Times: Former mayor appointed to Hercules finance panel
— by Jeffrey Wisniewski — 26 January 2011 — 11 comments below »
On December 21, 2010, Batara expressed his opinion on the financial news being reported in the press, likening it to Nazi propaganda…
“The Hercules City Council this week unanimously appointed former Mayor Frank Batara to the newly created Citizens Finance Advisory Adhoc Committee. Also appointed [...] was William Wilkins, a state-certified real estate appraiser who retired as supervising agent in the city of Oakland’s real estate division in 2009. By lesser majorities, the council also appointed Hector Rubio, an architect; Virgilio dela Vega, a former Hercules Community Services Commission member with more than 20 years experience in information technology, finance and budgets; and Gabriel Naguit, a retired tax expert who has worked for several East Bay accountant firms.”
I don’t understand how the 2 new council members could vote to bring in Batara, who acted with a council that pushed to bring in Walmart, Red Barn, the HMU, and develop Franklin Canyon. He is clearly one of the city leaders who didn’t ‘get it’ and now we’re bringing him back (albeit in a citizens advisory role)? This is not the change promised, it’s more of the same.
Disappointing! I don’t understand why they would agree to bring in Batara either. Perhaps they would enlighten us.
I would have preferred Anton Junger to be one of them, but
he did not apply (as obviously he is very busy). However, there
were only eight applicants. The other three, from what I gathered
from some passing remarks by some council members did not have any
or enough accounting or financial experience. I was not in the open
meeting but Anton was. He stated that these choices were well
qualified. I noticed that some names have called for Ward’s and
Kuehne’s resignation or recall. So, I guess, it is a mixed bag. As
we ponder about Batara, Ward and Kuehne (maybe unbeknownst to them)
chose people who wanted them out due to their expertise. It would
have been politically correct to appoint someone who did not know
accounting or financial principles, but this person or persons
might just delay the audit by Municipal Services Group when they
ask questions, whose answers they should have known in the first
place.
# Norma Hennessey
The answer I heard, though I don’t think it is a good one was:
Well, he was around when all this happened so he will have some insite on the matters. That’s not a direct quote but it is the concept. Two of todays council people where around back then, one on the council, one on the planning commission (though in fairness much of the issues at hand did not go before the planning commission). I would think that those two now on the council would have enough insite or at least the ability to gather that insite from the records.
Frank B is a smart fellow with the appropriate financial background. We can only hope that the council takes with “a grain of salt” anything he says that is not just pure financial data. Opinion regarding procedures or projects should be left to the other four on the committee to avoid being advised with a potentially conflicted view point.
Well FYI Frank Batara’s firm UBS in RIchmond holds the contract for street sweeping in Hercules…..does that not sound like he has a vested interest in the city finances????
I think it should be brought up at the next meeting and he should not be part of this panel…..
Wasn’t he required to disclose on his application that his company has a contract with the city?
The CC Times quotes him as saying he recused himself when the city first entered into the contract with his firm. Really? Or was it another contract buried in the consent calendar, with no discussion?
Was this another no bid contract?
Why on earth would the council enter into a contract with a council member’s company?
It just looks bad.
This one person on this committe is grabbing too many headlines, which aren’t positive. Can’t the Council reconsider his appointment? Sounds like he has a vested financial interest, and that he’s got a temper, and my concern is that he’ll be grandstanding, and acting like he’s the leader, when other voices need to be heard. We don’t want the committee to just spend all their time in BS attempts to grab headlines, and slow down the committee. Fighting isn’t needed, they need to accomplish a decent analysis of the City’s budgetary woes. I don’t think he’s the right man for the job. Please appoint someone else, who will focus more on the City, and less on himself.
It looks like we’re getting more of the same….difference is.. the community is watching much more closely than before…and the community is angry enough with the past to make certain that the future is a different story…..how do we get rid of Batara on this panel ?.
According to Lochner’s article Batara didn’t think it relevant to disclose his City Contract. In my view this is a deliberately refusal to disclose a conflict of interest. He is not eligible on this basis and the Council should appoint on of the three remaining applicants in his stead so the committee can focus on its job, not politics. I hope the Council will seriously consider this as the committee serves at their pleasure and can be dismissed at any time.
Sorry re Blackberry thumb typos! That was supposed to read “deliberate” not “deliberately” and “one” not “on”.
Mr. Batara, did you see this: http://www.ktvu.com/news/26771592/detail.html
Looking at your December 21 performance and remembering how YOU, Mr. Batara, chastised the public for being “duped” by the evil media, led by Tom Lochner, makes me wonder …… what have you to say now?
Mr. Batara, this video clip of you from the December council meeting is not your only public hit piece. On several occasions since you left the council, you have popped up at the podium to attack the public for having the temerity to ask questions and exercise their free speech rights.
And what of your grand “conspiracy” theory? It is not just Tom Lochner. It is the LA Times, it is KTVU, it is CBS-5, it is the SF Chronicle. Really, are all these media outlets part of the CC Times plot to “dupe the public” in order to sell newspapers?
The media has exposed much of the corruption, but equally worthy of credit are average concerned citizens who have been asking questions, because your friends on the council whom you so zealously defend failed to provide oversight. You have gone out of your way to attack these citizens, your fellow Herculeans, labeling them as “naive” and easily manipulated pawns of the press.
You have severely underestimated the intelligence, the skill and the determination of those who push for change. People are fed up with the patriarchal old boys type of representation you have so zealously defended. And which you were part of.
Why didn’t you register a protest when the council awarded no bid contracts to the city manager’s own company? Didn’t see you at any of those council meetings. Where were you when the Grand Jury issued its report? Didn’t hear anything from you then either. You only came out to act on Mr. Balico’s behalf, to go after the public and the media for questioning the integrity of your council cronies. Your loyalty was to THEM, not to Hercules.
Now that more facts are coming to light regarding the waste and corruption, now that the council members and former city manager are publicly turning on each other, it is fair to ask you WHO, Mr. Batara, has been duped?