Our greatness today rests in the hearts of those who are committed to unselfishly serve our community. Serving as a councilmember of a city is probably the most rewarding and exciting job anyone could imagine. It is not only an honor to serve but a privilege. I was disappointed when I read that some cities would not be holding elections for council because of the lack of interest to be involved. I understand the disappointment in government today with the way things are being managed in Washington and in Sacramento. In my opinion local government service is the backbone of our governmental system. What newly elected leaders will experience will be unlike any other experience they have had. There is much more to this job than you realize.
Local government service is where the rubber meets the road, that is to say, this is where the people have the strongest voice and are heard. Policy makers at this level stand together with confidence; are united in purpose and have a vision for the future of their communities. Cities have had to do more collaboration and think more regionally as we carefully model new designs for providing services to our residents without compromising the “personality” of our communities. Additional challenges to our cities have emerged over the years, and the candidates running for a seat on the council will need to have the dedication, commitment and the leadership to be able to move our city forward.
The number one issue facing all cities is the imposition of our dysfunctional state government. The trickle down effect of this state budget crisis and the total economic upheaval has forced policy makers to make serious adjustments in the way business is done locally. As I have heard it said: “When the State government sneezes, local government agencies catch pneumonia.” Running local government successfully is hard work and it requires serious commitment and time.
I recently attended the League of California Cities Annual Conference in San Francisco. The theme was “Cities Standing Strong for Cities.” The League serves as a leading advocate for the interests of California cities; to protect local control for cities. Local policy makers are continuously wading through the murky waters of uncertainty while looking at creative ways of providing services to the residents as state government continues to chip away at local government controls. You should be aware that since the People of California passed Proposition 22 last year, which stops the state from borrowing or grabbing local funds to mitigate their budget issues, the legislature has embarked on a wave of bills and activity that is basically lashing back at us for passing this law. It started with the elimination of redevelopment agencies and the creation of the substitute “ransom bill” which requires cities to pay in order to continue with redevelopment, (this will be decided by the Supreme Court in January). Other bills like AB 710 “Land Planning”; AB 438 “County Free Libraries”; and AB 646 “Imposes Compulsory Fact Finding…”; just to name a few are all an intrusion by the State on local government control and there are more. Many of these bills should be of concern to local government agencies because they continue to strip control away from our cities. I encourage the public and those running for our city council seats to be more informed about these bills by going on to the League of California Cities’ web site, press advocacy and then bill search to read about the “hot bills” that have an effect on local government as these bills could have tremendous impact on the way we can plan for the future.
So what are the issues facing Foster City for the new council? I would say a very important issue is the need to be vigilant about decisions made on the state level that affect local government because they can have an impact on our budget, land planning, economic development and the way we do our business.
We live in a well-managed city right now and have been blessed to have had the type of leadership sitting in those council chairs that have positioned this city to where it is today. We are financially solid; we have the leadership who reacted quickly to adverse issues and made the tough choices where necessary. I have been a part of a team, that through differing opinions, has been able to provide the right solutions and leadership that keeps Foster City on a solid course. I am proud to be a part of this level of our governmental system and I encourage others to consider serving at this level as well. Be involved!
Please comment on this and other issues. Email me at lkoelling@fostercity.org.
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