News
News Coverage: The Council Presidency
Council Presidency Rotating…
Many news cycles ago (on Monday), the big City Hall story was Councilmember Jane Brunner’s selection as City Council president — a position Councilmember Ignacio De La Fuente (Glenview-Fruitvale) had held since its inception 10 years ago.
Now there’s talk that the council presidency should rotate on a regular basis, so as to preclude someone from holding the position for so long.
One of the strongest voices for such a change is the newly sworn-in Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan (at-large).
“I personally believe that the council presidency is not about any one person,” she said, “but that it should be a regularly rotating position, and that person’s role would be to make sure to utilize the best skills of everyone on the council.”
Kaplan is a former AC Transit board member. The transit board rotates the presidency every two years.
“That’s what AC Transit does,” she said. “What Oakland does, we don’t know yet.”
Others are a bit more guarded than Kaplan.
Brunner said that she is thinking the idea over, though she doesn’t want the selection of a council president to be automatic.
Her point: The board’s president should have the support of his or her colleagues — not just be the next person waiting in line.
De La Fuente gave a somewhat cryptic comment on the matter, but it wasn’t too hard to see which way he’s leaning.
“I believe in a system that allows the recognition of leadership and people that provide that,” he said. “That’s as far as I’m going to go. “… I’m very sure it will be an item that will be discussed, and I will take a position then.”
