Piedmont’s Leadership Crisis: Reckless Spending and a Decline in Accountability

Piedmont residents are witnessing an alarming decline in leadership, with both the City Council and City Administrator playing active roles in the city’s financial and civic deterioration. The relentless push for pickleball in Linda Park, championed by Mayor Cavenaugh and endorsed by the City Council and administration, epitomizes this mismanagement. The project, pursued “at all costs,” is fiscally reckless, likely illegal, and completely out of step with the priorities of many Piedmont residents.

This issue is not isolated. Under the current leadership, property taxes rise year after year while property values stagnate or decline. Meanwhile, unchecked spending on dubious projects continues without transparency or accountability. The City Administrator, entrusted with ensuring responsible governance, has instead contributed to the city’s fiscal chaos and the erosion of public trust.

Piedmont deserves better. Our leadership’s actions—or lack thereof—are not just disappointing but deeply harmful to the community’s future. It’s time for residents to demand a change in direction, one that prioritizes fiscal responsibility, ethical governance, and a commitment to serving the real needs of our city. The current trajectory is unsustainable, and we cannot afford to stand by as our city deteriorates further.