As the process of revisiting Stockton’s founding document inched forward this week — with a citizens’ panel suggesting changes that city councilmembers and possibly voters will decide — Stocktonians may be wondering: what’s the point?
Since fall, council members have debated a seemingly obscure paragraph in the city charter regarding Stockton’s public information officers.
But there’s more to the debate than meets the eye.
It boils down to a decision about how much power the city manager and mayor should have over city staff and information. In November, council members formed a citizen board whose recommendations could be the first step in shifting that balance of power.
“I’m perfectly OK … for (the mayor) to have a spokesperson,” Councilmember Michael Blower said Thursday. “But to have a political person being in charge of the city (information) doesn’t make sense to me.”
Not everyone agrees.
Who speaks for the city?
More than 20 years ago, Stockton gave its mayors some power over official city communications.