Oakland’s Police Chief Anthony Batts resigned Tuesday, and the reviews are in: Oakland Mayor Jean Quan blew it.
While Chief Batts himself worked to place a good face on his departure, working to deflect the idea that he and Mayor Quan didn’t get along, Oaklanders all over the Internet are pointing the finger squarely at her. (That is, those Oaklanders that bother to do so.) Take this tweet:
mugsyoakland William Johnson
#Oakland Our Chief of Police just resigned, proving Jean Quan is the WORST MAYOR EVER!!
Or how about SF Chronicle Columnist Chip Johnson making Mayor Quan look like a murder suspect that got away with one:
At a City Hall news conference Tuesday, Batts laid out his reasons for walking away. Quan stood in the background, arms folded, occasionally muttering to herself. She looked as uneasy as the prime suspect in a murder investigation. When the press conference had ended, she tried to leave the room without saying a word – until reporters pressed her for answers…When she took the podium, Quan admitted Batts was not her choice and said she had given him the opportunity to leave when she took office.
Look, Chip doesn’t like Jean, we know that. But even with that info, Mayor Quan’s not known for being subtle, so Johnson pretty much captured how she would express herself. Quan could have elected to leave the room without answering questions, as that’s her right. But Jean just had to get it all out of her system and say ‘It wasn’t my fault, but he wasn’t my choice.” Not nice at all.
And, as reported earlier, Oakland District Four (Oakland Hills – Montclair) Councilmember Libby Schaaf said:
I’m extremely disheartened by Chief Batts’ resignation. I can’t blame him for feeling frustrated by this City’s inability to unite around a shared vision and commitment to public safety for Oakland. I hope this experience inspires us all to work harder at finding consensus and providing support to our next Chief. Oakland’s future depends on it.
And former Oakland City Councilmember and City Attorney and now Alameda City Manager John Russo could not resist the chance to totally flame his Oakland nemesis Mayor Jean, saying that with Quan “It’s the City of Oakland Police versus the Black Panthers of the 1960s.”
Overall, it’s hard to find anyone who’s an Oakland insider who’s expressing any love for Mayor Quan in the wake of the Batts resignation. For praise for Mayor Quan, you have to look over at the Occupy Oakland participants, who thanked her for asking them not to pee on the Oakland Tree.
I’m not kidding.
Stay tuned.
Bill Carroll