Yesterday I received my third notification from the City of Berkeley telling me that my term as a Commissioner had ended after 8 consecutive years. This is not news to me, but this, the third envelope with $1.26 of postage on it contained a notifcation that had an edge of urgency to it, as if perhaps I didn't know yet, and they were worried I might turn up with my nameplate and take my place in the tiny room in the North Berkeley Senior Centre on the third Wednesday of the month and try to pass myself off as an important person. The Berkeley Citizens Humane Commisison is about as ineffectual a body as there ever was when it comes to their legal mandate 'to oversee conditions in all animal shelters in Berkeley and to advise Council on the care, control and laws pertaining to animals', and I put in my time because I took seriously the notion that city commissions could move progressive policy forward through this process. In fact, I'm gonna blow my horn just a bit - virtually every piece of progressive change relating to animals over the last 10 years in Berkeley (even before I was on the Commission) is because of my efforts. Such an uncharacteristic lack of humility, Jill.
Notification # 3 came with the legally mandated 'Statement of Economic Interest' which every serving City Commissioner must fill in, and which unbeknownst to me has to be filled in by every leaving Commisioner within 30 days of leaving. But you'd think that the City Clerk's office might be aware of when their City Commissioners leave office and in this slightly urgent letter an assistant analyst says that my leaving has just come to her attention and I'd better fill in the form fast or I will be subject to fines and other penalties. Oops. I'm imagining myself shackled as I leave my house to go on my dog walk and a few Berkeley traffic cops spring from behind the bushes.
She also generously lets me know that my dedicated service has been appreciated enormously by the City and in expression of their appreciation please 'accept the enclosed certificate'. And there, instead of the precious waste of paper known as a certificate of appreciation is a yellow post-it with a handwritten note 'Certificate To Follow'.
Quite a few people encouraged me to bend the rules a bit when it comes to the 8 year termination. It's been done before. You quit 3 weeks before your term is up and then another Council member whose agenda you support, appoints you a week after the next meeting. Hey presto, another 8 year term and just one meeting missed, to break the consecutve 8 year rule. Personally, I think that stinks, even though there is currently a Commissioner in Berkeley who I think should be appointed for life because without him the city would be even closer to shoving development and sweetheart deals for the rich down our already congested throats.
But this little example of bureacratic nonsense galls me in light of the amount of my property taxes and especially in light of the fact that Berkeley is a city breathtakingly riddled with cronyism and back room deals. And progressive council members struggle valiantly to keep the University of California and local real estate developers somewhat in check, difficult with a developer in the Mayor's office. The home of the Free Speech movement in the 60's has made alternative speech extremely costly in the new millenium. I have written back to the City Clerk, dutifully sending in my required documents and asking her to please not to waste any more paper or postage on the missing certificate. My message was bluntly 'Stuff It'.
"Stuff it." Now, if this were the Berkeley it ought to be, you'd find a beautifully embroidered pillow-certificate in your mail sometime soon.
Posted by: Ron Sullivan | April 25, 2011 at 07:58 PM