Penman's request denied by council
In what could be an interesting sign of the times, City Attorney James F. Penman entreated the city council to give him the money for another deputy city attorney ...
Penman said his office needed to go from 10 to 11 attorneys to keep pace with a growing planning department, which was burying his office in new work. Penman even held up photographs of one of his attorneys whose desk and office were stacked high with unfinished legal work.
He asked for $121,600 to hire somebody. The council was skeptical, then split into dissent.
3rd Ward Councilman Tobin Brinker said it was "irresponsible to incur $120,000" in additional spending before identifying cuts in the budget. 2nd Ward Councilman Dennis Baxter promptly motioned to table - ie. delay until later - the motion and scuttle what was sure to be a heated debate.
7th Ward Councilwoman Wendy McCammack snapped that it was "unfair" for Mayor Pat Morris to grant the motion to table while other councilmembers, including herself and Chas Kelley, had their hands raised to speak.
The council voted 4-3 to table the motion, effectively denying Penman's request for the time being. Neil Derry, McCammack and Kelley voted no, with Brinker swinging over to the pro-mayor wing of the council with his vote. Penman faces election in November, so he could conceivably not be around much longer to ask for more staff.
"I understand what we did tonight, thank you," Kelley responded to Morris after being informed that the discussion would be discontinued due to rules regarding the tabling procedure.
What is clear is that Penman is so politicized, virtually every decision handled by the council regarding his office or an issue his office broaches (ie. parolees) becomes somewhat of a referendum on Penman himself.
city hall is more politicized than it has been in awhile. not sure who to blame, but the whole thing is silly and unproductive.
city hall is more politicized than it has been in awhile. not sure who to blame, but the whole thing is silly and unproductive.
It is our local political house, albeit nonpartisan. Politicized is what it is. The novelty is in alliances recently becoming public because of current events.
It appears more not befitting the decorum of the offices than silly.
I would concur this is most definitely unproductive for the agenda.
However, it promises to be most productive for voters seeking change at the polls.
Thanks to the 4 showing their “aces” at city hall, this casino town may soon hit the jackpot at the polls!
We See Your True Colors
Re: The Sun and Camp Morris unfair editorials
I would encourage any San Bernardino citizen to watch any of the TV reruns of the Monday September 17th Council meeting. This is well worth the time in that it shows how well you are represented, or in some Wards, how you are unrepresented. If you are unfortunate to be in the 1st,2nd, 3rd, or the 6th Wards, voters have no voice.
Council persons Derry, Kelly, McCammack, and our City Attorney, Jim Penman are always in an uphill battle to give their constituents the proper voice in City government. Ultimately, the whole City benefits from their actions.
At this particular meeting, Mr. Penman made some proposals that would help the City speed up the terribly slow process that contractors and builders face in the planning, development and permit processes. He also attempted once again to speed up help for the entire City in the regulating of unlicensed, unsupervised and sub-standard parolee housing situation. In both cases, Council member Brinker read a long prepared speech that parroted all the Mayor’s negative past views. This speech was the height of hypocrisy in its’ entire content. Brinker tap danced and skirted the issues in an attempt to hide his true colors. This attempt to conceal his “do-nothing” position is in my opinion, a way of political payback to those who endorsed his political aspirations. He should do something to help those who voted for him, thinking at the time he would represent them, not his political mentor, the Mayor.
It is sad to see Brinker join Council members Baxter, Estrada, and Van Johnson in the see nothing, hear nothing, and do nothing political camp allied with our rookie Mayor. The Mayor also wants to build upon this camp by recruiting an Orange County person from a law office to run for City Attorney with absolutely very minimal experience in City law. I sincerely hope you do tune in and watch this last Council meeting rerun. It is another eye opener.
It is despicable of the Sun to deal the low blow to Mr.Penman in the Wednesday 9-19-07 editorial page. In that same newspaper front page, two articles appear that show the frustration felt by Police and the County District Attorney Ramos as well. The Morris camp stalls and fights every effort by our City Attorney to fight crime in our City. Mr. Penman took the Council podium on Monday as a citizen pointing out facts. I doubt many of the Sun staff can say that they are San Bernardino citizens and know our problems.
Can the Sun, with all its resources, refute the facts as Mr. Penman presented them? I believe this paper took the same avenue taken by the N.Y. Times in trying to use smear tactics. This paper is smearing one of our citizens and our City Attorney, Jim Penman, in its’ editorial pages.
To SBSun blog
Why is it your editors praise County District Attorney Ramos for attempting to ensure the public safety by stemming the flow of parolees coming to our City in the Sunday Local section? When Jim Penman attempts to do the same thing, this same newspaper writes a long editorial condemning, belittling, and accusing him of political grandstanding. That very anti-Penman and anti-San Bernardino stance by the Sun in the Wednesday editorial goes hand in hand with the stumbling blocks the Mayor and his 4 close “yes type” Council people and The Sun always seem to place to any progress toward a safer and better secured City. Why is this group so anti-law and order? Does anyone have an answer. I know that one is a bailbonds person so that is in this person’s best interest to have an unsafe City. What about the others? Are they all so vested in putting in a type of “yes your honor” City Attorney in office that will not challenge or investigate any malfeasance being planned for the immediate future? Are they planning for the long haul and also trying to eliminate our very good business savvy Council people Derry, Kelley and McCammack? These three provide the only logic, sanity, reason, and accountability at the Council meetings. I assume also that the denial of additional help for the City Attorney’s office is tied to the fact that if the Mayor has his way, the stuff that would be closely scrutinized will not receive any attention from an over- burdened office or a green C.A.
San Bernardino is on a road of self-destruct, led by the grandstanding mayor... as a judge he put a program in place that was good for some until the crooks learned how to work the program...Once the system is learned by those it is supposed to help the blind eye goes up and the pampering begins... most of those involved in the legal system (i.e. judges, lawyers, bail bonds, property owners) get some sort of "kickback" from all of the programs in place to help "fix" all of "them people"... it is in the financial best interest of those to keep their client pool overcrowded... If the city were to aggressively enforce the already existing rules and laws all of the problems would go away... you would not have substandard housing for parolees, if the units were inspected and maintained according to the law or consequences applied to the "absentee landlords"...How is it that one management company can be respoonsible for 70-90% of blighted buildings in an area known or scheduled to be demolished, yet they are continually placing parolees or low-income tenants in them??? In order to get Code Enforcement to come and inspect you have to wait for months and then you have to sign granting permission to enter... most tenants in this situation will not want their names attached to the reporting because then comes the retaliation and you still get no help from the city...I have spoken with several of the "Players" on the council bench and they are very interesting... off of the bench some have very different views than those shown for the public viewing... it is truly sad that those sitting in the top seats are truly shady characters...The members who are concerned and trying to make a better city are out-numbered by who are being blindly led down the main street of self-destruct by your honor himself, Mr. Mayor!! This mayor seems to forget, kinda like our President, that this is not a position where his choice is THE CHOICE... If you try to go against his grain he gives that beady-eyed look and the frustration shows in his ignorance of the job he is supposed to be doing... There are times when the city clerk has to inform him of the proper procedures on matters before the board...And to think he has followers!!! SCARY!!! I can at least say I am a proud resident of the 7th Ward with a rep that stands and delivers as best she can considering the situation...
I viewed, I listened, it's scary!
This is a get rid of Pennman, the AIRPORT is coming, vote!
Folks, within about a year there is the (Morris) want to have many a private chartered plane flying over your heads constantly. And, in most cases very low as they take off and land.
Great amounts of noise, pollution and air pollution on a much larger scale than you can imagine. And, as long as we have a City Attorney (Pennman) looking out for the CITIZENS of the City there is a chance the man in charge of the airport - in case you don't know - is Pat Morris (The Mayor) will have his way coming and going on any and all projects without a single citizen having any say so about ANYTHING, PERIOD!
Full, Power! And, with a majority of Council people falling at his feet and doing his every whim.. and a new City Attorney .. doing his every bidding the Mayor will have more power than any one single person in the entire County of San Bernardino, California.
And, with that power can and turn homes, that aren't already, into worthless pieces of property, and into large transportation depots, as he has already said he wants to turn the area into!
Now, if you don't believe me go read Pat Morris's original profile about himself where he diffinetly insuates he is the only gifted person in this City with the abilites to lead it forward into the future and that future includes turning this City into a major transportation hub.. and that means.. down with you homes and up with major warehouse and container yards and Milions of trucks a year coming and going night and day 24/7 - 365 a year - along with the planes flying in and out constantly.
Now, guess why he wants his own choice for City Attorney.. he has to get past you and me.. without so much as a tug on the coat tail.. And, with Pennman in the way Morris (the Mayor) can't have the power to play games with you and me and destroy the Citizenship of this City of his Transportation Depots.
David,
In San Bernardino's heyday the base was open and planes were taking off and landing. This isn't going to be a new airport, but the revitalization of an airport stagnating since Clinton closed bases all across the nation.
And, for your edification, we are already a transportation hub ~ these are simply plans to expound upon the options available for our economic growth.
It is true that we were listing last week among the top in a POSITIVE LIGHT. I have posted the link to that elsewhere here but need to hit the track now ~ If you remind me, I will post it here for you, later.