The new mayor delivered a message to a wary public.

Councilman Ed Balico said in his inaugural remarks as mayor he did not want to hold the position for the coming year. Residents knew that was simply not true. Balico revels in the spotlight, and the mayor took advantage of his election–which did not come easy (newcomer Myrna de Vera dissented)–with a speech that lasted nearly twenty minutes.

The mayor missed the opportunity to change the tone of debate in the city. Instead, his speech was contentious and combative and, at times, a lecture. Balico did not mince words either, warning that not following his lead would result in the destruction of Hercules. That is quite a bold statement from a councilman whose recent actions has sparked a grass-roots recall effort targeting his removal.

Balico is a revisionist historian. He criticized Lisa Hammon–the assistant city manager that resigned earlier in the evening–for not delivering on the Intermodal Transit Center project, the centerpiece of the stalled waterfront development. In his December 2007 remarks–as then outgoing mayor, and six months prior to Hammon taking the job–Balico stated unequivocally that the station would begin construction the following August (2008, if you are following along), due to the hard work of the council. Balico said, in 2007, that the station “did not come overnight.” Well, he’s certainly right about that.

The mayor must realize that he is responsible for the failure, not staff. While Balico admits the city has gotten off track, he refuses to be held accountable. The Intermodal Transit Center project is now projected to be eight years behind schedule. Originally slated to open in 2005, the station is now scheduled to open in 2013, but that depends on construction commencing this April, which is improbably optimistic considering the city’s financial condition.

Although the city council emerged from closed session on Tuesday and announced that Nelson Oliva’s return as city manager was only temporary–and that a search for a replacement would begin immediately–the mayor had no issue with returning all power at City Hall to the embattled Oliva in the meantime. If Oliva’s management was not an issue and his return not a concern, then why hire an interim city manager to clean up his mess, and why search for a replacement? There is an incongruence of logic in Balico’s thinking on this matter.

The council had hired Charles Long in October and specifically tasked him with conducting a complete review of the affordable housing program, every consultant contract, and all proposed projects. Unfortunately for Long, he did too good of a job. The final straw appears to have been the New Town Center project. At the Dec. 7 meeting, a representative of Red Barn, the developer, informed the council that the project will be delayed another five years in the best-case scenario.

Long had concluded that the New Town Center project was unrealistic in this economy and a drain on the redevelopment agency’s ailing budget. Long placed the project on indefinite hold and focused on other higher priority projects, including the Intermodal Transit Center and Sycamore North. Red Barn had received a drop dead letter from Long which apparently set off a chain of events that resulted in his unceremonious firing.

In order to reverse Long’s actions, Balico unilaterally directed the city manager on Tuesday evening to reinstate all contracts that Long had terminated on the New Town Center project. It was another sign that Balico assumes the city’s residents–and voters–continue to support him, despite a steady beat of reports of impropriety and fiscal insolvency. The city has yet to refute Long’s findings and a thorough financial audit is clearly appropriate.

It seems the mayor fails to understand the magnitude of the problems facing the city, as well as his role in the debacle. While Balico believes his leadership–and his alone–is the cure, a growing number of residents have concluded otherwise, and the mayor’s constituency may dwindle to include just himself.