Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Deborah Edgerly, You Will Be Missed

According to news reports, Oakland City Administrator Deborah Edgerly is on her way out. I don't know a whole lot about Edgerly. I do know she recently disagreed with the auditing Measure Y expenditures. But generally, she seemed like your standard city bureaucrat.

My opinion changed when I read the article about her retirement. Allow me to provide you with the crucial quote:
"I'm just trying to get a few more things done," she said. "I've never made no bones about the fact that five years is a long time to be in this job."

Now, I realize I'm opening myself up for all sorts of criticism here, ranging from outrage over wasting a blog post over such a minor matter to irritation that I still haven't come to grips with Oakland's historic fascination with Ebonics.

Having worked at a newspaper, I can tell you that reporters generally check direct quotes with sources to verify their accuracy. It's also commonplace to fix minor grammatical errors using brackets or parentheses "[] or ()" where appropriate.

Evidently, neither the reporter nor Edgerly saw the need here. Apparently no one cares that "I've never made no bones" is an obliteration of the English language. They probably thought it was cute and charming.

I do not. These sorts of quotes represent the subtle ways in which our communities devalue themselves.

If our use of language is our greeting card to the world, then this quote says: "Welcome to Oakland! The people who live here are morons!"

So, I guess I now know two things about Deborah Edgerly.

16 comments:

  1. Probably you thought you were being cute when you said “Welcome to Oakland! The people who live here are morons!”

    The truth is that this is exactly the impression we create, and you are not being the least bit cute.

    Outside of this strange "Oak Land" we live in, what is taken for granted here is seen as bizarre and aberational in the heartland of America.

    Thanks for the post!

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  2. Personally, I wish I knew less about Ms. Edgerly. All in all, I don't think she has been a very good City Administrator. Valentine's Day was a good example, Ms. Edgerly wanted the cops to focus on curtailing independent flower sellers on corners all over town and the rest of us wanted the cops to keep focused on the folks shooting guns all over town. She seems to have a very hard time identifying priorities.

    I wish someone would interview her about her kid's time in the Oakland Police Acadmeny, has this young person REALLY been through the academy FOUR times without passing? Who paid for her kid to attend the academy FOUR times or did Oakland taxpayers pick up the tab?

    Now you know a bit more about Deborah Edgerly.

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  3. I don't really care how she speaks, but I'm not thrilled to hear that taxpayers paid her close to $250,000 last year.

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  4. I couldn't agree with D more. How could we pay a city manager a quarter of a million dollars a year and still have such a poorly managed city?

    Maybe all city employees should be put on commission, they get paid only if they produce results.

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  5. The whole point of the article was to point out the subtle ways we devalue our community.

    What does it mean that the city manager speaks that way? Well what would it mean if the Governor spoke that way? or our congressional representatives? Even Barbara Lee doesn't speak that way. If we were a well run city solving our problems, it might mean one thing. However, since we are a city where school children don't graduate, and crime is rampant, it means something else.

    Good point about the money. What does it mean that we pay her so much money? It is just a blatant example of how the City staff serves its own needs over citizen's needs.

    Outside of oakland government, how much money would an employer offer a woman who walks up and says "“I’ve never made no bones about the fact that five years is a long time to be in this job.”

    We need the people in Oakland to wake up and take control. Please, if you read this blog, go and get one neighbor to also read the blog and to voice their concerns.

    We must stop this crazy lurching government.

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  6. Correct would be: "I AIN'T never made no bones..." Double neg for emphasis.

    So, mr. conservative, what say you about Ms. Edgerly's recent foray into the public eye?

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  7. Edgerly is an example of a black woman forgetting where she came from. Although Edgerly was born and raised in west oakland she instituted policies that supported city council members to push out black leaders and/or organizations. We no longer respect or support her. She has no respect or credibility in the black community and cannot come home.

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  8. She will not be missed. People have been waiting for her to leave since Dellums was elected last year.

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  9. I have been following news articles and blogs about the City of Oakland ever since I got tangled up with a parking ticket I received on a street that was very poorly marked (a post where a meter used to be with no other markings and a pay box 1/2 block from the parking space). As a visitor to Oakland I mistakenly thought if I explained the situation the City would forgive the $35 ticket. Boy, was I wrong! Instead of catching criminals your city is after a retired Montana parking violator! Not only did the appeal get thrown out without due process, I have received numerous threats, in writing, and fines totally $120! Amazing that the City has so much time on its hands to track down someone as "criminal" as I am but continues to let its citizens live under the terror of REAL criminals. Sounds like you really do need a new City Administrator.

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  10. With all this negativity in regards to Edgerly(sow) it speaks for itself that she is a greedy selfish woman. Since being exposed about her corruption there are a lack of positive notes about this greedy selfish woman. There seems to be alot of talk and on action as her daughter ( the failed loser ) alongside her gang affiliated nephew( loser # 3) will continue to maintain their posts on the city payroll. Can someone please entertain me with the idea of how we can start the ball rolling?

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  11. She is being investigated by the FBI for possibly interfering with a police investigation called operation nutcracker. Her gangbanger nephew had a gun is car and she was on the scene within minutes. FYI - the police department reports to Edgerly. She has 12 members of her family that work for the city and her daughter has failed the police academy 4 times. But she still working to become and officer.

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  12. yeah its funny, i think her daughter is still getting paid as a recruit but is not even in an academy. I could be wrong. Since the mom is getting the axe will the daughter??

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  13. My wife works for the city and blatantly tells me that she is the most corrupt city employee there is. All city employee know how her relatives got a job over at city ofoakland with going through the process. She will not be missed!

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  14. Now she claims she will not reire until her name is cleared and she is rendered white as snow. With the volumous baggage she has collected over the past 5 years this could be a long, tedious, and expensive legal process. Meanwhile the City of Oakland once again takes it on the nose..............

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  15. I hope she goes to prison.

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  16. bookmarked, i will add your homepage to my toolbar

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