Waterfront Watch Comes Down On Mayor

With a blog post Monday night, the Waterfront Watch website came down on Hercules Mayor Dan Romero and his city council leadership style, which the site claims has resulted in a “hodgepodge approach” to land-use decisions.

“The Dan Romero that was elected no longer exist. Scratch that — the Dan Romero that we had thought was elected no longer exists,” Waterfront Watch said, continuing, “You remember him. Romero was the citizen avenger. He stood up against cronyism and secrecy. He rallied for public access to critical information. He was a hero”

The blog went on to say that “Romero is no longer a resident; he’s the mayor — and perhaps the sheriff.”

The post mentioned the council’s recent move to sell off city owned properties for mostly residential development. It also outlined an incident during a Feb. 16 city council where the mayor had a back-and-forth with a resident over public comment rules. The post called Romero’s reaction to speaker “a public whipping (the video can be watched with the blog post).”

Along with several others who added thoughts about the new mayor, Romero commented under the post. He said Waterfront Watch's “presentation of what occurred during council discussion is an example of how the media can present one opinion without showing the complete picture which should have included the council agenda and the protocol for discussion of agenda items.”

Romero went on to say that his role on the council is not more important than the other four members.

“I am one vote on a council of five different minds. I do not control anyone on the council and if you and other residents think that I or any other council member controls the votes that occur is ludicrous,” Romero wrote.