Last week, Gary Sirbu’s “My Word” submission to the Oakland Tribune highlighted numerous problems with the Measure Y Oversight Committee, and noted that one of its members is, get this, a high school student. Yeah, that’s right, Nancy Nadel appointed a high school student to be her representative in charge of overseeing community policing and violence prevention programs with a $20 million annual budget. And the City Council approved it - unanimously!
Now, Michael E. Brown, the appointee, has an impressive resume - for a high school student. He’s taken welding and blacksmithing classes at The Crucible. Good for him. I’ve taken classes there too. He’s a “Youth Assistant” at “The Attitudinal Healing Connection.” Guess that gives him some good experience with the types of programs Measure Y works with. Oh, wait, isn’t that a program that gets Measure Y funds? Isn’t that some sort of conflict of interest? Hmmmm. He’s also in the Skyline High marching band. Go Titans! He’s got a GPA of “2.50-3.50.” Never heard of a flexible GPA, but it's been a while since I was in high school. In his submission letter to Ms. Nadel, he states that he wants to “set a good example” and “make a difference.” Very original. He goes on, “I believe in violence prevention, fire safety, etc.” Well, thank god for that!
I would have liked to meet the young lad at the meeting on Monday, but he wasn’t there. Maybe he was grounded. Or had too much homework.
Apparently, young Mr. Brown’s qualifications, or lack thereof, received some criticism at the time he was appointed (this past spring), but any concerns were shrugged off with assertions that it would be good to have a representative from the community served by Measure Y. Huh? Does this mean we should appoint a dog to the Animal Control Board? How about appointing a convicted felon to the Police Review Board? Better yet, a four-year-old to the “Kids First” Oversight Committee! Will the insanity never end?
Then there’s the conflict of interest issue. I did a Public Records Request for all Form 700s ever submitted by members of the Measure Y Oversight Committee. This form recently received attention because Mayor Dellums didn’t fill his out correctly - he failed to disclose payment for a trip to South Africa. Now he’s facing more public scrutiny and a significant fine. The forms are required annually for all public officials, who must disclose all sources of income, including gifts over $50.00, to ensure an absence of any conflict of interest. Guess what? No member of the MYOC has EVER submitted a Form 700. Go figure.
I’ve submitted a public ethics complaint regarding the matter. My first ethics complaint, which will be set for hearing in January, involved the City’s failure to provide adequate and timely responses to my previous requests, including failure to disclose email addresses for members of the MYOC. The City claimed it was justified in withholding the email addresses on the grounds that this was “private information.” The ultimate irony is that when I asked for a copy of Mr. Brown’s resume, it was promptly provided, with his email address, home address, home phone, and cell phone numbers all included! But I’ll keep that to myself….
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
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Marleen, again. Thank you. I know you have your detractors - but our electeds must be held accountable. A high school student is partially responsible for a $20 million annual budget? Seriously? Ah, yes. Nancy Nadel. Illegal blacktop sidewalk woman.
ReplyDeleteAlso, these days, 2.50 - 3.50 = community college in Mississippi. I had a 4.0 back when it meant something.
Wow Marleen, quite impressed with your work. How do we get somebody like you to move down to San Juan Capistrano! Brilliant effort.
ReplyDeleteHey Marleen, I'm glad to see you have kept yourself busy and informed with the politics of your community but I would like to say that under no circumstances is youth a disadvantage or cause to prevent one from effectively executing his/her responsibilities. I am personally acquainted with Mr. Brown and am very much aware of his abilities as a young man and participant in the work force. It is true that he has taken welding classes and black smithing classes, but that is nothing to be scrutinized for. Mr. Brown has worked with the Attitudinal Healing Connection for a number of years, but has not been allowed to vote on any issues concerning said organization to avoid any speculation of conflict of interests. I would like to remind you that Mr. Brown is not solely responsible for the allocation of the $20 million; many others share that responsibility with him. In closing I would like to say that this blog is beginning to look a lot like a witch hunt for wrong doing in the institution with which you are currently at odds with. I do not believe that you lashing out at a minor that is willing to volunteer his time to work on something he believes in will solve your conflict. I cannot believe that a young man that has so much going on is being condemned rather than applauded. I would also like to suggest that you be informed about the actual proceedings of the Measure Y Oversight Committee before you begin crying "Conflict of Interests!"
ReplyDelete~Concerned Community Member
Wow! Are you ok? You seem really angry. Looks like you are greatly misinformed on many things, including the fact that many decision making bodies that make funding decisions that impact youth for the city of Oakland have youth seats including the Planning and Oversight Committee for Measure OO (used to be Measure K) which allocates millions to fund children and youth programs as well. Did you really think of the purpose of Measure Y? Violence Prevention! Violence plagues our community and our youth. People who understand youth leadership and development practices understand the value of youth voice in decisions that impact them. You obviously have no respect for Oaklands young people or Oakland as a city or you would lash your misguided anger towards the folks you seem to really be upset with (Nancy and the mayor). How dare you compare a blossoming young man who has contributed greatly to his city and community to a dog and felon. That was quite tacky, ruthless and demeaning. Don't you think our young people have suffered enough. Maybe you should take a history lesson or two or ten, and find out the root causes for many of the problems in Oakland. As a lawyer, I would think you would do better research. Take some time and research the facts.
ReplyDelete-Mia (Oakland Native)
I am quite sure that young Mr. Brown is a bright, upstanding and hardworking kid. But he has no business being on a committee whose function is to oversee proper implementation of a ballot measure so complex that even our elected officials and city attorneys don't understand it.
ReplyDeleteYes, I know that Kids First also has "youth" on the oversight committee, but it is a requirement of the law, which I voted against. The idea of having children on oversight committees for Measure Y or Measure OO is sheer lunacy, and that was clearly the point of my post. The purpose of these committees is not to pad resumes and give people "experience." It is to provide genuine oversight of an enoroumous budget and ensure proper execution of the legal mandates. The Measure Y Oversight Committee has failed miserably in its performance to date. Had they been doing their job correctly, my lawsuit would never have been necessary. Of course, none of that was Mr. Brown's fault, because he was not on the MYOC at the time, but rest assured, he's not going to be able to do any better than the rest of them. He simply does not have the depth of understanding or critical thinking skills necessary to be able to do the job correctly, by virtue of his lack of experience and his age. I was a bright and energetic high school student myself once, and there is no way that at 16, I would have had the vaguest understanding of how to read the reports presented to the MYOC, ask relevant questions, make motions, make decisions on motions etc. No friggin way. It has nothing whatsoever for disrepecting young people.
Of course I think Mr. Brown should resign, but the post was not a personal attack. Mr. Brown, although he is only 16 years old, has allowed himself to be put in a public position, and if he can't stand the heat, he should get out of the kitchen. But to set the record straight, the real subject of my ire here was Nancy Nadel, whose decision is, in my opinion, clearly worthy of mockery.