The MGH Report

Michael G. Haran, Proprietor

TRUTH, HONESTY AND TRUST

Posted by on May 10, 2013

TRUTH, HONESTY AND TRUST

Letter to the Editor

Healdsburg Tribune

May 9, 2013

Truth, Honesty and Trust

I’m sure I’m not the only one getting tired of the week after week negative Foss Creek Letters to the Editor but as Carolyn Moore noted “It’s not going away.” The Foss Creek Circle issue is looking more and more emblematic of our current city council. Based on the overwhelming negativity of this project you’d think that by now the council would have been honest enough to admit that this one-way street business was a bad idea, changed it back and moved on to more important city matters. But it hasn’t and it’s beginning to look like the council thinks it can get its 3-2 way by stonewalling and hoping the town will get tired of the fight.

This thing seems to be a pet project of one of the councilman. I think there have been more negative Letters to the Editor about this than the number of people in the bogus survey used to justify this project. In Gary Buchanan’s Letter “Close Call,” he referred to Gary Plass’ response as “glib” to a near accident. I don’t think his response was “glib” at all I think it was condescending.

I’m starting to sense that this council feels it can do whatever it wants without regard for the community. The town has a limited amount of money to spend on foolish projects. Two councilmen (woman) of all people, knows we need every cent to pay for the city’s bloated unfunded long term liabilities. Unless they think they can just do Measures N, O and P to raise more tax money and the town would happily go along. Or maybe they could convert the town’s beloved library into an office building. Sound too farfetched? Don’t kid yourself they have already talked about it.

The council’s justification for Foss Creek Circle was that no one showed up to protest. People have to work and they don’t have time to show up for every council meeting. When this council was elected people thought they were getting representatives that would look after the town’s interests. They said the decision was made because Silver Oak needed the changes for their deliveries which turned out to be not true. I’m beginning to believe this council’s attitude with each other is “we’ll vote for your pet project if you vote for mine.”

The counsel has asked the town for suggestions on how to spend the Measure M funds.  The whole town better show up because if they don’t who knows what the council will spend the money on and with the restoration of the $13.5m bond money maybe we need a citizen’s ad hoc oversight committee to keep this money from being wasted. Where’s the trust?

Michael Haran is a Healdsburg resident

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