Blanchard won't sign Bush resolution

Mayor Bob Blanchard of Santa Rosa said he's signed dozens of resolutions passed by the City Council, even some he opposed.

But Blanchard refused Tuesday to sign a resolution passed on a 5-1 vote last week that called on Congress to initiate impeachment proceedings against President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.

"This is not city business," said Blanchard, who believes the council should not consider resolutions that deal with state or federal matters.

The council vote stoked a firestorm over whether local elected officials should take stances on federal issues that reflect on the city's entire population.

Several people addressed the council Tuesday, some applauding the impeachment vote and one saying the council had overstepped its bounds.

Councilman Lee Pierce, asked by Blanchard if he'd sign the resolution as the city's vice mayor, agreed "on behalf of the other four council members, the 2,000 who signed the petition and to act as a conduit for the people."

Some current and former council members said the impeachment resolution broke with a Santa Rosa City Council tradition of steering clear of state and federal issues.

But Pierce pointed out the council had taken such positions before, citing its unanimous vote in August to file a friend-of-the-court brief in favor of gay marriage on the issue before the state Supreme Court.

And in April, the council unanimously passed a resolution urging Congress to resolve its long-standing stalemate over immigration.

Pierce, along with council members Veronica Jacobi, Susan Gorin, John Sawyer and Carol Dean voted in support of the impeachment resolution. Blanchard voted no and Jane Bender abstained.

You can reach Staff Writer Mike McCoy at 521-5276 or mmcoy@pressdemocrat.com.