In El Cerrito, a significant question emerges: Why is the City Manager’s role, crucial for the city’s governance and administration, associated with a salary over $240,000 plus extensive benefits and perks?
Reports from the City Manager indicate that the city has addressed the State Auditor’s concerns, yet only some issues have been partially resolved. Many concerns were overlooked, leading to continued reliance on reserves for overspending, with the $1 million allocated for pension payments falling short of covering the interest on an $85 million balance.
Karen Pinkos’ ascent from Assistant to City Manager is a tale of being next in line. However, despite the City Council’s trust in her through a unanimous appointment, her contract lacks specific performance benchmarks, extending to the end of 2024, which highlights a gap in accountability for such a crucial position.
Effective management of the City Manager’s role should involve clear expectations, periodic reviews, goal setting, feedback, accountability, and performance-linked incentives. These steps are essential for aligning the City Manager’s efforts with El Cerrito’s strategic objectives and the community’s well-being.
The city’s approach, marked by complacency and mismanagement, points to an urgent need for governance reform, particularly before any consideration of tax increases. To move forward, El Cerrito must adopt strategies to improve accountability and governance efficiency.
Residents play a vital role in driving reform. Engaging with City Council members, sharing perspectives with peers, and expressing views at council meetings are critical for advocating performance standards in the City Manager’s subsequent contract renewal. Such community involvement is key to establishing a governance model focused on accountability and efficiency.
In conclusion, the choices made now will define its future. Implementing performance metrics for public officials is crucial not just for ensuring diligence, but for rebuilding trust in local government and fostering a future where El Cerrito prospers through the collective efforts of its leaders and citizens.
Here’s how you can help:
- Share this post with other residents.
- Attend the monthly Financial Advisory Board meetings in person.
- Council meetings are both remote and in-person. The City Council meeting will be on tonight. The schedule is here.
- Share your voice with the Council Members, the Mayor, and the City Manager.
- Karen Pinkos-City Manager kpinkos@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us
- Councilperson Gabe Quinto gquinto@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us
- Councilperson Carolyn Wysinger cywysinger@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us
- Councilperson Tessa Rudnick trudnick@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us
- Mayor Lisa Motoyama lmotoyama@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us
- Councilperson Paul Fadelli pfadelli@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us
El Cerrito Committee for Responsible Government (ECCRG) 
EC City Manager and Council Members use taxes to solve all their problems like the new property transfer tax. Now they are on to a supplemental property tax in lieu of a simple construction bond to replace the aging library. EC property tax payers are already paying 1.5% of their 1% property tax to fund the turnkey outsourced professional CCC Library Commission that provides all library services to CCC communities sans Richmond. A Supplemental tax is wholly inappropriate use of tax revenues. Supplemental taxes are for people and programs (like a music program or theatre arts program at a high school). Bonds are for buildings like our high school and our library. EC knows nothing about operating a library and has no role in operating our library. What are they going to do when Measure X expires in March 2027 and sales tax revenues drop? More taxes no doubt.
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