Capdiamont’s Weblog

Wednesday, August 13, 2008 2:02 PM PDT

Paul S. Mamalakis

Well, the cat’s out of the bag. Concerned about crime, the city’s fiscal health and crumbling infrastructure, the Novato Chamber of Commerce and Downtown Novato Business Association are mulling over the possibility of mounting a recall campaign against Mayor Pat Eklund, Mayor Pro Tem Jim Leland and veteran Councilmember Carole Dillon-Knutson.

Normally it takes a strong showing of misconduct or abuse of power to recall an elected official. But about five years ago, there was a tectonic shift in California’s political landscape. Then-Governor Gray Davis was ousted, primarily because an angry electorate, fed up with the failed policies of the past, wanted change.

So what have three of our city solons done to get these organizations up in arms?

Coincidence or not, this is the second time — during an Eklund mayoralty— a city manager has said sayonara to our community. Eklund’s epic rivalry with Rod Wood provided the grist for many a newspaper story. Throughout Wood’s lengthy tenure as CEO of Novato, he and Eklund constantly crossed swords. They often sparred over whether the city had a budget shortfall or surplus.

In 2003, the “Streetgate” scandal erupted. Eklund charged Wood with betraying the public’s trust by giving a councilmember’s son preferential treatment — resulting in the rapid repaving of a street not on the voter-approved Measure B list. She claimed her constituents were clamoring for Wood’s firing. As a private citizen, Eklund requested that the Marin County Civil Grand Jury conduct a probe. The panel concluded no laws were broken, but the clash may have been a major reason why Wood left the city. Eklund’s relationship with soon-to-be-exiting City Manager Dan Keen wasn’t as headline grabbing. On occasion, however, her habit of second-guessing Keen’s every move seemed to get under his skin.

Given this backdrop, anyone worth their salt might think twice about signing on to become Novato’s next city manager.

Was the tumult foreseeable? Before last year’s city council election, there was a palpable angst around town. Because of her prior strife-ridden term, many saw the election as a referendum on whether Eklund should become Novato’s next council-appointed mayor. They felt Jeanne MacLeamy should serve a second, consecutive stint as gavel wielder and capitalize on the momentum. Seeming to ratify the concept, MacLeamy was the top vote-getter.

Nonetheless, listening to voters isn’t the strong suit of certain councilmembers. When the time came for new council-officer selections, Jim Leland defiantly proclaimed that Novato does not have a directly elected mayor system. Placing Eklund’s name in nomination, he argued the council has the sole authority to make the appointment.

Since then some feel Eklund, Leland and Dillon-Knutson have fallen down on the job. The trio is rapped for torpedoing a deal on the Novato Theater and squandering scarce taxpayer dollars in a lawsuit against the North Coast Railroad Authority. By advancing their own pet projects, pressing issues are often sidetracked and council deliberations drag on. Most egregiously — despite a recent spate of violent crime — to date, the need to make public safety the top priority has been ignored.

Next week’s column: The mayor of Novato speaks her piece.