Posted on 05/02/2008 8:08:35 AM PDT by SmithL
Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums, nearly 18 months in office, still reacts like a rookie to the most important events that affect the lives of city residents.
When major breaking news has occurred while he was away, Dellums' office has issued generic, one-paragraph statements that are not only vague but leave the impression that he doesn't understand the city and the impact that such events have on the people who live there.
His dispatches from afar no doubt are intended to convey a sense that the mayor is on the case, but they have the opposite effect - highlighting his emotional, intellectual and physical distance from the issue.
Consider the case last week of 7-year-old Zachary Cataldo, whose skull was fractured after an older student at Piedmont Avenue Elementary School allegedly assaulted him after school. The story caused immediate outrage and brought national attention on Oakland.
Two days after the news broke, the mayor responded from South Africa, where he had traveled to accept that nation's highest award for his efforts as a congressman to help end apartheid.
"This is a horrific circumstance for a parent or school family to face," Dellums said in statement released to the public. "My office has been in contact with school district officials to monitor this investigation and to expand safety precautions for Oakland schools."
Complicating matters, the Dellums-led South Africa trip - which included meetings and tours with Port of Cape Town and city officials to promote a sister relationship between the ports - received $5,000 from the Port of Oakland, port spokeswoman Libby Schaff said.
Dellums was out of Oakland for nearly two weeks,
...He seems to be absent - or at least out of sync with the community - when major events hit the city he is supposed to lead.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
This reminds me of a newspaper headline shown on the Simpsons TV show, “Mayor Visits City”.
He was laying a wreath at Robert Mugabe’s grave.
Shocking! He was such a hard worker as a Congressman.
That is what happens when you elect a communist Mayor. He will always be off sucking on the taxpayers tit.
I met his daughter once. What a dysfunctional family. It was a real insight (think Clintons). She went on and on about “black politicians as victims” too. Go figure.
A question for liberals: Why is it you elect incompetent big government boobs time and again, and then complain about the current state of affairs?
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