Editorial

A City Council’s pledge, and a stunning ouster

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When members of the City Council were first elected in 2011, they promised to usher in unprecedented transparency and open government, citing the shortcomings of the previous administration and their own frustrations when it came to obtaining information.

Last week, the council ousted its president, Anthony Eramo, just a month after he was sworn into the position with great fanfare.

And, while his fellow Democrats may have had legitimate reasons to vote Eramo out — at this point, no one really knows what happened behind the scenes — the move caught many residents off guard. It was made while Eramo was away on vacation, with no public explanation, and it leaves the impression of a backroom deal and a conspiratorial coup, not the openness we were promised.

The council added two resolutions to the agenda to replace its president and vice president, which required a unanimous vote. Residents blasted council members for the last-minute additions to the meeting — the measures did not appear on the agenda released to the public — and what they called a lack of transparency.

Council members said they had met with Eramo to discuss “leadership issues” and tried to work things out, and that he was aware that they were preparing to make a change. He voiced his disappointment in a statement that was read at the meeting, claiming he was not told about the vote until he had left town.

The council has the right to change presidents at any time, of course, but for elected officials who ran on a platform of openness, this was hardly a high point, and we believe the public deserved a more thorough explanation than the cryptic responses given by council members when they were pressed last week.

The vote comes at a time when some residents and career firefighters are demanding further discussion and details on a proposal to cut a number of firefighters and replace them with civilian paramedics, in the wake of a comprehensive review of the city’s emergency services. The council’s attempt to breeze through the agenda items only seemed to bolster their complaints that the group is not living up to its campaign promise.

The council and the city administration continue to do great work. They have been tested like no other officials in Long Beach’s history, especially after Hurricane Sandy. They have engaged the public at numerous community forums and voted to stream council meetings live on the city’s website.

But clearly, their promise of full transparency is not without its gray areas, as evidenced by last week’s vote, and is one that they aren’t always living up to.