Backing up to the beginning, my personal dealings with the city during 2008 and 2009 made it crystal clear that some big problems existed within the city departments:
- information was not available and never would (or could) be made available,
- personnel of several departments did not know the city laws, so certainly could not apply them,
- official response to conflict other than violent crime was ineffectual,
- various important systems were unconnected,
- enforcement department procedures were entirely missing, and
- elected officials were utterly dismissive of anything not on their personal or special interest-driven agenda.
Therefore, on October 4, 2009, thirteen months ahead of the election, I announced my candidacy in the Manteca Bulletin.
Richard Behling – stressing the need for more accountability, clearer and more transparent communication with residents, and new blood among leadership – has become the first candidate to officially announce for the 2010 Manteca City Council election.- - - - - - - - - -
The four-year terms of incumbents John Harris and Vince Hernandez end in late 2010.
Three people have already declared their intention to run for mayor in 2010 including incumbent Willie Weatherford as well as retired city planner Ben Cantu and tech company owner Samuel Anderson.
“An accounting career and background will help me get to the truth behind the smoke and mirrors of governmental fund accounting,” Behling stated in announcing his candidacy. “I will communicate those realities as simply as possible to as wide an audience of citizens as is possible. As a member of this city’s council, I will not take the place of the city’s finance director nor the city’s outside financial auditors, but will hold them accountable for simple, understandable, and current information regarding money flowing into and out of the city’s stewardship. Relatively inexpensive technology can make both summary information and detailed transactions available to taxpayers, ratepayers, fee payers, the press, and the individual.”
Behling works in Lathrop and is trained as a certified public accountant.
Behling, 56, noted it is up to the council to lead and set the standards as they hire – and fire – the city manager and decide by majority vote what polices they want in place.
He promises to open up the processes, discussions and decisions regarding the public’s business.
“The work product of public employees is public record, with rights of full access by any citizen, constrained only by privacy rights. If that openness winnows out certain public employees, so much the better,” Behling noted. “Again, digital technologies can deliver that information access and assist in raising - beforehand - the important issues that get smothered by the eye-glazing boilerplate items and staff recommendations in public meetings.”
Behling has been attending City Council meetings for more than a year and educated himself reading various comments including the city’s financial report which he noted receives solid praise from auditors but isn’t easily understood by most people.
He also believes the overwhelming number of unanimous votes either means decisions are made by the council in some form out of the public view or else it underscores his point about the need for change.
“There needs to be new blood elected at every election even if it is just one person,” Behling said, indicating he is advocating term limits for council members.
Behling moved to Manteca in August of 2006. Prior to that, he commuted for 15 years from elsewhere to his employment in Lathrop.
“During those years I became familiar with the Manteca area, which appeared prosperous and growth-oriented, and I purchased a home in early 2007,” he noted. “Everyone knows the story of what happened next in the economy.”
“The City of Manteca, too, is hurting financially and functionally,” he continued. “Its woes are compounded by an absence of ethics in its leaders and lackeys, a total lack of transparency in the conduct of the public’s business, and no general public knowledge of the truth regarding the city’s financial position… The expensive monument-building by politicians must end in order for Manteca to become the livable, family friendly community it should.”
I also wrote about my motivations in another piece called "Don't Fight City Hall... Become City Hall."
The lackadasical, slap-dash arbitrariness that is the hallmark of the City of Manteca comes about, no doubt, from the behind-the-scenes political chicanery in this town. Politicians selling themselves and/or their votes to the so-called "influencial" causes disjointed policies, supercilious law-making, and uneven enforcement of the laws they themselves adopted.- - - - - - - - - - -
In a press release over the weekend, I compared the City of Manteca to the computer game, SimCity, where "the player as Mayor" runs his/her city in any old arbitrary manner as he/she deems fit. Sadly, that particular analogy didn't make it into yesterday's Manteca Bulletin announcement of my intention to run for Manteca City Council in the November 2010 election.
My personal task for the four-year term is to avoid the pits, traps, bombs, and flaming arrows of power brokers and entrenched special interests, both outside and inside city covernment. My altruistic task is to help the innumerable common citizens retake control of their city from the "the Mayor as player," other purchased politicians, and their SimCity supporters who wield the money and influence to their own enrichment at public expense.
A little enforcement of current zoning laws would be nice, too.
One stanza (of many) of my own verse:
We live in a town, you see, ruled by committee,- - - - - - - - - - -
Who's idea of action is to preen and look pretty.
Their powers of judgment offend in extreme
And to listen for moments makes one want to scream.
Finally, for those who enjoy political satire, here is a quote for you:
"Politics: A strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles. The conduct of public affairs for private advantage." - Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary- - - - - - - - - - -
Each of us has political power - the power to cast one ballot - at the polls on November 2nd.
See you there.
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