Monthly Archives: December 2013

Crystal Ball Peers into City’s Future

Posted on December 26, 2013 by Robert Sullwold

(An edited version of this article was published in the Alameda Sun December 26, 2013). In keeping with the time-honored tradition of political columnists, the Merry-Go-Round presents its predictions for the coming year in Alameda politics.

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Is profit the Point?

Posted on December 19, 2013 by Robert Sullwold

Those who were hoping that development of Alameda Point would solve the City’s financial problems suffered another disappointment Tuesday night when staff presented a “draft fiscal impact analysis” to City Council.

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Can you handle the truth?

Posted on December 11, 2013 by Robert Sullwold

In urging City Council last December to approve new four-year contracts with the public safety unions, City Manager John Russo came up with a last-minute argument calculated to quiet the budget conservatives.  True, Mr. Russo admitted, the contracts would increase … Continue reading →

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Short takes: DelBono, Chen & the AA+ grade

Posted on December 8, 2013 by Robert Sullwold

While researching a piece for the Merry-Go-Round, we occasionally come across information that, while not pertinent to the piece itself, strikes us as worth passing on.  For example, did you know about firefighters’ union honcho Jeff DelBono’s passion for ferries? … Continue reading →

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Secret deals at the Point?!

Posted on December 2, 2013 by Robert Sullwold

When those two items appeared on City Council’s closed session agenda for October 15, you could hear the alarm bells going off all over town: What was Mr. Russo up to? What kind of deal was he negotiating? Charles Company … Continue reading →

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