Now that Jerry Brown is running for governor, his campaign is pointing to Oakland as Exhibit A in the case for Brown as a can-do pragmatic politician, a counterpoint to the unfair caricature of Brown as a monkish pol in thrall to pervy French gurus and faddish Big Ideas.

This is what Jerry Brown’s website has to say about his eight years as Oakland’s mayor: “Brown successfully reversed decades of neglect and economic decay and made Oakland one of the top ten green cities in America. He inaugurated the 10K Housing program, bringing 10,000 new residents to the heart of the city and creating a new urban vitality of art galleries, restaurants and festivals.”

That’s one way of looking at it. As the media and voters turn their attention to Oakland to assess Brown’s claims, allow me to offer my own perspective on the Brown years. After all, I was there. In 2000, Brown appointed me to the Planning Commission, the very arena where Brown set out to change his image from flake to fixer.

If you think there’s a lot of interest in the current mayor’s race, you should have seen 1998. Even 16 years out of public office, Brown’s candidacy for mayor in 1998 had an immediate and electrifying effect on the city. The media loved the story about this Governor’s son, governor, and erstwhile presidential contender deigning to tackle the many problems of a troubled, mid-sized city. When he won, it instantly changed the perception that Oakland was nothing more than a dangerous, crime-ridden city. It was now an experiment in urban rejuvenation.

This new energy continued after Brown took office in January 1999. And it was welcome. After several years of economic and political stagnation, Brown brought a fresh perspective to City Hall. Unlike his predecessors, he appeared everywhere to tout the advantages of building new housing in Oakland. He announced an ambitious plan to bring 10,000 new residents to downtown Oakland, and used his extensive statewide connections to attract residential home-builders to bring his vision to life. His drive to lure new people to Oakland was so intense, he pushed projects he had fought against when he was a mere resident of Oakland, dwelling in a loft/commune in Jack London Square.

Seasoned Jerry watchers know what comes next in this narrative. The manic energy was also a shortcoming. Despite his flash and bluster, he had no real plan for Oakland.  He latched onto new housing starts because developers composed his inner-circle. While he built homes, he neglected jobs and quality of life services.

There was not much recruitment of job-producing businesses, or neighborhood services like retail and grocery stores that would make Oakland an economic and residential hub.  During Brown’s tenure, Oakland sat idly by and watched as Emeryville attract jobs and services that might have located in Oakland.

His lack of foresight caused several missteps that prevented Oakland’s land from being developed in the best ways.  At the peak of the real estate bubble, he pushed a no-bid agreement for the Uptown site.  Rather than allowing the competitive market to dictate the price of the property, Brown executed an exclusive arrangement to build rental property, city subsidized and financed.  Instead of the city making money on the project from the sale of the property, it wound up costing Oakland a huge amount of money for a number of years.

This episode revealed another of Brown's flaws as a cheif executive. He fought hard to make his mistake in Uptown. He even rejected the advice of his shrewdest hire in order to blunder ahead with his handpicked partner, Forest City. City Administrator Robert Bobb thought the site would an excellent location for a Major League Baseball park.  Bobb's vision, and there were many others who shared this vision, was to have an anchor attraction in the middle of the urban core. It was not a radical idea. Bobb could point to several examples around the country, including across the Bay in San Francisco. Jerry Brown squelched debate, and then fired Bobb for having the stones to offer other ideas.

There were other botched opportunities that betrayed Brown’s disdain for consensus. He packed OUSD’s governing board with allies, but watched the school district succumb to financial ruin and a state takeover. He still talks a lot about the Oakland School for the Arts. He's less proud about his first charter school, the Oakland Military Academy. As mayor, Brown spent too few hours thinking about job creation, and too many hours resisting good ideas. For example, as the revitalization of Brown’s old neighborhood in Jack London Square picked up pace, Brown showed no interest in supporting retail in the area.  The train station was remodeled with no vision for enticing riders to actually disembark in Oakland.  

At some point, Brown lost interest in the whole thing. The city of Oakland joined the Oakland Military Academy in Jerry Brown's bin of forgotten toys. Eventually, he became just as much of an absentee mayor as our current one.  He spent the last two years in office primarily campaigning for the Attorney General job. His exit from City Hall was as quiet as his entry eight years earlier was heralded.

Brown certainly can’t be blamed for all of what happened after he left. Many of his achievements withered under the sorry stewardship of his successor, others dissolved in the wake of the financial crisis. The vision for 10,000 residential units came in closer to 5,000.  Downtown never became a job center, and there are very few support services in downtown residential areas. New restaurants and bars appear downtown despite City Hall. The $90 million investment in the Fox Theater is in danger of being usurped by the revitalization of the UC Theater in Berkeley. To be sure, Brown’s early energetic years left a mark on Oakland. But, it’s hard not to reflect on what might have been. With more sustained focus, Oakland could have been in a better position to withstand the challenges it’s faced these last four years.

Now, Brown wants to fix California. Brown has stated he will rely on his experience and energy to solve California’s problems. At 72 he still has energy, and no one can deny his experience. It’s possible he is exactly what the troubled state needs. I certainly won’t be voting for his opponent. But I worry that Brown will lose interest when the problems become too intractable, when competing interests push back with too much vigor. Will Brown fade away again? There's almost 40 years of history to suggest he will.

George Skelton, the Los Angeles Times’ Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist in Sacramento, recently offered Brown a brilliant idea that I hope he takes. Skelton suggested that Brown should promise voters that he will only seek one term. This frees Brown from the compromises he would have to make for reelection while jibing with his own restless and impatient intellect. As Oakland proves, it would be better to have only four years of an engaged Jerry Brown than a second term vexed by distraction and disinterest.

Clinton Killian is an attorney in downtown Oakland, an Oakland resident and a former Oakland Planning Commissioner. He is running for City Council in District 4. He can be reached at: (510) 625-8823 or email: clintonkillian@yahoo.com