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Two Butt Rating |
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Mr. Scratchy...a Cat for all Seasons |
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Residents may hold answer to what's next Topic: VALLEJO CITY HALL By
Times-Herald editorial staff Article Launched: 06/28/2007 07:34:06 AM PDT |
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No
one should have been surprised Tuesday night when the Vallejo City
Council voted |
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| In
the latest salvo in what's clearly a "political game" between
the city and public safety unions - even City Manager Joe Tanner
concedes it is - a council majority has opted to suffer possible public
backlash to make a couple points. |
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| The more responsible point is that there's simply no other way but cutting public safety jobs to avoid bankruptcy. The less responsible point, made more subtly, is that it's important to some at City Hall to show who's boss, no matter the cost - fiscally or otherwise. |
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| We
wish city residents luck in the upcoming arbitration battle. Vallejoans
find themselves in the middle of a political maelstrom not of their
making, nor of their desire. |
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| Tuesday
night's emotional testimony by a cross-section of residents - both for
and against the unions - revealed fear, resolve, defiance, skepticism
and anger. Regardless of which emotion displayed, the common theme was a
deep concern over Vallejo's future. That deep concern could prove to become the city's salvation. |
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| Will Tuesday night's vote endanger the city? Will people
die because there will be fewer firefighters and paramedics? Will crime
rise because there are fewer police positions? The
answers? Maybe. Maybe. And, maybe. |
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| But
don't despair. Vallejo and its residents, despite years of acrimony,
fiscal scandals and crises, city manager fiascoes and even dirty
politics, have shown resiliency and a desire to keep their pride and joy
alive. Regardless of anyone's take on Tuesday's vote, that resiliency
won't disappear. In abundance at the council meeting were people on both
sides standing up to proclaim in their own ways how deeply they love
this city and want to protect its viability. |
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| That
said, however, anyone even leisurely following this six-month chapter of
this years-long saga, will not soon forget the bitterness, harsh words,
exaggerated charges and the suspicions that permeated this battle and
threaten to pollute it in the coming months. A healing process should
begin, but too many scabs have been ripped off to hope for anything
positive anytime too soon. |
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| An
arbitrator will rule someday whether the cuts are permitted or if the
city must restore the cuts under the council-approved contract signed
when times were lean, but not quite so much as now. If the city loses
the arbitration battle, residents will lose. If the public safety unions
lose, residents will not win. |
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| Some
firefighters, however, have signaled that they and their families are no
longer willing to flounder in this period of uncertainty. They likely
will be lost to other cities, moves which may solve part of the fiscal
problem, but could lead to others down the road. |
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| At this fight's core are two elements that existed during previous union-city discussions - trust and cooperation. Neither element is evident now. We won't assign blame for this because we lack enough fingers to point to those on both sides who may be culpable. |
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| Trust and cooperation could, however, reappear. For that to happen, city residents must demand that those in the middle of this power struggle begin engaging in a healthy dose of pride-swallowing, disentrenchment and compromise. |
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| Residents clearly showed Tuesday night that they lack neither in spirit nor passion about Vallejo. Now's the time for them and others to apply those emotions and push those at this quagmire's center to reach a resolution, before this stalemate becomes even uglier. |
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| Can such a resolution happen? It indeed can, and if what we heard Tuesday night from some truly concerned Vallejoans is any indication, it will. |
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