Featured

Open Letter: Bryan Parker – A Mayor for All of Oakland

Published

10 years ago

October 24, 2014

By Bishop Bob Jackson, Father Jay Matthews, Pastor Russell Duley

We are writing today about the Oakland Mayor’s Race. We encourage you to vote for Bryan Parker. We think he is committed to uplifting East and West Oakland.

As Pastors in East and West Oakland, we know better than anyone, the need for investment in our communities. Our communities suffer in the areas of education and safety, but most of all in the area of jobs.

The unemployment rate in our communities is more than 30 percent. Bryan has a solid and robust jobs plan for Oakland.

We believe his business acumen and concern for all communities are why both the Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and the SF Chronicle gave Bryan their sole endorsement.

The Pastors in Oakland and the Oakland African American Chamber of Commerce have also endorsed him.

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We believe good jobs allow families to get good housing, put food on their tables and send their kids to college. Furthermore, more jobs will lead to a reduction in crime.

We believe Bryan correctly ties together the message that education and good jobs, in all communities, are the best way out of poverty and the best path to a safe city for all.

Notwithstanding Mr. Parker’s considerable credentials, he needs your help to win. The New York Times has placed him in the top candidates who can win this election.

With 40 percent of voters in this election undecided, polls as to where any candidates might place are unreliable.

African Americans make up more than one half of the undecided population, and if we account for occasional voters, the number would be even higher. We can shape this election.

The Pastors in Oakland just completed a drive to register 100 percent of their members. But, sadly, many of us, despite fighting, sometimes to the point of death for the right to vote, still don’t go to the polls.

If African American voters go to the polls in the numbers in which they are registered or in which they voted for the president, we would shape this election.

As a famous president once said, “Yes we can”…By volunteering with the churches to “Get Out the Vote,” we can make a tremendous difference!

We ask that you go to the polls. We ask that you vote for Bryan Parker. We believe Bryan Parker as Oakland’s next mayor represents an excellent opportunity for our city to move in a new direction.

Oakland Post

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Related Topics:Bishop Bob Jackson Bryan Parker City of Oakland Oakland Oakland Mayoral Election religion

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Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

Published

3 days ago

April 26, 2024

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

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Alameda County

DA Pamela Price Stands by Mom Who Lost Son to Gun Violence in Oakland

Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018.

Published

6 days ago

April 22, 2024

Oakland Post

District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones

Publisher’s note: Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018. The photo was too small for readers to see where the women were and what they were doing. Here we show Price and Jones as they complete a walk in memory of Scott. For more information and to contribute, please contact Carol Jones at 510-978-5517 at morefoundation.help@gmail.com. Courtesy photo.

Oakland Post

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City Government

Vallejo Welcomes Interim City Manager Beverli Marshall

At Tuesday night’s Council meeting, the Vallejo City Council appointed Beverli Marshall as the interim city manager. Her tenure in the City Manager’s Office began today, Wednesday, April 10. Mayor Robert McConnell praised Marshall’s extensive background, noting her “wide breadth of experience in many areas that will assist the City and its citizens in understanding the complexity of the many issues that must be solved” in Vallejo.

Published

6 days ago

April 22, 2024

Oakland Post

Beverli Marshall began her first day with the City on April 10. ICMA image.

Special to The Post

At Tuesday night’s Council meeting, the Vallejo City Council appointed Beverli Marshall as the interim city manager. Her tenure in the City Manager’s Office began today, Wednesday, April 10.

Mayor Robert McConnell praised Marshall’s extensive background, noting her “wide breadth of experience in many areas that will assist the City and its citizens in understanding the complexity of the many issues that must be solved” in Vallejo.

Current City Manager Michael Malone, whose official departure is slated for April 18, expressed his well wishes. “I wish the City of Vallejo and Interim City Manager Marshall all the best in moving forward on the progress we’ve made to improve service to residents.” Malone expressed his hope that the staff and Council will work closely with ICM Marshall to “ensure success and prosperity for the City.”

According to the Vallejo Sun, Malone stepped into the role of interim city manager in 2021 and became permanent in 2022. Previously, Malone served as the city’s water director and decided to retire from city service e at the end of his contract which is April 18.

“I hope the excellent work of City staff will continue for years to come in Vallejo,” he said. “However, recent developments have led me to this decision to announce my retirement.”

When Malone was appointed, Vallejo was awash in scandals involving the housing division and the police department. A third of the city’s jobs went unfilled during most of his tenure, making for a rocky road for getting things done, the Vallejo Sun reported.

At last night’s council meeting, McConnell explained the selection process, highlighting the council’s confidence in achieving positive outcomes through a collaborative effort, and said this afternoon, “The Council is confident that by working closely together, positive results will be obtained.”

While the search for a permanent city manager is ongoing, an announcement is expected in the coming months.

On behalf of the City Council, Mayor McConnell extended gratitude to the staff, citizen groups, and recruitment firm.

“The Council wishes to thank the staff, the citizens’ group, and the recruitment firm for their diligent work and careful consideration for the selection of what is possibly the most important decision a Council can make on behalf of the betterment of our City,” McConnell said.

The Vallejo Sun contributed to this report.