I was very surprised to see advertisements in the October 29, 2014 issue (and again in the November 5, 2014, issue) of the Coronado Eagle Journal for an event on National Security and Climate Change co-sponsored by the Office of the Mayor of the City of Coronado, specifically since the City Council declined to sponsor the event at its October 7, 2014 meeting. As the Minutes of that meeting reflect, Ms. Denny, Mr. Bailey and Mr. Ovrom voiced concern about the City taking a position on global warming and “might want to distance themselves from it.” The final statement of the Minutes on this issue state, “The City will not sponsor this. Mayor Tanaka will personally co-sponsor and the applicants should pay the resident rate.” [Emphasis added.]
The above-referenced announcement does not say that the event is co-sponsored by Casey Tanaka, Coronado Resident, which would reflect a personal endorsement. No, the announcement uses the City Seal of Coronado and specifically states that the event is co-sponsored by the Office of the Mayor of the City of Coronado, which is a position of the Coronado City Government. This endorsement, and the use of the City Seal, seem to me to be a slap in the face of the intent of the City Council and an abuse of the mayor’s position. According to the “City of Coronado Administrative Procedures on Code of Ethics” dated June 2006, “The proper operation of democratic government requires that public officials and employees be responsible to the people That the government decisions and policy be made in the proper channels of the governmental structure pursuant to the procedures and restrictions established by the City of Coronado.” The identification of the Office of the Mayor appears to me to contradict the desire of the City Council as identified in the meeting Minutes.
I raised my concern to the Mayor and City Council at the November 4, 2014 City Council meeting. The Mayor disagreed with my assessment of the City Council’s decision by saying, to the effect, that there was agreement that he could co-sponsor as Mayor. Fortunately, the City Council meetings are recorded. The closing statement by the Mayor occurs at the 6 minute 35 second mark of the segment entitled “Consideration of Request that the Mayor Co-Sponsor Admiral Len Herring’s Speech to the Citizens Climate Lobby about how Global Warming is Affecting National Security ” accessible through the following link (item 13a): http://coronado.12milesout.com/PublicMeetings/MeetingVideo?ID=3225fa4d-67df-4f8d-b200-5555422813bf. In it you will hear the Mayor state, “My recommendation to the Council is that the City will not sponsor this event. Again, I’m happy to tell them I’m personally co-sponsoring it.” [Emphasis added.] I would argue that the use of the City Seal and reference to the Office of Mayor is not a personal sponsorship but a thinly veiled attempt to suggest City sponsorship and is an example of abuse of his position.
In my opinion, this is the second occurrence of overreach by the Mayor. The first was the multiple full-page ads signed by the Mayor (but paid for by others) supporting Proposition E. These full page ads were not signed by Casey Tanaka, Coronado Resident or Coronado Teacher, but as the Mayor of Coronado. Passage of Proposition E could well have personally benefited Mr. Tanaka. Certainly the fact that he did not pay for the ads benefitted him financially as you or I would have had to pay for the full page ad. I believe these advertisements bordered on an ethics violation. The above referenced Code of Ethics further states that confidence and respect can best be promoted if every employee uniformly seeks to carry out specific goals, including “that public office not be used for personal gain” and “that officials and employees avoid both actual and potential conflicts between their private self-interest and the public interest so as to prevent public suspicion of conflict and maintain confidence in the integrity of the government.”
This piece is not meant to be an attack on the subject matter of the event nor a personal attack on Mr. Tanaka. But it does concern me that it appears he used his position in the City on the global warming event in a manner with which the City Council did not concur and on Proposition E in apparent conflict with the Code of Ethics.
I would like to see action by the City Council and City Attorney to ensure that the event did not receive any city monies or discount of the conference room in which it is being held because of the inappropriate co-sponsorship by the Office of the Mayor. Finally, now that this has been pointed out to the City Council I would expect them to make clear that this was an overreach on the part of the Mayor that should not occur again and to make it known at a future City Council meeting that the City did not pay for the use of the Nautilus Room for this event.
Watch taped segment titled 13a: “Consideration of Request that the Mayor Co-Sponsor Admiral Len Herring’s Speech to the Citizens Climate Lobby about how Global Warming is Affecting National Security to be Held on Wednesday, November 12, 2014, from 7-9 p.m. in the Nautilus Room.”
– Barbara Tato
