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<\/p>\nWhen he was the mayor of Fresno, Alan Autry often said, \u201cThe truth will set you free, but first it will make you miserable.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Bill McEwen
Opinion<\/p>\n
As applied to politics, this meant that it was best to practice transparency and let the chips fall where they may.<\/p>\n
The Fresno City Council is facing such a crucible over the awarding of no-bid contracts and using taxpayer dollars in support of election campaigns.<\/p>\n
Getting to the truth is complicated, however, by the fact the seven councilmembers are clients of the City Attorney\u2019s Office.<\/p>\n
Thus, attorney-client privilege shields the public from knowing what discussions, if any, Fresno City Attorney Andrew Janz has had with councilmembers about no-bid contracts and paying taxpayer money to political consultants to engage in so-called \u201cconstituent outreach.\u201d<\/p>\n
This is pertinent because former councilmember and current county supervisor Luis Chavez \u2014 one of the central figures in this foul-smelling affair \u2014 tried, in an interview with Fresnoland, to leave the public with the impression that Janz signed off on the contracts that Chavez brought forward.<\/p>\n
Council Should Waive Attorney-Client Privilege<\/p>\n
However, the City Attorney\u2019s Office doesn\u2019t approve\u00a0contracts. It reviews them to see if they comply with the law and to ensure that the t\u2019s are crossed and the i\u2019s dotted. The office might also advise councilmembers on how to structure a contract so that the best interests of Fresno taxpayers are protected.<\/p>\n
Approving contracts is the city council\u2019s responsibility. Don\u2019t ever forget that.<\/p>\n
So, how do taxpayers get to the bottom of this mess?<\/p>\n
The city council can vote to waive attorney-client confidentiality, thus enabling the public to see the email discussions that took place before political campaign consultant Alex Tavlian received more than a half-million dollars in contracts to perform constituent outreach for two councilmembers, and to promote voter approval of establishing a veterans memorial district.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve never heard a councilmember publicly oppose transparency \u2014 not even those who try and sometimes succeed at keeping their sausage-making buried in the deepest recesses of City Hall.<\/p>\n
Thus, taxpayers have the right to expect that the council allow Janz to make everything public on a 7-0 vote.<\/p>\n
Another Consultant\u2019s Contract on the Agenda<\/p>\n