Posted on: Thursday, July 11, 2002

EDITORIAL
Mayor mustn't ignore separation of powers

In a prospect we endorse, City Council budget chairwoman Ann Kobayashi says it's a good time for a fresh start in the troubled relations between the council and the administration of Mayor Jeremy Harris.

She offered that the new fiscal year combined with Harris' decision to bail out of the governor's race and stay on as mayor would alter the circumstances that caused a bitter budget battle earlier this year.

No such luck, it appears. Now the administration is disregarding the council's budget intentions for the Sunset on the Beach outdoor movie program. The council wants these popular events on a monthly basis; the Harris administration says it will sponsor movies every weekend this month.

It shouldn't take a lawsuit to sort this out. The City Charter doesn't make the mayor a literary critic, free to decide whether the manner in which the council has expressed its wishes is compelling or not. In this case, the intent of the council is eminently clear.

And in this case, the council's intent is correct. The Sunset on the Beach program is a good idea, both for community building and as an asset to the visitor industry. But it is far from essential in the way that other city services like trash pickup, fire and police are.

The Budget Committee had sought to eliminate the program, but the council backed off under the administration's full-court press. Nevertheless, the committee's concerns about the city's severe revenue shortfall were genuine and prudent.

And under the charter, the council holds the city's purse strings. When the council's budget says monthly, it means monthly, and the administration's extemporaneous interpretation is out of line.