The Mayor and his friends have played a cruel joke on San Jose citizens. By co-opting the concepts of “open government”, “transparency”, “sunshine” and similar expressions, they have created the San Jose Way that in reality has the opposite effect.
We are at the high point of the city budget season. There are budget meetings throughout this month in every council district to let us, concerned citizens, “have a say” in what happens to our tax dollars. This is after the highly structured games that we played in January; the carefully constructed poll of the residents, and the study sessions controlled by the administration.
We are told that our participation in the process has an impact. We are praised for coming and expressing our opinions. The platitudes and appreciation are such that Shakespeare may have said, “Methinks, you doth do praise too much.”
However, the reality is that City Hall listens very little. The Mayor and his administration are quite closed to new ideas, new strategies, and letting the people set the priorities. Oh yes, every once in a while some small tokens will be given, but the history of the last seven plus years is that this Mayor’s City Hall is a closed shop and not really interested in the concerns of the people.
In law, we refer to this as a Kangaroo Court. The outcome has been pre-decided. The City is only going through the motions to create the appearance of openness and transparency. Clearly, the sonata has been written and we are merely the audience listening to only one note.
A better way would be to start the budget process with an open whiteboard, putting all the ideas on the paper, listening to all viewpoints and creating the priorities through interaction, negotiation and cooperation. Letting the people participate in all of the budget and not just on a part of it. Making sure that information is shared. The City Auditor said a couple of years ago, that there were consultant contracts that even she couldn’t find.
If we truly want an open City where our diversity is our strength, the voters need to make their voices heard in June and November. We have the power to create a San Jose Way that is innovative, truly open and the place where participatory democracy is given life.
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