McConnell considers different format in first Mayor’s Message
This past week Robert McConnell was sworn in as the new Vallejo mayor, as he replaced Bob Sampayan. In his first Mayor’s Message, he is already looking for change, specifically with the public having more involvement with the council.
“Thank you Vallejo, for selecting me as your new Mayor. This first message to my community is the first of many to come!,” McConnell said. “All council members are aware of the problems our community faces, the needs of our fellow residents and businesses, the financial limitations of our City, and the lack of staff we currently have. What the council needs now are new solutions that will work for our community. These solutions must be achievable; otherwise, they are just dreams and desires, not obtainable goals. Together, council and the Vallejo community can measure our successes over time with the accomplishment of milestones.”
McConnell asked the council to be “fresh when the action calendar is presented and said he will ask the public and the council to address issues, but not personalities. Otherwise, as a City we run the risk of duplicating what recently occurred in our nation’s capitol. We need to be better than that. We are better than that.”
McConnell also brought up considering a different format in the session for the annual goal-setting time. Recently the Vallejo City Council has drawn criticism for not allowing citizens to speak enough, whether in person before the pandemic hit or more recently on Zoom.
“The format that has been suggested is to include the community by having each council member appoint four to five members of the public who would actively participate in creating feasible goals with council,” McConnell said. “It only makes sense that the candidates selected would be a fair cross-section of our uniquely diverse community, allowing all voices to be heard. The final selection of candidates would still be up to the council.
“For now, I ask that you consider that approach and other ideas that will create a more inclusive process for our community members when it comes to Council’s goal-setting session,” McConnell continued. “Myself and your other city council members would appreciate your thoughts on this new suggestion.”
McConnell said people could reach him directly with those suggestions at robert.mcconnell@ cityofvallejo.net.
“As Will Rogers, America’s cowboy philosopher, observed, ‘Show me a man or woman who cannot change his or her mind, and I will show you a person who can never change the world.’ How about it Vallejoans? Are we ready to change our city for the better? Let’s do this, together!”
“The format that has been suggested is to include the community by having each council member appoint four to five members of the public who would actively participate in creating feasible goals with council. It only makes sense that the candidates selected would be a fair cross-section of our uniquely diverse community, allowing all voices to be heard.”
— Robert McConnell