If you don't like the way the Nestle water deal came down, you need a strong mayor in Sacramento.

The Nestle deal is an agreement between the City of Sacramento and the Nestle Company to build a bottled water facility. The purpose of this blog isn't to debate the merits. The deal is perfectly legal and legitimate under city rules.

But some people are questioning the method. They need a reality check.

The agreement was made between Nestle and the Sacramento city manager's office. That's how the old charter system works – public review is not necessary unless projects reach certain thresholds. There is no public debate.

In the Nestle case, the agreement follows city charter rules to the letter. The city manager and staff did exactly what the charter requires.

Today, at least two city council members are expressing concerns about the deal.  They say they didn't know what was going on. They didn't have a chance for discussion.

Guess what? That's how the weak mayor charter system works. The city manager followed charter rules, helped bring a major corporation to town, and that was that.

What council members should do is demand charter reform. This story would be different under a strong mayor system.

Here's the important fact: with strong mayor, the Nestle deal would have been reviewed in the Mayor’s office, by the Mayor’s staff.

Under strong mayor, there would have been transparency and accountability. If people didn't like it, they could have brought their concerns to the mayor. There would have been public debate.

The Nestle deal is the perfect argument in favor of charter reform and strong mayor.

If you prefer mayoral accountability over deals done by a city manager, you’ve got an option.