Posted on 11/19/2010 12:30:07 PM PST by SmithL
Until his enormous ego got in the way - again - Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums was out of the woods, unencumbered of his mayoral responsibilities and free to look for his next professional challenge.
With only six weeks remaining until Oakland swears in Mayor-elect Jean Quan, Dellums, a one-term mayor, was doing just that - exploring the job market and looking for ways to parlay a 27-year career as a crusading, liberal congressman into annual income that would help pay off the $252,000 in back taxes that he and his wife owe to the Internal Revenue Service.
But instead of just fading away, the Quiet Mayor's irrepressible ego got the better of him. This is the same ego that compels him to wear designer suits, ride in chauffeur-driven limousines and encourage people to feel his abdominal muscles at every opportunity.
It's the same ego that has both overshadowed and largely defined his term in office.
Dellums' public image and persona and sense of self-importance precede him, and his commitment to the city - and the heavy lifting the mayor's job requires - has always played second fiddle.
This time, his hubris led Dellums to move up the city's annual State of the City address, which typically is delivered in January, to this month. That provided Dellums with one last shot at recasting his shoddy record, revising history to reflect his view - and providing salve for his easily bruised ego.
Or he could have simply addressed the residents of Oakland and delivered a respectable and heartfelt farewell.
But on Monday, three days before the scheduled speech, Dellums abruptly canceled, submitting instead a video tribute and a 68-page report listing his accomplishments. . . .
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Just wait until Jean Quon takes over. The term of Red Dellums will be remembered as the good old days!
Wow, if I didn’t know who he was and read that out of the SFC I would think he must have been a decent, conservative guy to rate that much venom from a writer there.
FOUND.
Grady, from Sanford & Son.
He looks 110 years old.
Grady wasn’t an evil, senile Stalinist.
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