Voice of the Coast

You’d think that City Council candidates could at least get their 300 word ballot book statements to say something that makes sense. Maybe that’s expecting too much from Old Guards in sheeps’ clothing.

Naomi Patridge says that the City Council lacks balance and that this lack of balance has somehow distracted the City from assisting in completion of the Boys & Girls Club and attending to deferred maintenance. This is foo-foo. In reality, I was actually on the City Council with Naomi when we voted 5/0 to:

(1) Lease City-owned land chosen by the B&G Club to the Club at $1/yr for 50 years. (That location was later found to have insufficient traffic capacity.);

(2) Approve a N. Wavecrest Project that included a B&G Club. (Jurisdiction over this project was later taken away from the City by the state Coastal Commission when “substantial issues” (e.g. developer hanky pank in draining and delineating protected wetlands) was discovered on appeal (the appeal having been filed not by the City or some environmental group, but by other developers who felt left out of the project); and

(3) Set aside $600K/yr of hotel tax revenue to establish a dedicated street maintenance fund, which was an unprecedented move at the time, but now after several years shows positive results to any resident who looks out their front window.

Bonnie MccClung says that the City has not addressed issues like improving schools, completing Highway 92 improvements, building a new library and expanding recreation facilities. This is serious foo-foo. In reality, I was actually on the City Council (but not with Bonnie who has never been elected) when we voted 5/0 to:

(1) Approve a N. Wavecrest Project that included a new middle school. (Jurisdiction over this project was later taken away from the City by the state Coastal Commission when “substantial issues” (e.g. developer hanky panky in draining and delineating protected wetlands) was discovered on appeal (the appeal having been filed not by the City or some environmental group, but by other developers who felt left out of the project).

(2) Design, redesign, fund and refund a Highway 92 intersection improvement project, which is dependent on outside agencies for more than 90% of its $15M funding and despite the City’s commitment, has been stalled more than once by priority changes, tax revenue shortfalls and other machinations of outside agencies.

(3) Spend $200K for new library design, commit to providing $3M towards new library construction, and submit a competitive enough proposal for $12M of state library bond funding to twice end up on the top 10 list of finalists among nearly 100 other cities and counties.

(4) Begin acquisition of 22 acres of prime parkland on Highway 92, far removed from the problematic and stinky 15 acre sewer plant site emphasized by past City Councils for community park use.

George Muteff says that City Council is somehow out of balance in addition to being too secretive and too responsive to outside agencies. This is serious foo-foo. I was actually on the City Council (but not with George who has never been elected) that finally:

(1) Restored the balance between public and private interests by focusing more on meeting resident needs and less on meeting developer needs;

(2) Opened up its public process after decades of developer-friendly decisions, smoke- filled rooms, sweetheart deals, and favors for good buddies;

(3) Rehabilitated the City’s once sordid reputation with the state Coastal Commission (which has ultimate legal jurisdiction over land use here and which now readily and successfully assists the City when the City’s environmental policies and practices are challenged by law suits from deep-pocketed developers).

With billions of dollars of development at stake (7500 more Coastside houses if nothing is done), let’s hope that voters don’t get fooled by the foo-foo and return us to the bad old days.

Thanks for letting me get that out. DC

Dennis Coleman was a HMB Councilman from 1995-2003 and Mayor during 1999 and 2003.