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Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Community Leaders Won't Cross Council Member Nora Davis

News Analysis/Opinion

She Who Must Be Obeyed

The rapidly approaching November $95 million bond initiative, characterized by proponents as a 'school bond' but is really a bond for the $125 million Emeryville Center of Community Life, has become a sort of litmus test for the independence of Emeryville community leaders. In coming weeks, Emeryville citizens will see this litmus test manifest in the Alameda County official voter guide, mailed to all voter's homes; arguments in favor of the controversial bond initiative will go unanswered by any arguments against.

And it's all because council member Nora Davis would not be amused if anyone had the temerity to offer a rebuttal of any kind. Debate about the Center of Community Life has been shuttered. All have fallen in line, none have dared step out of line.

Council member Davis, darling of conservative voters and arguably the most powerful person in town, has championed the Center of Community Life and this fact has so far kept all normally outspoken community leader would be critics of the Center silent. But it's not for lack of critics. East, west, north and south; Emeryville residents have almost universally expressed dismay at the $125 million dollar project. Citizen critics have far outnumbered proponents, especially by those on the fiscally conservative side owing to the costly nature of the construction project. Yet displeasure at the prospect of the $125 million construction project has only risen to the level of furtive murmurings from community leaders.

Fear Of Reprisals
This silence from fiscal budget hawks has caused some to wonder; where are those who would mind the ledger? The Tattler has learned they're out there, they're simply too frightened to make any disparaging comments against the Center of Community Life or the Bond Initiative for fear of reprisals from Ms Davis. Several community leaders have privately told the Tattler the reprisals they fear would take the form of shunning by Ms Davis when it comes time for appointment or reappointment to various city commissions, committees and task forces.

The fears of these people are not without merit. Council watchers over the last two decades have all noted how the process works; the rise to political power for would be leaders, especially conservatives, comes through the good graces of Council member Davis. First one must seek a committee or task force appointment, and that requires the support of Ms Davis. This is how one garners "experience", an absolute requirement for elective office if one believes Council member Davis and her conservative cohorts. This paradigm has been very effective in ensuring a conservative majority on the council over the years and keeping Ms Davis at the pinnacle of power in Emeryville.

Some may see a disconnect between this blind allegiance to a leader and the oft claimed conservative tradition of the sanctity of individualism but it should be noted that (party) discipline has often been the stronger tradition in conservative circles. In Emeryville, it's become very clear which tradition is stronger.


  1. This story is incredibly hard to believe. If there are so many critics they could not possibly have all been silenced by "fear." Not everyone is looking for a board/commission appointment. Why didn't you submit a rebuttal? No one is stopping you. You are scarred of Nora? Really?

  2. What's with the photo of the FDR Memorial?

  3. Just because the Council is more conservative than YOU does not mean they are conservative. There is no way in hell that a conservative majority could be consistently elected in the Emeryville unless 1) the voters are conservative or nonpartisan; 2) the voters are stupid; or 3)liberals don't run for office. I can assure you none of these things is true. Nora Davis just happens to be more conservative than you. The voters continue to elect the council because the council members do a good job or representing the citizens of Emeryville. The voters prefer reasonable people rather than the types that write this blog.

  4. To the last commenter-

    I think you're forgetting a fourth possibility;
    4) the voters are not really paying attention and they don't know what's going on because there's no newspaper in this town.
    This fourth possibility would tend to negate your claim that the council continues to get re-elected because they do a "good job". Just like in national politics, middle class voters will often vote for politicians that don't work in their interests, think blue collar people voting for George Bush, because they aren't paying attention.

    Perhaps I shouldn't have used the word 'conservative' since it's meaning has become unprecise recently. For the sake of this article I take conservative to mean being pro-developer and anti-grassroots democracy. With this take on the word, it's pretty easy to show how this council majority is in fact conservative.

    There is also a more traditional use of the word conservative meaning not being comfortable with change in general. This can be fairly said is the case in Emeryville owing to the large population of elderly people here and it's well documented they tend to not embrace change very much. These voters would tend to vote for incumbents. So I think your first denied point that voters here tend to be more conservative is probably true at least as compared with our neighbors.

  5. To the first commenter-

    If you re-read the story you'll see I say the critics silenced by fear are those who wish to be appointed to committees, etc. because they know Ms Davis will stop their chances for appointment. Other citizens that are against the project (a huge number) are not fearful but they're not community leaders either.

    I was going to sign an argument against the $95 million bond in the voter guide but I waited, and waited and waited for community leaders to get up the gumption to sign with me. One would say yes and then chicken out then another would do the same thing. This went on for weeks and finally the due date passed. I didn't think it would be helpful with only my signature.

  6. I guess you assign about as much relevance to your signature as I do then.