The Ukiah City Council voted 3-2 last week to appoint Council Member Josefina Duenas as mayor in the new year. Duenas was passed over last year, due to lack of preparation. Current Mayor Mari Rodin and Council Member Susan Sher voted against her appointment this year, citing a lack of confidence in her ability to fulfill the role. Duenas argues that, as a deaf person and an immigrant who speaks English as a second language, she represents people who are often overlooked.
Council Member Douglas Crane, who will replace Duenas as vice mayor in the new year, nominated her for mayor, saying it fulfills the city’s stated obligations to DEI, or diversity, equity and inclusion. And he thinks the city can do more to incorporate technology to help the public understand Duenas.
“We speak of accommodation,” he said. “We speak of inclusion. I think it’s incumbent upon the body to do everything we can to facilitate, accommodate someone with a disability that has been brought to the body by the voters.”
Duenas thanked Crane for his trust, and said she is clear about the expectations of the job.
“I am representing the diversity,” she declared; “Not only the Latino immigrant, but also the deaf, the handicapped, the poor, so I think that the voters choose me for a reason. And it will be my honor to do the best I can.”
Sher cited some of what she views as the minimum qualifications for the mayor’s role.
“I think we all have a responsibility to be prepared for meetings, be very familiar with the issues. Returning inquiries from fellow council members, from staff and from constituents, and meeting with constituents when we’re requested to…I guess I need to know whoever is mayor is ready to take on those duties, and has the time and the energy and the interest in doing it.”
Duenas said she has previous government experience where she excelled, thanks to support from colleagues and a kind boss. She asked Sher what kind of qualifications she is looking for. “As a group, we really need somebody from the rehabilitation department or the League of Cities to come and teach us about how to get along or how to work with people with disabilities. We really need it.”
Rodin weighed in, saying “I am supportive of diversity, equity and inclusion. But for me, it doesn’t substitute for qualifications. It’s not a free ride. So I wouldn’t vote for Vice Mayor Duenas to be the mayor simply to add diversity or equity or inclusion. That just goes against my principles…I need to adhere to my role as a city council member, which is to support a mayoral candidate who meets the qualifications necessary to perform as the mayor. And that’s my duty to the city and to constituents. And I really appreciate the sincere efforts that Vice Mayor Duenas has made in this past year. But to me, she hasn’t demonstrated adequate preparation or a firm detailed grasp of many of the issues that we’ve had to confront and vote on.”
Sher admitted that the discussion was “excruciating,” and that she had been dreading it for a long time.
“When I itemized the duties, I guess I wanted you to say, yes, I’m ready to embrace all of these duties, and my qualifications are more than fulfilling a diversity and equity requirement. But what I heard you say was, we need diversity and equity. Absolutely we do. But we need qualifications at the same time.”
Council Member Juan Orozco, who voted with Crane to appoint Duenas to the mayor’s seat, asked a question that appeared to be answered by the vote.
“For part of the council, or members of the council here, we weigh as more important the effectiveness of running a council meeting, and being accountable to our residents, just like any other council member would. Versus how important it is for us to have that title. To have that position as a mayor for our families, for our community. It’s two different views of things that we may have here. And I’m wondering if that’s the case.”
After hearing from Alan Nicholson, a member of the public who regularly attends the meetings, that he has not had any success communicating with her, Duenas, whose city bio includes a text-only phone number, expressed some confusion about email spam filters.
“If you email me to the city’s email, and you are not registered or something, your email goes to spam or to, how is it that prevents us to read the email?” she asked. “It contains all the emails that say, if you don’t know the person, don’t click. It’s Microsoft or something.”
Crane asked Duenas what she will do if her colleagues ask her to step down, “if you were not meeting the expectation for conducting the meetings,” he said. “What say you?”
“I will know, if I am doing the best, if I am doing well,” Duenas replied. “And I will accept if you say no. I will.”
There will be a reception to welcome Mayor Josefina Duenas at the Civic Center in Ukiah at 5:30pm on December 6.
Sign Language should be taught in kindergarten..
It’s truly a language, with punctuation, inflection, dialect and accent. I never feel more physically expressive or communicate with more integrity that when I am speaking in Sign Language.
Mendocino College offers great Sign Language courses which offer interesting insight into Deaf culture and experience.
If youTubers can have apps to directly translate their spoken words and vise versa than so can local government.
It seems like mouth moving hasn’t been our saving grace in local government. Maybe less talk and more communication is what we need!
*Closed captioning on television was a win for Deaf people everywhere. Make the internet catch up! Thank you to all those who provide automatic subtitles to their video content!
Wow, this is something!!! Two elected officials going after another elected official. Maybe they can take a page out of BOS playbook and get Eyster to charge her with something so they can remove her. And on top of all this, she is handicapped.
Put aside the handicap, we the voters put someone in office who has no business being on the City Council. And brain dead Doug Crane is pushing her right into the Mayor’s office Why? Crane is known for being more conservative, this is his dream. Two of the more liberal council woman are going after the handicapped liberal woman. Crane is breaking out the popcorn.
Why do I say, “she has no business being on the council”. Let’s go back to the Dragon’s Lair fiasco. The owner of the property applied for a demo permit. The building is basically in very poor condition and an eyesore in the downtown. Because 3-4 psycho’s show up in protest saying it’s the last building in Ukiah that some metal on it puts it in landmark status. Duenas votes “No”, her reasoning, the kids who walk to library from nearby school loved to look at the dragon painted on the side of building. Who cares the building is in a state of disrepair and an eyesore in a downtown area that the city is trying to reform. Better yet the the vote to allow the demo permit is turned down 4-1, Jim Brown is the only one using common sense. What did Brown get for his effort, voted out of office. And yes, Crane and Rodin were part of this vote. And they are not even hearing impaired Go figure!!!
This is our fault, the voters! We put them in office. When you don’t take election’s seriously this is what you get at City and County level. Right now, no one on the City Council deserves to be there, handicapped or not.
There was a functional utility to the old merit system.
At a time when things are unraveling in our country, when possible we need the best and brightest running the show. And they should be judged on their individual strengths and qualifications, not as a member of some disadvantaged minority or another. Forcing “diversity and equity” in leadership selection is as bad as flooding the political process with money to tip the scales. It’s a step in the wrong direction.
Agreed, 100%.
Let those among us qualified cast the first stone …
DEI policy is the problem. It’s a leftist joke. Oh please don’t hurt my feelings. Let’s make government policy to protect thin skinned leftist’s feelings. Aaaahhhhh. God damn hippies. Sorry I was channeling Cartman. He should be our next mayor.
As long as DEI policies are in place to help select our leaders then qualifications don’t matter. Only how unique and minoritorized someone is. I think I just invented a new word. I can’t wait to move away from California.
I’m sorry but an immigrant who speaks English as a second language, she represents people who are not American citizens.
She represents what she grew up with, another countrie’s culture. I doubt she has American values in her sights.
What values did “Americans” adopt? European values and laws of a foreign land. If we had accepted the values that were established here prior to taking the land, we would not be having this discussion would we?
It appears that there aren’t enough qualified “Americans” with whatever culture you think is appropriate for this thankless position.
“She” represents a plethora of American Citizens- a diverse, educated, passionate American, that does not look like yourself. Why does that make you uncomfortable?
I applaud Ms Dueñas for taking the challenge, knowing she would face opposition as a Latina woman and with a handicap to boot! She’s way braver than you and I.
And there needs to be BOS term limits-some members are on third, fourth term!
These responses are filled with name calling and put downs, each and every one. Being a disabled City of Ukiah resident I’m appalled by the lack of adequate disabled parking and enforcement there of as well as the lack of compassion put forward by the current city council. Not only our city but the current BOS seem to have been consumed by their own disfunction (not all members). The County of Mendocino is in very bad shape. Failing in a number of ways. I suggest some personal inventories take place prior to pointing out others inadequacies. Putting down others is never a good way to start a process.