Vallejo mayor criticizes decision to cancel council meetings in August

A decision by Vallejo officials to cancel two scheduled city council meetings has drawn strong criticism from the city's mayor.

In a social media post on Tuesday, Vallejo Mayor Robert McConnell said he disagrees with the decision and wanted the number of meetings held each month expanded in the future.

"I would like to make it perfectly clear that I do not agree with this policy," McConnell wrote on Facebook. "Nor do I necessarily agree with the policy of having only two council meetings each month — policies which were both started under a previous mayor."

City officials had originally scheduled its council meetings to take place on August 9 and August 23. McConnell apparently learned of the decision to postpone both meetings from a small write-up that appeared in the Monday edition of the Vallejo Times-Herald newspaper.

It was not clear why city officials canceled the meetings. A spokesperson for the city manager's office has not yet returned a request for comment.

It can be difficult for city officials to progress on public business and other initiatives when a city council meeting is postponed or canceled. The Ralph M. Brown Act, which was codified into law in the 1950s, generally prohibits city officials from discussing public business unless it is done so at an open meeting.

McConnell said he intends to keep open office hours throughout the month of August, so constituents in Vallejo can reach out to him with comments or concerns about the city. Residents can reach his office by calling 707-648-4377 or by e-mailing his assistant, Erik Rzomp, at Erik.Rzomp@cityofvallejo.net.

"In my opinion, it's imperative to get into the business of fully running a multi-million dollar corporation, as Vallejo has come to be," McConnell wrote. "We are no longer a little backwater town — we need to be minding our store and paying full attention."

The next city council meeting is tentatively scheduled for September 13.