While running for Mayor in 2008, Kevin Johnson blasted then-Mayor Heather Fargo for missing council meetings. A blog post from 3 years ago that’s still on his re-election page states the following:
“One thing Mayor Fargo can’t change is her record… Being AWOL during key votes – Fargo missed the City Council’s most important meeting to discuss Sacramento’s worsening fiscal picture due to her extensive travel.”
Johnson went on to make Mayor Fargo’s attendance record a point of contention during their debates, and in fact she did miss eight meetings during 2006 in order to attend conferences about climate change at locations all around the globe.
By skipping out on last nights meeting, Johnson surpassed Fargo’s absentee record by missing his 9th council meeting for the calendar year. According to the Sacramento Bee, no locally elected official has missed as many meetings as Johnson has in over 30 years.
Seems a little strange for a man who was so excited to become the Mayor of Sacramento that he took an unauthorized tour of City Hall on a Saturday afternoon before being elected in October of 2008. At the time, Johnson went at far as to sit in the Mayor’s seat to see how comfortable it was, according to the security guard who let him and his assistant into council chambers. (For those of you with short memories, the video is here.)
Maybe he just needs a new chair?
