I was left with more questions than answers after last night’s city council meeting addressing Alameda Point. For me, the only answer came in the form of a 4-0 vote (Lena Tam abstaining) declaring that the City of Alameda would sever its contract with land developer Suncal, leaving Alameda Point to wallow in another 13 years of inactivity.
And now, the questions…
Why did Lena Tam abstain from voting? At first it seemed she was admitting guilt to the accusations laid against her by Interim City Manager (ICM) Ann Marie Gallant by not voting. However, according to The Island’s Michele Elleson, Tam “didn’t feel comfortable making a decision” because the city staff actually withheld vital decision-making documents from the Councilmembers. City staff would not share Suncal’s best and final development offer or City Attorney Teresa Highsmith’s opinion on the city’s legal exposure. So was it simply a confidentiality issue with Lena Tam? Doesn’t look like it. Even neutral Councilwoman Marie Gilmore was not able to read the documents.
The city staff seems to be claiming that their analysis of the Pro Forma, DDA, Navy Terms Sheet and ENA is sufficient, without giving elected officials an opportunity to come to that conclusion on their own. I commend Lena Tam. She stood up and protested. She refused to swallow someone else’s questionable answers to complex questions, and instead wanted to test the city staff’s conclusion by working through it herself. This is what I expect out of my elected officials. It is unfortunate that the Alameda city staff obstructs this kind of action.
What will happen to the city employees? As I understand it, Suncal’s escrow account bankrolls a number of city employees (see awkward argument between Frank Faye and Ann Marie Gallant in the April 20 City Council meeting over this very subject). Will they now be let go?
What’s next? Suncal points to a lawsuit while the city staff doesn’t seem to have a direction (surprise). Wouldn’t it be a joke if the city just took all of Suncal’s development materials and did it themselves…?
On a lighter note, I was very impressed with the city council meeting turnout. It’s great to see residents stand up and hold their elected and appointed officials accountable. Keep it up, Alameda.
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Since the City budget cannot support all those staffers on its own, they and their (perhaps) limited expertise will go away, too.
ReplyDeleteThe high cost and complexities of redeveloping AL will, unfortunately, not go away. What kind of "gel" was Doug deHaan talking about? Is he thinking of some magic elixir that will remake Suncal's opponents into redevelopment and cleanup experts overnight?