This year's Budget Season concluded with the approval of the FY 2026 budget on Thursday night. But this was overshadowed by verbal fireworks in the City Council Chamber before the votes happened.

The Mayor asked to address the council about the budget and used most of that time for what amounted to a campaign speech. But then despite knowing she had the votes to reverse a cut from 48 hours earlier to her office's budget in the amount of the Chief Administrative Officer's salary, the Mayor chose to indignantly scold the City Council about that original vote from Cut Night.

As someone who has consistently voted against proposed budget cuts aimed at the CAO position, I don't disagree with the Mayor's assertion that the cut was a poor idea. I also strongly understand the desire to support City staff when they are feeling vulnerable. However, the hostile tone and incendiary attack on the council as a body nearly backfired and caused colleagues to stick to their original votes from Tuesday night.

If I'm elected mayor this November, I know there will be times the council does things that will upset me. And there will be times when I feel compelled to defend and support City staff. But in these moments, I will discuss the matter with councilors appropriately and respectfully. Because when a mayor addresses the council in a way that councilors publicly call out as "deeply disappointing," "disrespectful," "unacceptable," "unfortunate," and "corrosive," it's clear a line was crossed.

Checks and balances are good and healthy, and we don't need the two branches of our municipal government holding hands and marching in lockstep. But unnecessary conflict between the executive and legislative is bad for our city.

As your mayor, I'll look to avoid these sorts of unforced errors in order to maintain a productive working relationship with the council.

-Jake

Starting off July off with a bang!

We will win this election by directly engaging with voters, and our volunteers are a big part of that. Getting the word out through phone banking and door-knocking is critical to making sure we see the results we want in September and November. We have another upcoming canvass opportunity this Saturday, and we need you to come join us.

There are time slots available in the morning, mid-day, and late afternoon, so please sign up for a slot today. And encourage your friends and neighbors to do the same! Here is the link to RSVP for Saturday's canvass.

If this weekend doesn't work for you, we have a ton of canvassing and phone banking opportunities coming up. We will of course be posting about those here, but the best way to stay up to date is to sign to volunteer with the campaign. You can register as a volunteer here.