Last Updated on June 18, 2013 by Paulette Brown-Hinds
(NNPA) Having a backbone means having the courage to speak up for yourself and others, taking a position and holding it, taking risks and being trusted. Only a select few in public leadership, especially in the City of San Bernardino have the mental or spiritual backbone of courage to demonstrate it and go against the political opinion of the city attorney.
Well San Bernardino City Clerk Gigi Hanna has taken on the political opinion of City Attorney Jim Penman and the actions of the mayor and council to take over her duties as city clerk to oversee the city’s recall election of the mayor, all seven members of the council, and the city attorney.
It was the opinion of Penman that Hanna should recuse herself from her duties since she has been issued a separate recall notice not related to the original recall. Penman’s political opinion did not take into consideration that the city charter gives election responsibilities to a city elected clerk, which in this case is Hanna.
At the last council meeting, Penman went so far as to recommend an outside law firm back up his political opinion to advise the mayor and council to give this election process to the city manager and be supervised by four council members. These council members were selected by the drawing of four short straws. During my observation of this process, council member John Valdivia tried to get out of serving with Virginia Marques, Fred Shorett and Rikke Van Johnson who also drew short straws. In my opinion he did not want to serve with them because they usually vote in opposition to him.
After the meeting, Hanna decided to seek her own outside legal advice from the San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters Office, the Secretary of State’s Office, the City Clerk’s Association of California and private legal council and on June 10th issued a statement that, she will not step aside from her duties as the municipal election official in the current efforts to recall the mayor, Common Council and City Attorney.
She went on to say, “Not only does the council not have a right to amend the Charter without a vote of the people, neither do I.” To which I agree.
I have often wished that the mayor and city council seek outside legal council against some of Penman’s long winded political opinions during council meetings. In my opinion the city would not be in its current mess if they had done so. It is often after his political opinions the council spends money they do not have or reallocates it on things that have not been properly vetted for accuracy by staff.
I want to commend Gigi Hanna for standing up for the citizens of the city against the vested interest of Penman and the inept mayor and some council members. I say some because Shorett and Van Johnson have taken on Penman and his unqualified opinions in the past, however they have not done so in the way and style of Hanna.
The city can be proud of the way Hanna is conducting herself in carrying out the responsibilities of her office. I wonder which elected official is behind the one individual who says Hanna is not doing her job and wants her recalled?
Hanna deserves our support to continue to do the job we elected her to do. We need someone who is not afraid to stand up and speak up for what is right. She does not use intimidation nor toss out false accusations about people like some at city hall.
In my opinion, Hanna deserves our support for having the courage and integrity to show us what being a watchdog for the people should do when confronted by misguided political opinions by other elected officials.