Like this faded city emblem, Elk Grove's self-styled shine has lost its luster in the aftermath of the zoo debacle
Do the mayor and her city councilmen have the humility to self-reflect on their mistakes?
The gleam of Elk Grove’s boosterism has dulled under the weight of unmet promises and public disillusionment
Earlier this week, over four to five days, Elk Grove City Council members traveled to Washington, DC, on a taxpayer-funded junket. The city's elected officials, and perhaps some staff members, were part of the Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce's annual Cap to Cap lobbying trip.
Ostensibly, the trip is sold as a lobbying trip to secure federal funds for Sacramento area governments. Or, as Elk Grove City Councilman Rod Brewer boastfully said two years ago, to seek "regulatory relief," presumably from environmental regulations that protect the region's air and water quality.
As sure as reckless drivers will run red lights during rush hour on Laguna Boulevard, Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen or one of her four city councilmen will offer a glowing report on their activities at next week's city council meeting. The only question is who will provide the most glowing report.
Naturally, they will not report on golf outings, booze-soaked hosted bar cocktail parties, or other extracurricular activities. But they will speak glowingly of their successes regardless of whether they are quantifiable.
A prime example is Councilman Sergio Robles's April 26, 2023, Cap to Cap report. During his debriefing to constituents, Robles claimed that other regional elected officials were envious of Elk Grove (see his comment along with Brewer's and Singh-Allen in the video below).
"Everybody was kind of jealous of Elk Grove," Robles said. "Just, we all get, just like we all get along, and like 'Elk Grove is fun,' and 'that's like why you need to come out here.'"
But for all their self-congratulations on the Washington, DC activities, will the mayor or any of her city council members openly and honestly discuss the cancellation of the $300 million Sacramento Zoo project?
As Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates said, "It's fine to celebrate success, but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure."
Do the mayor and her city councilmen have the humility to self-reflect on their mistakes? Or are they arrogant and full of hubris?
Be assured that they will not openly and honestly discuss the lessons they should have learned from the zoo debacle. This is just another in a long string of self-inflicted failures of the Elk Grove City Council with taxpayers' dollars.
Like the faded city emblem installed in 2009 on the Sheldon Road Highway 99 overpass, Elk Grove has lost its self-styled luster with this latest folly.
The same emblem shown above above about six years ago.
