Making enemies out of friends

Over the past 14 years (this will end in 2020), Mayor Patterson has had great success in making enemies out of friends. Her biggest achievement on this has been Valero. You know, that refinery in Benicia that has been called by many a very good neighbor? I have to give her credit on that achievement. It was not easy, but the mayor never gave up. Sadly, she has three more years in office to drive that spike deep into the heart of her arch enemy. It finally was time for someone to speak out about the mayor and her agenda-driven ideals. That someone was the target itself: Valero. Speak out they did with great success.
The full-page “Letter to Benicia Residents and Businesses” on Tuesday hit very hard at Mayor Patterson. It was a very heavy blow that was to the point and right to the chin. Mayor Patterson will try to fight back but will be hit with many more blows that will finally take her down for the count. You are counted out, Mayor Patterson. Her declining backers will turn away from her, except for a few of the usual suspects.
The other major issue is the effect it will have on her sidekick Vice Mayor Young. It will be big.
In an article in the Vallejo Times-Herald by a very highly regarded writer, Katy St. Clair, the headline repeated what Valero said. Mayor Patterson has lost focus. The article also states Patterson says “she wants Benicia to develop backup revenue so that should anything happen to the refinery, the city won’t be thrown into an economic depression.”
Now that is the goofiest statement I have heard from the mayor lately. Mayor Patterson, just where have you been? The only economic development plan you point to is a paper version with no revenue plans at all. Pure bureaucratic nonsense. You fool no one with your lack of financial skills. You have none. You apparently do not follow the city budget, let alone understand it. This city is in a financial crisis. Your plan to solve that crisis is to make more enemies. The recent move on water/sewer rates sealed your fate and anyone you back. No candidate will want your backing if they want to win in 2018.
Let me remind the residents of two issues which showed the mayor’s lack of financial or even marketing skills. She had a big photo-op and front-page story a few years back on the balancing of the budget. $1.2 million adjustment home free. Guess what, mayor? Wrong again. It needed about $2 million more to do the job. It was a great pain to our wonderful and valued city staff. The next beauty was CODA. Yes, that electric vehicle that was going to put Benicia on the map. There was another big photo-op and huge presentation with all the area politicians in attendance. The mayor even said there would be about 70,000 cars going through Amports in Benicia yearly. Really? Try maybe a hundred, and that was over and done. I did write and say it would fail, it did big time.
So as you see, it is about time the mayor was called out. Valero started it, and it will be followed by more negative news for the mayor. Mayor Patterson, you stepped into it big time. You are no longer immune from negative statements about your agenda-driven ideals and lack of political savvy. There is no one left to blame, Mayor Patterson. You are it. The Owl will be watching how things develop.

Bob “The Owl” Livesay,
Benicia

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