SN&R > Columns > Bites > Business as usual > 11.05.09:
"Michelle Smira, one of the mayor’s top volunteer advisers, is leaving to run Kevin Johnson’s “strong mayor” campaign and to work as a consultant for Nestlé—and it’s business as usual at City Hall.
On October 22, Smira sent her resignation letter to the mayor, in which she explains that she’s leaving the city post to boost Johnson’s strong-mayor initiative.
“We need to change our antiquated structure and I will be there to help educate our community on the issue,” Smira "wrote in her letter. (You can read the whole letter on SN&R’s news blog, Snog.)
Smira told Bites she doesn’t believe there’s any legal issue with keeping both jobs, but said that if she didn’t quit the City Hall gig, then she wouldn’t have time to run her public-relations business, MMS Strategies.
Well, it just so happens that MMS Strategies was hired, within three days of Smira’s exit from City Hall, by Nestlé Waters. There, she’ll help conduct Nestlé’s public-relations offensive for a controversial water-bottling plant in south Sacramento.
Smira has worked previously on campaigns for U.S. Rep Doug Ose and for presidential candidate John McCain, and has served as the chairwoman for the Sacramento Metro Chamber of Commerce political action committee, Metro PAC.
"Michelle Smira, one of the mayor’s top volunteer advisers, is leaving to run Kevin Johnson’s “strong mayor” campaign and to work as a consultant for Nestlé—and it’s business as usual at City Hall.
On October 22, Smira sent her resignation letter to the mayor, in which she explains that she’s leaving the city post to boost Johnson’s strong-mayor initiative.
“We need to change our antiquated structure and I will be there to help educate our community on the issue,” Smira "wrote in her letter. (You can read the whole letter on SN&R’s news blog, Snog.)
Smira told Bites she doesn’t believe there’s any legal issue with keeping both jobs, but said that if she didn’t quit the City Hall gig, then she wouldn’t have time to run her public-relations business, MMS Strategies.
Well, it just so happens that MMS Strategies was hired, within three days of Smira’s exit from City Hall, by Nestlé Waters. There, she’ll help conduct Nestlé’s public-relations offensive for a controversial water-bottling plant in south Sacramento.
Smira has worked previously on campaigns for U.S. Rep Doug Ose and for presidential candidate John McCain, and has served as the chairwoman for the Sacramento Metro Chamber of Commerce political action committee, Metro PAC.