Few waves with mayor at the helm
By Marcos Bretón - mbreton@sacbee.com
Published 12:00 am PST Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Story appeared in METRO section, Page B1
Heather Fargo is the perfect politician for Sacramento. It's no wonder she
appears headed for easy re-election as mayor next June.
How would one campaign against her?
She has no soaring political triumphs to her name. But she's not doing a
bad job, either. She's not beloved, but neither is she riddled with enemies.
She's not charismatic, but she is very nice. Fargo loves Sacramento, and
is a big booster for its downtown. She's anti-politician, very inclusive.
She still sees herself as a neighborhood activist – an important distinction
in this town.
Like it or not, the preservation of Sacramento's distinctive neighborhoods is
the central issue for those who participate in local politics.
Even though Sacramento is a big city – with big-city problems – many here
harbor a desire to keep Sacramento small, uncomplicated, tree-lined. It's a
boat that doesn't want to be rocked.
If Sacramento were a guy, you'd call him Even Steven.
How Even Steven is Fargo? She has all of $5,000 in her campaign war chest
right now, according to the latest figures kept by the city clerk.
Make that $5,181, to be exact. Such a pittance seems like walking-around
money for local titans such as developer Angelo K. Tsakopoulos. That's
probably what Mort and Marcy Friedman – owners of the Arden Fair mall –
give out to charities every hour on the hour.
It's quite a statement in a city this large.
Then you meet with Fargo, and it's impossible not to like her. And feel
empathy. Fargo is very public about having multiple sclerosis. She speaks
openly about how her condition has progressed, how it used to be relapsing
and remitting, but now there are no reprieves.
"I'm at the point where the damage that's been done pretty much affects
my walking every day," Fargo said. "As far as I know, I've had no cognitive
issues. It hasn't affected my speech or my vision. Where the lesions are on
my brain and spinal column, it (affects) my hips and legs."
Can one assess Fargo as a politician without seeming callous or unkind? Are
potential Fargo opponents afraid to find out?
For the sake of this column, Fargo is taken at her word: She says she's
ready to campaign and take whatever comes her way, like anyone else.
When asked about her primary accomplishments, she said: "The
relationship the city has with other cities in the region. I work very hard
with West Sacramento on waterfront issues, with Yolo County on flood
issues ... There is a high level of cooperation on the council."
"We've made progress on downtown, on K Street, on the waterfront ...
We've made so much progress on the levees we've been able to work on.
We do have a majority of the city out of the floodplain now ... I feel good
that I know as much as I know about flood control."
On all of these issues, Fargo speaks of "moving forward" and having "more
work to do." She's all about the process.
Is Fargo's work worthy of respect? Yes. Are there signature accomplishments
to rally behind? Sort of. Are there positive changes downtown in which city
staff has played as big a role or bigger than Fargo and her council? Yes.
Would Sacramento benefit from a vigorous mayor's race with major issues
looming such as increased crime and the development of the downtown
railyard? Yes.
But that likely won't happen, and it's not Fargo's fault. It's apparently the
way you want it to be.