De Vera's Outgoing Mayor Speech

Myrna De Vera served as Hercules mayor since June 2011. Her short term was up at Tuesday's City Council meeting, where Councilman Dan Romero was nominated as mayor for 2012 by fellow Councilman Gerard Boulanger without opposition.

Here are De Vera's outgoing mayor remarks as requested by the former mayor:

I am very touched to know that my work has been appreciated. Today, I arrive full circle, most likely coming back to being a council member after my quick rise from council member to vice-mayor then the honored position of mayor.
It is with mixed feelings of relief and sadness that I now deliver my outgoing speech. Six months is not enough time for one Mayor to serve to make a difference; and yet, these past six months has felt like 4 long years.

Tomorrow marks one year since Vice Mayor Delgado and I were sworn in as Council Members amid controversy and high drama. That dramatic meeting foreshadowed what the year was to be. Certainly, it has not been a ribbon-cutting year. It was a year of change and tough painful decisions. A year of meetings overflowing with angry and concerned citizens. A year of discovering the mess we were in. During the early months, Vice Mayor Delgado and I had to navigate our way through a mine field, careful to dodge the mines that could explode.

A year ago, our city was reeling in shock, as though a doctor had just diagnosed us with cancer, a cancer that had been growing in city hall caused by incompetence, greed, and arrogance. We were still grappling with the fact that the city was in deep financial mess, a toxic condition hidden to the public by the past administration. We were on the first stage of trying to accept we had a problem.

During this past year, together, the council, staff, and community have forged an alliance and moved on to the second stage of finding solutions to our problem and solving the most urgent of problems.

We would have continued to be oblivious to the real condition of the city if not for the investigative work of Tom Lochner of the West County Times. Jeff Wiesnewski of the waterfrontwatch blog created a forum for Hercules residents to make sense of the events unfolding before us. And the Patch.com has contributed their own news articles to help us find the truth.

Thank you to our two capable interim city managers, Fred Deltorchio and Liz Warmerdam, who steered the ship while we searched for a permanent city manager.

Fred Deltorchio was at the helm when the toughest decisions had to be made to stop the bleeding. He was the one who sat across the table, looked into the eyes of the employee to tell him or her that he or she would have to be laid off, that their family had to suffer with the loss of income. To those employees we had to let go, please know that our decisions were not made lightly, and we suffered along with you.

Before she took over as interim city manager, Liz Warmerdam was tasked to close the $6 million budget deficit.  She patiently sat through hours with the finance and ad hoc subcommittee as we agonized over the budget, painfully aware of how the cuts would adversely affect the lives of the employees and citizens. We were able to balance the budget by the end of the fiscal year, thanks to Ms Warmerdam, the hardworking senior managers, the unions that collaborated with staff, and to Hector Rubio and the members of the finance ad hoc committee.

With the help of the citizen legal ad hoc committee, the council was able to select a very competent city attorney whose heart is for Hercules. Thank you, Patrick Tang, for heeding the call to service for our city and for vigilantly ensuring we make the right legal decisions. Thank you, to Jennifer Ways and the members of the legal ad hoc committee for urging us to document the ethics reforms our city needs; together with this committee, we have written a draft of a nepotism and cronyism ordinance.

During our city manager search, someone asked me: “Who would want to take on the job of manager of a city filled with problems.” I replied: “I believe someone out there wants to dedicate his career to rescuing Hercules.” And yes, we found that person. Thank you, Steve Duran, for accepting the most critical position of city manager. Your two strategy meetings with the community have proven you are a leader who embraces the concept of community, council, and staff as a tight-knit team.

A year ago, the Waterfront project was at an impasse, and even early this year, the project almost died, if not for one swing vote. Thank you to Charlie Long and the Bayfront Task Force, a group of engaged citizens helping us with the waterfront negotiations. We have achieved several milestones:  the ITC and the Bayfront EIRs, a purchase and sale agreement, and tonight, most of the land-use documents. We anticipate that the development and implementation agreements be brought to the council soon.

I am grateful to the senior managers and staff who are left standing after our massive lay-offs. You are burdened with more work, with less pay and less hours to achieve your goals. I appreciate your dedication to serving the city during this crisis. A special thank you to Doreen Mathews who has been a most efficient and responsive city clerk.

Thank you, Vice Mayor Delgado, Council Members Wilkins, Boulanger, and Romero, for giving me the honor to serve as the mayor these past six months. I have attempted to be a strong leader, tried to chair meetings with a tone of confidence and compassion. I have tried to face the deep challenges calmly, to respect your opinions, and to bring the council to a consensus. I apologize if at times, I made some errors.

It has not been an easy journey. But we all traveled this steep and rough road together as a team for the sake of Hercules. A special thank you to Council Member Bill Wilkins who had taken over many of my mayoral duties which were in conflict with my day job schedule.

Next year will be another crucial year. As City Manager Duran had disclosed earlier, Hercules’ financial situation is still dire. We may have no choice but to make more cuts or make unpopular decisions. We don’t know what the fate of redevelopment will be and how it will affect us. The waterfront negotiations still have to be finalized. We will need a mayor who has the experience, strength, and calm to lead the council through the challenges to come.

I could not have served as Mayor well without my loving family. Thank you to my husband, Manny, who supported me all the way, never once complaining of the long meetings and time away from home and my business. Thank you to my sons, Mark, Christian, and Emmanuel for your love and understanding.  

To my true friends who supported and advised me well, thank you. You know who you are. Most of all, I thank God for guiding me during this dark and difficult year. Hercules is special because of the people who live here. To the citizens of Hercules, thank you for rising up to the challenge of helping the city. The recall election that brought us 3 new council members was proof of a community willing to use the democratic process to decide the future of their city. The strategy meetings you participated in were testaments to your passion to be part of the solution. I am grateful to those who have worked hard to raise funds for the library, senior center, and the school programs that had to be cut from the city’s budget.

Our city has been hurt and betrayed by the past administration and it is time we heal. My priority is still the same as when I took the oath a year ago: to regain trust in our city government by always seeking the truth.

My promise is the same: I will fight for you, citizens of Hercules. I will not be beholden to one or two individuals. My loyalty is to you, the people of Hercules. I will vote on issues with my conscience and with an open mind. I will work with the rest of the council members, the city staff, and citizens to do what is best for our city.

Let us forge on together --- residents, staff, and council --- and continue traveling towards our destination of a shining Hercules, free of corruption and fiscally sound, a city we can once again be proud of.
It has been an honor and privilege to serve as your mayor. Thank you.