elect Gary Bell.
Thank you.
Nat
TO MY COUNCIL COLLEGUES AND CITIZEN OF RICHMOND
On January 16, 2013, in response to a request for a special meeting of the council
by the mayor and city manager, I responded by email that I would not be available
for the January 24th meeting. I indicated I was a guest of the BAPAC reception
where they were recognizing newly as well as re-elected officials from 5:30PM
to 7:30PM. I further indicated I had a speaking engagement with Hilltop Neighborhood
Council at 7:30PM. This information and email can be verified by city manager
Bill Lindsay and council liaison Trina Jackson.
This communication seems to have fallen on deaf ears and apparently ignored
by the mayor who continue to insist on the meeting for the 24th. First and far
most, any discussion of such an important city matter should require the attendance
of all members of the council, not just a few. I would like to remind this council
and mayor, that as an elected official , I not only represent members of the
African American community but a large portion of the community at large and
to silence their voices through denying my participation is disrespectful and
I consider it a personal insult. I guarantee if certain other members of this
council were unavailable, this meeting would have been rescheduled to accommodate
their attendance. Where is the so called transparency RPA advocates or does
it only apply when it suit their situation?
With respect to Councilmember elect Gary Bell replacement, I do not see the
urgency at this time. During my career, I have been involved in four appointments
and selecting replacements is really not complicated as evidenced by the appointments
of Alex Evans for Lesa McIntosh, Reverend Charles Belcher for Alex Evans, Tony
Thurmond for Mindell Penn and Harpreet Sandhu for Gayle McLaughlin. According
to legal staff and their interpretation of the city charter, we have until March
8, 2013 to make a decision regarding an appointment or calling for an election.
A one day evening meeting in early March could easily be devoted to voting for
potential candidates up or down and should no one receive the necessary four
votes, the matter goes to the electorate.
Therefore, I suggest we provide Gary more time to recuperate and set a date
early in March before making this decision. Gary’s situation could have
happened to any one of us and I am ashamed and disappointed to be sitting with
some council members who seem to only see their own personal gains and political
influence being enhanced. Finally, where is the compassion for a medically disable
human being? God is still a miracle worker and who is to say Gary will not recover
in a few more weeks and be able to assume his position on the council where
the community voted him to sit.
All of us need to do better by respecting Gary, Shelley, his family and the
11,474 voters who voted for him.
Nat Bates
Richmond City Councilman
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West County Times
Richmond City Council to meet, set path for filling vacant seat
By Robert Rogers
Contra Costa Times
1/23/2013
RICHMOND -- The City Council will hold a special meeting Thursday night to set
a Jan. 31 deadline for candidates to declare interest in the council seat vacated
by Councilman-elect Gary Bell's health troubles.
The 7:30 p.m. meeting will be an opportunity for the council to establish the
deadline and set a Feb. 4 special meeting to attempt to appoint a replacement
for Bell, who remains hospitalized after falling into a coma following his Nov.
6 election with what his family has said is a severe sinus infection.
According to the city charter, the council has 60 days from the vacancy date
to appoint a replacement by a majority vote. If no replacement can get four
of the six council votes, a special election must be held June 4. City Clerk
Diane Holmes has said an election may cost as much as $200,000.
According to state law, a special election must be called at least 114 days
before voters go to the polls. A staff report said that gives the city until
Feb. 10 to appoint a replacement for Bell or call for a special election.
"If the public meeting (to hear from candidates interested in the appointment)
occurs on Feb. 4 and we appoint someone, we're done," the staff report
read. "If not, then the Council will be able to approve a resolution calling
for a June 4 special election the next day at our Feb. 5 meeting."
Three of the six council members have said they support progressive candidate
Eduardo Martinez, who finished just behind Bell, as the replacement. But other
council members have said Martinez is unacceptable because he is far different
politically from Bell, who ran as a moderate and was heavily backed by Chevron
Corp.
Kathleen Sullivan, Don Gosney, Mike Ali-Kinney and Jael Myrick have announced
their candidacies as well.
Contact Robert Rogers at 510-262-2726 or rrogers@bayareanewsgroup.com and follow
Twitter.com/roberthrogers