The scandal involving the San Jose Fire Department and the Pink Poodle strip club has sparked a new debate about how much power the mayor should have.
A fire captain was demoted after cell phone video captured a bikini-clad woman stepping out of a fire engine and walking directly into the strip club. The captain appears to be the only person disciplined in the case.
Former San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo said Friday he wonders if more people would have been disciplined if the city had a so-called strong mayor form of government, which gives the mayor the authority to hire and fire department heads, including police and fire chiefs.
Liccardo said he was surprised when he heard that only one fire captain was disciplined and not the rest of the crew. Liccardo conceded he doesn't know all the facts of the investigation, but he said if current Mayor Matt Mahan wanted to do more, his hands are tied, and he's not able to sit with a department head to discuss personnel discipline.
While Liccardo is not formally calling for a change to the city charter right now, he believes the issue needs to be revisited at some point so that the mayor has more authority.
He also believes the discipline for firefighters could have been wider after the Pink Poodle incident with a strong mayor at the helm.
"Everyone who is responsible needs to be appropriately disciplined," Liccardo said. "Those are conversations that he can’t have under the city charter. Literally, Section 411 prohibits it."
Former councilman and county supervisor Ken Yeager said San Jose is an anomaly when it comes to how big cities are run. Most have a strong mayor form of government.
Get a weekly recap of the latest San Francisco Bay Area housing news. Sign up for NBC Bay Area’s Housing Deconstructed newsletter.
