FOSTER’S STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS: WE HAVE NOTHING TO FEAR BUT FACTS
By LBReport.com
It’s apparent to us, and we believe it’s quietly apparent to more than a few others, that Mayor Bob Foster fears certain facts about the current state of the City of Long Beach.
Now in his second half decade in office, Mayor Foster’s 2012 State of the City message [text as prepared for delivery, click here] criticized others for problems Long Beach faces—some of them problems which, in our opinion, are of his own making. Meanwhile, Foster commended himself and his Council allies (several liked the speech) for actions that in our view tried to camouflage troubling realities.
2 Comments
“Feared Fact #5: Mayor Foster (who spoke of the need to hold elected officials accountable) told voters who elected him (in) 2006 that he’d put 100 more police officers on the street within four years.”
The challenge, here, is not so much that politicians running for elected office sometimes make unreasonable assurances, but that so many in our community seem to accept them at face value and then indicate displeasure when said assurances prove hollow.
No Mayor in Long Beach has the individual statutory authority to hire even one additional police officer, let alone 100. When Foster tossed out that particular campaign line in 2006, rather than swallow it hook, line, and sinker, folks should have simply laughed and respectfully reminded Foster that neither he nor any other Mayor has or ever had the authority to do what he was assuring he would on that score.
The closest he might have come would have been to veto any annual City budget that did not include net increases in police officer staffing and this he most certainly did not do. But neither would it have likely made any difference if he had because any such veto would have certainly been promptly over-ridden.
Clearly the monied Carpet Bagger in Chief will,forever more stand as
the poster child of what never to elect. Like Gary De Long he simply lacks
the requiste DNA to become effective.
It goes well beyond that fact he does not know–or that he does not
know–he doies not know. He simply does not care!!!!
From day one when he rode into town with his posse of equallly disconnected ex Sacramento mail clerks-so void of any understanbding
of the communities comprising this City–Fosteriaation is proving to be
the runitation of the City.
Miffed at those in his party and Sacramento who have essentially now
banished him to Coventry–( for good reason-)he,like our current City Manager,( who Foster lobbied for-coirrectlky sizeing him up as one who
he could bully-untlike the former Assistant Manager-who would have
no hesitatiion about telling Foster—how much of a diaster Fosterization is-)
should go-and go now.
With that in mind the dilligent on the Council should begin the search for
a new City Manager as the people begin their search for a new Mayor—
one that has the true interest in the City as the center piece of their
platform====leaving Foaster and West to waddle doen to the statioin
platform–and depart.
Laurence B. Goodhue
Long Beach