Posted by Member, a resident of San Ramon, on May 1, 2012 at 7:25 am

I voted for Clarkson but of all the things he could mention as a priority he wants to "hire a public information officer." I guess talking directly to the people isn't working. San Ramon must be like Washington DC. We need a talking head to spin things so that the city officials aren't uncomfortable any longer. There's another $125K (1/3 of the inflated fireworks budget) in overhead that the city doesn't need. If we haven't had that position for all these years then why now?

Posted by Member, a resident of San Ramon, on May 1, 2012 at 8:13 am

So all CEOs have wives? Must be in the Dark Ages with no women at top positions in business.

Posted by Ms. Bunny, a resident of San Ramon, on May 1, 2012 at 8:54 am

Hm. Hiring a "Public Information Officer" ??? Wow. I didn't think we were that big/complicated as a city to do so...I've always considered many of our councilmembers to be well informed enough to share information with the public when necessary. The local newspaper and this online Express ALSO delivers information to us and we have the opportunity to respond to most projects going on in our Town. I sure hate to see money that we don't have in the city cofers for this suggestion. What's the difference between such a person and a PR person? Hm. Different title I'm guessing thus requiring a higher salary (-that's usually how it works).

Posted by Sanramonite, a resident of San Ramon, on May 1, 2012 at 11:29 am

I thought San Ramon had instituted a hiring freeze. Has this been lifted? Our police department in understaffed in comparison with other cities, but they do a terrific job anyway. I thought we elected a PIO in the form of a directly elected Mayor. If the city is hiring, let's start where the need in greatest and the public is directly benefited. A PIO can wait.

Posted by Member, a resident of San Ramon, on May 2, 2012 at 8:21 am

Sanramonite,

You must be a cop or a relative. We have plenty of Cops. We're a sleepy little town and although the police logs indicate some activity most is relatively minor. What does "understaffed in comparison with other cities" mean? If you take crime per 1000 people in a city like Richmond you'd absolutely need more cops. For the same 1000 people in San Ramon you wouldn't need any where near that number. Another police union tactic. More cops mean more sergeants which means more lieutenants and more captains. More police cars (which they have enough of to double the force now), more pension costs, more, more, more. Let's not get out of control like the "other" cities. We're doing just fine at the staffing levels we have.

Posted by member, a resident of San Ramon, on May 2, 2012 at 8:49 am

Sleepy little town compared to Richmond????? Why don't you compare San Ramon to Oakland too! I for one don't want to get to that point. You should compare San Ramon to Walnut Creek or Pleasanton. A city similar to San Ramon.

Posted by Sanramonite, a resident of San Ramon, on May 2, 2012 at 9:39 am

I'm not a cop, I have no relatives that are cops. I do not want to compare San Ramon to Richmond..EVER! We are no longer a sleepy little town and if we want to control crime, we need adequate policing. That doesn't mean I support outrageous pensions, pension spiking, or other perks, nor does an department need to be heavy on the administrative end. I simply want an officer available when trouble happens. I crime isn't "minor" if it happens to you.

Posted by Member, a resident of San Ramon, on May 3, 2012 at 7:26 am

I might agree that a comparison to Pleasanton might be similar but certainly not Walnut Creek. They are much larger city and have a huge downtown with clubs and bars that get out of control. They are also bordered by cities that have a different demographic than Walnut Creek. Even a comparison to Pleasanton is a stretch. With all the retail bringing in crowds, the jail, the prison, it's much different. If and when we develop a downtown then we should review staffing levels. At this point building has somewhat stopped. We're a bedroom community w/o a downtown. We don't need more police to patrol somewhat quiet streets. When that changes we can address it. I do agree however that if we have an extra $125K to spend I'd rather see a police officer than a Public Information Officer. That's really a waste of money.

Posted by Dave Hudson, a resident of San Ramon, on May 11, 2012 at 8:28 am

San Ramon is larger than Walnut Creek and Pleasanton.....74,000+.

Posted by Anne C, a resident of San Ramon, on May 11, 2012 at 10:54 am

I hear a lot of complaints from San Ramon residents that they don't know what is going on in City government. Sure there are many resources and meetings but busy parents and hard-working people who don't have the time to attend city meetings or read through long staff reports still want some say in what is going on. The City does not have the expertise and I support having a Public Information Officer. We are lucky to have reporters like Glenn attending these meetings and reporting on them but we also need the story straight from the City. Also, not everyone in San Ramon is internet savvy and can see these articles.