Chico CA Council Rebuffs Impeachment Efforts

Council Rebuffs Impeachment Effort
By JENN KLEIN | ChicoER.com

CHICO -- Deciding it wasn't an issue for the city to take a stance on, the Chico City Council Tuesday night turned down a group of residents wanting support in an effort to impeach the president and vice president.

After hearing from more than 20 people, the council voted 4-1 to not support a resolution brought forward by the Chico Impeach Team that would have urged Congress to begin the process to impeach President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.

Mayor Andy Holcombe said he supported the idea and wanted "to cry for the anguish this country is going through." But Holcombe said he had to weigh his personal beliefs against his responsibility as an elected official. He said he was not sure how the entire city felt on the subject of impeachment and he did not believe it was the appropriate place to send a message.

"Fundamentally, I think it's an individual matter," Holcombe said.

City Councilor Tom Nickell said while he saw truth in what the speakers presented in support of impeachment, he needed to represent every one of the 86,000 people in Chico and focus on the city's issues and problems.

Councilor Larry Wahl declared he firmly supported both the president and vice president in their war on Islamic terrorism.

City Councilor Steve Bertagna, who along with Wahl had not wanted to hear the issue, said he was elected to take care of the city's business and he didn't feel like it was his jurisdiction to take any action on the subject.

"This was an expensive meeting to have this discussion," Bertagna said. "This discussion could have taken place in many different venues. I've heard your comments and I don't agree with many of them."

Councilor Scott Gruendl, the sole vote in support of the resolution, said he was indifferent to whether both leaders should be impeached but said it wasn't a question of whether or not he supported impeachment. Instead, he said his community asked him to do something no other elected official has responded to and he takes seriously requests for his help.

Bill Connelly of the Chico Impeach Team told the council the group felt it was a local issue and within the council's purview. He said the actions of this administration affect the local economy and local members of the military. He said impeachment was needed to reinstate the authority of the Constitution and send a message that the country's leaders need to be checked so the next president could not continue the same behavior.

The group presented a petition from more than 1,000 people in support of the council passing the resolution.

"Why aren't people more ashamed of our current administration and what they have done and if they are ashamed, why aren't they outreached?" Connelly said.

Mimi Riley, a Butte College sociology teacher, said it's very difficult to teach students about democracy and rights when their leaders break the law.

"Kids today are very cynical; they don't think it's important to learn about their Constitution and their constitutional rights. They think it's just an old dead piece of paper. ... In the interest of future generations, in the interest of our world standing, which has declined significantly, I urge you to uphold this resolution," Riley said.

Jennifer Gerlings told the council it was the first issue on which she had spoken before them. "This is an easy thing for me as a regular ordinary citizen to know that what this man George Bush has done is wrong," Gerlings said.

A handful of people told the council they did not support the resolution.

Rob Ramay said he felt Bush was incompetent and said he was glad Bush will be out in three to five months. But he said he did not feel this was the forum to discuss it. "We have some real issues in the city and I just think it's ... your (responsibility) to me to get on with city business," Ramay said.

Vice Mayor Ann Schwab and City Councilor Mary Flynn were both absent from the meeting due to a work commitment.