The City Council made a step backward with Tuesday’s decision.

In a stunning, provocative move clearly meant to send a stern message to dissident residents clamoring for change and transparency, the City Council abruptly fired the interim city manager tasked with cleaning up the apparent mess left by the previous city manager, Nelson Oliva. Oliva was on indefinite sick leave until Tuesday evening, when the council inexplicably reinstated him. It was a significant change made a mere week prior to the swearing-in of two new council members who won handily on a platform of change.

It appears this council does not enjoy criticism–of any sort, at any time, even if it comes from within and with good reason. Interim City Manager Charles Long’s weekly reports, which included details of nefarious bookkeeping and disorganized chaos, and the subsequent news reports covering the timely information, was more than this council could handle.

This council would rather remain in the dark about the serious financial condition the city faces than proactively deal with the problem and move forward in a constructive manner. The city didn’t take an action to help itself; it delayed the inevitable–the hard work ahead to rebuild the unsteady foundation.

As long as this city refuses to examine itself in the mirror, and implement policy changes that not only remedy the issues that exist but also prevent them from happening again, this city will continue to be on a self-inflicted path of destruction. And no end is in sight.

With the hiring of Long in October, the council admitted mistakes, and directly ordered Long to fix the situation. But by restoring Oliva, who was responsible for misleading the council and possibly placing the city on the ledge of financial ruin, the city has failed to accomplish anything in the past two critical months.

Sitting in the audience during Tuesday evening’s spectacle, it felt more like the scene of a low-budget political thriller than a small town public meeting. Speaker after speaker rendered endless praise for the previously embattled Oliva, followed by applause from a crowded room made up individuals not considered to be regulars, who had just miraculously showed up for the pomp.

The evening clearly must have been orchestrated–there were too many people prepared to speak, with note cards, speaking about something not on the agenda and which had transpired in closed session only minutes before–and it raises questions about potential Brown Act violations. If more than two council members had discussed the removal of Long and the reinstatement of Oliva prior to the meeting–even through a series of disaggregated emails or phone conversations–it would constitute an illegal meeting.

According to Councilman Ed Balico’s statement on Tuesday, I shouldn’t be writing these words, and you shouldn’t be reading them. He feels that any negative commentary made about the city, even if accurate and helpful in its purpose, is damaging to the city’s reputation. Apparently the next mayor of Hercules believes the First Amendment doesn’t cross the city’s border. That is a slippery slope, and a condition I am not willing to accept.

Balico must remember that this council has lost the public trust–as evidenced by the trouncing of incumbents in last month’s election–and in order to regain it, the city needs to improve communications with its residents. In fact, that was one of the tasks directed to Long. He took the task seriously however, and the council had only hoped for continued lip service.

The council delivered more than lip service on Tuesday. They informed residents they weren’t willing to be held accountable. The image in the mirror must have been too hideous to tolerate.