Excerpt from Pacifica Tribune "Our Turn" guest columnists, Jim Wagner and Mark Stechbart, 1/17/12.
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| Door #1 'gimme tax' my choice |
Several hundred Pacificans
milled about in confusion as to what they were supposed to be doing.
Everyone thought a presentation from Council or the Committee would take
place with question and answer afterwards. Then maybe a public record
would have been made of all comments, like a regular council meeting and
a video available to cable TV. No, the arrangement in an overcrowded
room was to move from station to station and listen to Financing
Committee members explain a revenue predicament that they did not
create. No Council member presented anything to the crowd from the
podium. It did sound like council members Stone and Nihart were getting
an earful from disgruntled citizens. We saw DeJarnatt sneak in and out.
Digre was hiding in the back and, as is custom, Vreeland was nowhere in
sight." Read the full article.
Posted by Kathy Meeh
19 comments:
I usually find comments from these two provocateurs to be so self-serving and Masters of the Universe-ish but this time they have a point. Toss out the personal stuff and you're left with a fairly accurate description of a very disappointing event. Are we really supposed to believe the city doesn't know how to fix the problem? That they need more input? A nine year old with an allowance knows how to fix this problem. And a nine year old who's in hot water knows how to spread the blame around and delay the inevitable with excuses and bad theatre. That behavior is charming and normal in a nine year old but in elected officials and city staff it's a dangerous combo of denial and appalling cynicism with just a whiff of panic. How disappointing. I'm not looking for scapegoats for this mess but I am looking for results. Either do the job you're paid and trusted to do, or step aside. You've had enough time and enough input.
All well and good but as usual where are the developers and really what does Pacifica know about serious economic development? Nothing, nada, zilch, and we have no one on council or on senior staff who has the vaguest clue. If we do, it's time for the reveal. Creating this position-or ideally, bringing in a city manager with this specific specialty- would be money well spent and how often do you get to say those words in Pacifica?
I read this today and thought it was a good description of the meeting. It seems we're being led by the nose to slaughter. "Here, give us your opinion of the choices we are going to LET you decide on."
Where's the beef?
I saw four letters to the Editor about the budget this week. All four mentioned wanting more information about city employee wages and benefits.
Is the city really listening? I think they seem more like they're nudging us in the direction they want us to go.
Our fearless, feckless leaders and their helpers are simply practicing CYA politics. Rule#1... when the shit hits the fan, make sure there's a crowd standing nearby.
Cover buttocks politics actually means keep a malleable citizens committee between the council and a tough decision.
The financing city services committee is being gamed to cover ten years of council's structural deficit spending of money the city did not have. All of the issues being handled by the financing city services committee could have been dealt with eight months ago by a city council with leadership. This entire exercise is a duck, as in avoid the issue, take cover, avoid responsibility. Until this matter is resolved, city council continues to spend money it does not have.
If this dog ever makes it to the ballot, where it will surely be defeated, I wonder who will be the campaign chairs? Can't wait for the debate in front of the Pacifica Democratic Club or the Chamber of Commerce.
The school crowd seems to know how to run a campaign. If they work on people's irrational fears and tie that tax measure to saving our local PD they CAN win. And then, we'll lose the PD anyway because those tax funds will get used for something else. Lurching from crisis to crisis aka life in Pacifica.
The Pacifica School District has a very high hurdle to leap with the 2/3 requirement for taxes, yet they still do well. That's because they produce good results with little money.
I won't vote for any new city taxes until I see some kind of believable economic development plan.
Steve the annual budget for PSD exceeds the city's budget.
That's a meaningless comparison, Todd. I'm more interested in how the Pacifica School District compares with other school districts.
PSD is consistently at or near the bottom of the list of San Mateo County school districts when it comes to money. Yet local students do very well academically when compared to other students.
But of course the hippies will say this article was politically motivated.
was it supposed to be a secret?
It wasn't?
you'd have to ask a hippie
I thought the column was one of the best things that these two have written.
Pacifica needs new leadership, both on the council and top staffers.
And how! Channel 26 was replaying the City Services Open House with Marty Anaya interviewing residents who attended. I was struck by the comments of a man who brought up that the cuts we are being forced to consider will change Pacifica forever. No going back. He compared it to corporate downsizing and watching a company approach that point where it really is just a deathwatch before its gone for good. After 50+ years as Pacifica this is the best we can hope for?
Agree with you Lionel. No fan, but
they got it right and at the right time.
Is that Wagner or Stechbart in the photo?
yes
Can't be either one in the picture. They don't dress that well. But, then again, Plato and Socrates wore a sheet and they were pretty smart.
Looks like the monkey represents a depiction of what the city council thinks of the populace!
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