Reinventing City Government

Speaker Series

When the city first filed for bankruptcy, it was my hope that we'd have the opportunity (and "breathing space") to  examine the city's fiscal structure and "how we do business" from the ground up, looking at and evaluating other models of providing municipal services and managing the city. From that process, I assumed we, as a community, would make thoughtful, well-researched and calculated choices that would take the city in a new and rejuvenated direction--one that we so desperately need. While we are making incremental changes, there is still much work to be done.

With that in mind, I'm launching a fall speaker's series that attempts to address the budget process, service delivery and how we approach employee compensation. The city benefits  from an engaged public when developing new ideas and reviewing best practices that attempt to tackle our toughest fiscal and social problems. Stay tuned for more information.

"Yes on Measure A" - Now what?

We did it! Although we were outspent 8-1, we were able to remove binding interest arbitration from the Vallejo City Charter and, after 41 years, return local control of your tax payer dollars to the Vallejo City Council--the people you elected to office to represent you.  

In place of binding interest arbitration, the City of Vallejo will use the Meyers-Milias Brown (MMB) Act to resolve labor disputes and uphold existing contracts--the same State Law that most labor unions in the State of California rely upon and are governed by.

At any time, the city council and its bargaining units can mutually agree to add provisions and measures to MMB that would provide additional protections to employees' labor rights. 

The Council's ability to completely control the budget will not occur overnight, however, because three of the four labor contracts were established prior to the removal of binding interest arbitration from the city charter. Those contracts do not expire until 2012 and 2013. Still, we are building for the future. A future that puts the city council in the fiscal drivers seat--no excuses--and, over the long term, Vallejo citizens can hold the Council fully accountable for the city's budget.

Almost every August my family descends upon Western Massachusetts to get our fill of blueberry pancakes with real Maple syrup at Gould's Sugarhouse, lobster rolls and clam strips at Pete's Seafood, a good old fashion (and cheap!) breakfast at Foxtowne Café, a pint of home brew and a wholesome meal at the People's Pint, and the perfect fountain Sundae at Baker's Pharmacy. Of course, there's also the requisite humidity beyond belief and mosquitoes the size of Pterodactyls. As you can see, however, most of our vacation revolves around food--either eating it or planning to eat it!

This year, however, I ventured off for a solo day trip to the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA) in North Adams, Massachusetts--only my second visit there. While the art exhibit was interesting, I was more intrigued by the fact that the museum is housed in a former industrial mill (circa late 1700's) that had two other lives as a print shop and finally the home of Sprague Electric Company before becoming today's MASS MoCA.

The museum includes several brick buildings sprawled across 13 industrial acres with two concreted aquaducts winding through the estate just a few blocks from the Downtown. In addition to being home to New England's premier contemporary art museum, it also holds live concerts and music festivals and offers additional lease space for non-profit organizations and private businesses (e.g., attorneys, designers). With a series of seemingly random courtyards wedged between 40 plus foot high brick buildings, the property is ideal for setting up multiple stages, bars and outdoor cafes. The day I arrived, the entire museum and its staff were gearing up for the three-day Solid Sound Music Festival (sponsored by Wilco).

As you can probably imagine, the setting reminded me of our very own Mare Island. There was something remarkably similar about the industrial look and feel of the old brick buildings and the strange metal scaffolding that permeated many views of the property. The two big questions that kept returning to me as I explored the grounds were: 1) Why a contemporary art museum here, in the middle of an old "forgotten" mill town surrounded by the Berkshire Mountains? and 2) How did they do it? How did the city turn a blighted and run down mill town into a regional hot spot (easily attested to by the high number of out-of-state license plates in the parking lot)? How did the city determine that a contemporary art museum would place North Adams back on the map as a regional arts and entertainment destination?

Well, as it turns out, the museum is the result of city leaders recognizing the potential of a tremendous city asset and the artistic needs of a regional college. In 1986, a year after Sprague Electrical Company closed, the political and business leaders of North Adams were seeking a way to use this vast industrial site in the center of town--sound familiar? Simultaneously, Dr. Thomas Krens, Director of Williams College Museum of Art at the time, was looking for vacant indoor space to exhibit large works of contemporary art. When the Mayor of North Adams suggested the former Sprague complex as an exhibition site, the idea of a contemporary art museum sprang to life.

In order to move the project forward, Joseph Thompson-a colleague of Dr. Krens at Williams College-spearheaded its launch and was named the museum's first founding director of MASS MoCA. As the Museum's website explains, "Thompson led the campaign to build political and community support for the proposed institution, which would serve as a platform for the creation and presentation of contemporary art, and develop links to the region's myriad of cultural institutions. The Massachusetts Legislature announced its support for the project in 1988. Subsequent economic upheaval in Massachusetts threatened the project, but broad-based support from the community and the private sector, which [at that point] pledged more than $8 million, ensured that it continued to move forward" (Copyright 2010, Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art). Visit the MASS MoCA website to learn more about its full history.

Am I promoting that we turn Mare Island (or any other part of the city) into an "artistic Mecca" based on MASS MoCA's experience? No. I am, however, advocating for innovative and creative thinking about how we face and deal with our own economic development challenges--let's not do business as usual. What would happen if Vallejo developed a project that used an existing asset or assets, satisfied a community, educational and/or regional need, and the entire political, business and public community was a 100% behind it and made a commitment to that effort? Imagine the possibilities!