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By Anne Bagasao
I was invited to be on a committee, representing local activists, to provide feedback and insight to the executive search professional who was contracted by the City to help identify the best candidate pool for our new City Manager. Our responsibility, as members of these committees was to educate the Northern California headhunter Gary Phillips, on what OUR community wants in OUR next city manager.
I committed myself to responding to the call of my city leaders and participated in good faith and with gratitude as did the others in our group.
We were very clear about two things:
1) We want a person who understands our unique community and can commit to upholding our values and
2) a person who is experienced and informed about social justice issues.
I have no idea of knowing whether or not you watched and listened to those meetings, or if Mr. Phillips simply provided you with his interpretation of what we said and you left it at that.
So I want to let you know, that WE DID NOT STUTTER! Our message was CRYSTAL CLEAR.
However, given the candidate you all have selected, I can only surmise that these committees were a dog and pony show to placate an already frustrated and discontent electorate or you really don’t care.
I’d like to remind the three new members, especially Jack Donovan, that each of you campaigned on the promise of restoring trust and ensuring transparency at City Hall. Well? What are you waiting for? Now would be that time.
I also want to remind you that for past year, I have seen most of you utter sentiments or perform gestures supposedly in support of black lives.
You are even going to splash it across the building in which Mr. Jordan stands to hold court.
And yet, you have the audacity, to advance the application of a man who, by all accounts, as city manager, was dismissive of allegations regarding a vicious and abusively racist police chief. And this, while OUR city is in the throes of an investigation and America awaits the verdict on the murder of George Floyd.
Do you see yourselves?
If you do this, you will have deeply offended the decent residents of our City and your resolutions, task forces and sound bites about anti-hate and black lives over this past year will have amounted to nothing more than the pathetic platitudes of politicians.
Do not appoint Christopher Jordan. He is not our person.
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