At the recent May 14 La Mesa City Council meeting Mayor Art Madrid requested $2,000 to attend a convention in La Vegas hosted by the US Conference of Mayors. When rightfully questioned by members of the city council as to the value of the event, the entire viewing public was treated with halting defensive explanations that were filled intermittent pauses, fumbling of papers, citing of nondescript collegial benefits, protests that no one ever cared in the past about his travel, and unsubstantiated claims of millions of dollars in grants brought home almost single-handedly. For a moment, it appeared Superman had forgone the blue tights and red cape for khaki pants and an aloha print shirt. Fortunately, the rest of the council wisely saw through the dizzying flurry of self-congratulating oral obfuscations and declined to second the request. The council majority is to be commended on the important work of taking steps to gain control over unnecessary and poorly purposed spending, no matter the amount.
In listening to the Mayor strain to justify this expense something caught my attention. At one point he said regarding travel, "The interaction with colleagues is of significant benefit.” Really? If this is true, why did the Mayor not openly share the 28 January 2013 US Conference of Mayors letter to the President he signed requesting stricter gun control on the masses? How is it he was be able to join with New York Mayor Bloomberg and Chula Vista Mayor Cox and not talk with the people he sits with twice a month at council meetings?
There have been six city council meetings since the USCM letter was issued, yet not one word was said about his plea to the President. Regardless of where one stands on that issue, why was it not brought up in a council meeting that the rest of the council, and in fact all of La Mesa, could weigh in before he signed to particular position that gives the impression he speaks for all of us? Could it be he knows his local colleagues, and probably the majority of citizens, would object to his promoting personal political views while on taxpayer funded travel?
Given the lack of communication with others locally, one must conclude the Mayor signed on to the letter as a personal political statement. As a citizen, this is his right to do. But, the taxpayers fund the Mayors participation in the U.S. Conference of Mayors. This means his time with the USCM is official city business. As such, the Mayor is using taxpayer money to promote his personal political views. As an elected official, this is not his right to do! Sadly, this is not the first time this Mayor has engaged in acts of personal political lobbying in conjunction with organizations, or on travel trips funded by, the citizens of La Mesa. Historical patterns of behavior are a strong indication of future acts. In other words, leopards don't change their spots. This mayor has twenty plus years in office and the taxpayers have spent tens of thousands of dollars spent on dozens of taxpayer funded junkets far and wide. One has to seriously wonder now how many similar unknown documents promoting his personal views are floating around. Future elected officials do not need the burden of waiting to see what could eventually surface. The heavens only know how the city may be committed to something no one knew about.
Trust is a precious thing. Once lost, it is not easily regained. This mayor has demonstrated time and again that he will commingle his personal political desires with claimed public objectives. Has the mayor been remiss or forgetful in disclosing the full measure of his city sponsored activity when he travels or is involved with outside groups? We may never know and what's done is done! The many years of taxpayers funding his travel and participation with private groups such as the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the National League of Cities, the Local Government Commission, and the Mayors Innovation Project (to name a few) must come to a close.
"The majority City Council is rightfully reasserting its control over public spending that subsidized such rogue behavior. But more remains to be done. Whatever actual substantive measurable public benefit came from participation with those organizations must now be obtained through transparent, publicly vetted, and less costly ways."
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