We are forever grateful to “Inside East Sacramento” for this material. When I initially read this interview, I must confess it made me absolutely sick to my stomach. I knew Fargo was out of touch, but who knew she was a proponent of vigilante mob justice in lieu of due process? Wow! Does this mean all Sac residents are going to receive riot gear, pepper spray, handcuffs, taser guns and Glocks? Can I at least get a UPS tracking number, please?
Warning: These interview excerpts from Fargo (some abbreviated for brevity’s sake) , are absolutely shocking and may be unsuitable for those with high blood pressure or pacemakers. You’ve been warned -Joe
Italicized copy is joesacramento editorial.
IES: Describe your leadership style
Fargo: I have a consensus-building style.. my style is more common to women than men. Ed. Oops, oxymoron alert!
IES: What in the last eight years have been the best and worst parts of being mayor?
Fargo: The best parts are the ability to get things done (Ed. yes, like levee repair, WIFI network downtown, railyard development, riverfront development, K Street rehab, new arena, road repair, and global travel, of course) The worst thing is the volume of everything. There is an overwhelming feeling of needing to try to fix so many things at once. Compare to Fargo’s explanation of why there is no walking or pedestrian access at the Wal Mart big box mall.. “I ought to have caught this one.. but when the plans are coming at you so fast..” Yeah, and you’re 8,000 miles away ..
IES: What is your motivation for running for a third term?
Fargo: ..It’s very important that we try to create an urban lifestyle in our downtown. I want to deal with some of the complicated issues like the budget and flood control. (Ed. This is her motivation for running again? Since when, what happened to getting our city off the top ten crime-ridden cities in the state list!).
IES: What do you think are our city’s strengths and weaknesses?
We have a very stable community (Ed. levee integrity notwithstanding) and a lot of ethnic diversity (Ed. here Fargo is saying “ethnic diversity” is a strength, a few weeks ago she blamed “immigrants” for our soaring crime rate)
IES: What do you think are the biggest issues facing the city over the next five and 10 years
Fargo: economic development, job development with our youth, flood protection and air quality. Then there also is the global warming issue (Ed. does anyone else find it appalling that flood protection is behind economic development on her list? CRIME REDUCTION is not even mentioned!? )
IES: Please comment on the city’s council-manager form of government and how you have dealt within that system. Do you think it’s time for a change to that system?
Fargo: Cities that have what is called the “strong mayor” also have some kind of city administrator, just like our city manager who actually runs things. I think that our system works pretty well for Sacramento. (Ed. we have what is called a “weak mayor” system. All major cities in California (i.e. Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego) have abandoned this flawed government model and switched to a “strong mayor” model because the weak system is an inferior model. How can Fargo say our weak system is working when our city is the most dangerous only behind Oakland, and we have a budget deficit of $58 MILLION dollars?? Sacramento needs a “Strong Mayor” city hall just like LA, SD, and SF. Period. Don’t be fooled by the spin doctor, Fargo.
———And now for the encore.. play 20th Fox theme song ——————-
IES: Given the city’s current budget deficit, how do you plan to improve public safety and put more cops on the street?
Fargo: “Public safety is not all about police and fire. It is about the community as well. …. We need to ramp up our neighborhood watches…”.
Source: Inside East Sacramento, May 08
You can read the entire shocking interview here: http://www.insidepublications.com/pdf_stories/08-05/Mayor%20Heather%20Fargo%200508.pdf
Tags: Budget Deficit, City, Community, Crime, Downtown, East Sacramento, Interview, Mayor, negligence, Public Safety, Scandal
May 18, 2008 at 12:34 am |
Joe, Fargo has been in office for NINETEEN years. Eight of them as mayor. People act like she’s only been sitting on her duff in City Hall for eight years, but it’s really nineteen. Please don’t forget this.