Incumbents face hurdles as recent changes challenge past statements.
From the looks of it, incumbents Kris Valstad and Joe Eddy McDonald have a mighty big hole to dig themselves out of in their reelection campaigns.
The City’s recent about-face on controversies surrounding City Manager Nelson Oliva—most notably the affordable housing program operated by his former company and supposedly run by his college-aged daughters—has only made the two incumbents’ past praise for Oliva–along with their efforts to minimize the controversy–all the more relevant.
On Aug. 26, during a candidate roundtable event, Kris Valstad said the affordable housing issue had been solved. But apparently it hadn’t been. A little over a month later at a candidate forum at City Hall, Valstad heralded the work of Nelson Oliva and his company, NEO, for reviving the city’s affordable housing program in the wake of a scandal.
Valstad did not recognize the irony in his statement: Oliva arrived and departed (albeit on an interim basis) amidst alleged wrongdoing. He also did not address the question he was asked, which centered on the legitimacy of the $1.1 million no-bid contract awarded to NEO in June. All that Valstad’s non-answer did was reinforce the point that he did not consider the matter to be important. But that no longer seems to be the case.
During those two candidate events, Joe Eddy McDonald chastised press coverage of the issue. He even cautioned that the city simply could not be run if residents believed what they read in the newspaper. McDonald also suggested that the criticism surrounding the issue was coming from elitists within the city that solely did not want lower-income housing. This set of statements highlights the rather contentious relationship McDonald has had with residents—at least with those who ask questions.
It is a citizen’s responsibility to engage with government officials, ask questions and request clarification in order to better understand how their tax dollars are being spent. It is a cornerstone of our nation’s democracy. But McDonald does not seem to want any part of it. McDonald is visibly irritated while residents address the council from the podium during city council meetings, and his responses—if there is one—are regularly curt and abrasive.
Where there is smoke, there is likely fire, and putting truth to paper—although it is difficult to read at times—is necessary for a public to retain control over their government. The reports published in the Contra Costa Times, which the incumbents had routinely cast as inaccurate and blown out of proportion, were part of an investigation into the City’s policies and misleading statements regarding its affordable housing program. It was a citizen-driven investigation. It was not a witch hunt.
Despite the recent change in city manager and a demand for a complete review of the affordable housing program, the incumbents face a daunting task this election in convincing voters that they were not stubborn in their consistent denial of any improprieties, in appearance or actuality. One only has to look at the incumbents’ very recent statements on the matter to understand how deep their denial has taken them, and how seriously it has diminished their credibility in this election.