Eye on the East Bay: Richmond council grouchiness reaches another nadir
Contra Costa Times
Posted:   03/09/2014 12:00:00 AM PST

"SHUT 'EM DOWN!": Election year is upon us in Richmond, which means The Eye must endure dysfunction beyond the usual circus at City Council meetings, mixed with a heaping dose of grouchiness.
Last Tuesday was another nadir.
The council bickered for more than two hours over how to address the shocking revelations in recent media reports documenting a Richmond Housing Authority rife with problems.
Councilman Corky Boozé was in rare form, relishing his chance to heap blame on colleagues and city staff for botching housing authority management duties while some of those same colleagues rolled their eyes and sighed.
Boozé and Mayor Gayle McLaughlin clashed countless times, and the mayor recessed the meeting on several occasions when the disorder overwhelmed any coherent discussion.
Finally, Councilman Tom Butt snapped.
"Can you just shut this guy up?" Butt spat, urging the mayor to call another recess to halt Boozé's harangue. "Shut ' em down ... shut this guy up!" Butt barked in his Arkansas drawl.
Moments later, the 70-year-old Boozé bolted from the dais to plead his case to anyone who would listen. "Tom can just tell me to shut up?" Boozé said, part question and part statement, suppressing the beginnings of a smile.
The meeting clocked in at about six hours, and several agendized items of public business were left unheard. As for the beleaguered housing authority, the council decided 6-1 to hire an independent investigator to probe the agency. Boozé voted no.
Staff writers Robert Rogers, Jennifer Modenessi and Paul Burgarino contributed to this column.