Comments by Barry Parr

HMB City Council interviews are likely to be a charade, says McClung

Your quote was incomplete. Bonnie said “I don’t want these interviews to become a charade. There’s a good chance the result will end up the same.” Whether you see "good chance" and "likely" as being synonymous depends on the odds being offered. Bonnie didn't like the odds and voted against interviews. Would you have been content if the headline had been: "McClung fears HMB City Council interviews will become a charade"? I'll cop to "provocative", but not to "unnecessary".

HMB City Council interviews are likely to be a charade, says McClung

Four reasons for the headline: Bonnie called them a charade, David did not. "Gorn says interviews likely to be charade" is dog bites man. "McClung says interviews likely to be a charade" is man bites dog. Next, Bonnie offers us an interesting dichotomy. Either the interviews are a "charade" if they rubber-stamp the earlier vote or they're "embarassing" if they do not. Finally, the word "charade" appears in the headline of the admittedly more objective, and typically circumspect, San Mateo County…

HMB City Council video is no longer available on Coastsider

I encourage people to attend these meetings. You miss a lot on the tape, and that meeting in particular would have been doozy. However, many people can't come to the meetings because of family commitments in the evenings. There is a public board meeting every night of the week on the Coastside, so it's unrealistic to expect everyone to go to these meetings. Also, once something significant happens in a public forum, the tapes are the only way to see what really happened. Everyone who lives in Half…

Must-See MCTV: City Council détente breaks down

The distinction between 8 and 15 votes is meaningless. Bonnie was elected. But she was elected by a razor-thin margin, regardless of how you count it. Under our winner-take-all system, that tiny margin between Bonnie and Mike means that one side gets their way on everything for the next two years. Even if Mike Ferreira were appointed to the planning commission, he would have been one of two votes on a seven-member board.

Must-See MCTV: City Council détente breaks down

Let's try and keep the conversation more civil than the City Council keeps its meetings. Coastsider allows a lot more latitude in commenting on public officials than on commenting on other posters. As always, when in doubt, refer to the Golden Rule. If you want to put someone in their place, do it by refuting their argument, not by calling them names or abusing them. Our policy notwithstanding, we would prefer that you not test the limits of what you can say about public officials, either.

Coastsiders may not see any benefit from new cable fees

We need supervisors elected by districts. We also need our own city government on the Midcoast. Those two things are not mutually exclusive, of course.

Moon Bay in El Granada is closed to make way for new restaurant

It's really clear when you look at the Google satelllite photo in the link.

Who has the best cell phone coverage on the Coastside?

I don't think my Cingular Sony Ericsson T616 necessarily has the best reception, but lately I've been able to get a usable signal from time to tme on Acacia in Montara. I've never been able to get one at Farallone View, but I haven't checked lately. I still lose the signal on Highway 1 between Montara and Moss Beach.

Letter: Peak Oil is here. What does this mean for the Coastside?

I believe we're near the peak. I have no idea how to plan for it either for the Coastside or personally. Once we get to the other side and oil prices really start to rise, it's impossible to anticipate what's going to happen. I have a great deal of faith in human ingenuity and believe we'll adapt after a fashion with greater efficiency in power use and generation. But I have no idea how we'll deal with the economic problems that spur us to it, not to mention the trade deficit from buying all the…

Letter: County should reimburse Mike Ferreira for recount

Joel: This letter was from a supporter of Bonnie's. Also, I predict that Mike's supporters will remind the public of the razor-thin margin of this victory every time supporters of Bonnie/Naomi/Marina say, "The people have spoken."

The recount is over, and Bonnie McClung is the victor

"Smart growth" is not necessarily self-contradictory, although the term is often used to disguise plain old unplanned growth. I think the previous city council majority did a pretty good job of managing HMB's growth, although I didn't agree with all their decisions. Jim: What in Bonnie's and Naomi's record or campaign promises leads you to believe that we're going to get "smart growth" from the current city council? What makes you think that Cypress Cove is going to get more input in the development…

Photo: Recounting the ballots in the HMB City Council election

I've updated the caption.

Coastal Commission staff spanks Midcoast LCP update

I'm surprised that people who have decried the lack of self-government in the Southcoast would condone the Board of Supervisors in ignoring the recommendations of the elected representatives of the Midcoast (as well as their own planning commission and the Coastal Commission). As for Terry's old saw, it's a pretty blunt instrument for deciding the difference between right and wrong in the best of cases. We're not talking about the difference between extremes anyway. The MCC's proposal was a moderate-growth…

Coastsider now requires real names and prior review of all comments

Seeing real names in the Recent Comments list makes me feel good about my decision. It changes the whole atmosphere of the discussion to know who you're talking to. It also makes me nervous that some people say they can't comment on the site unless they were anonymous. I will respect requests for confidentiality. I have a strict policy of not sharing email addresses used for registration. And it couldn't be easier to send an anonymous tip or have an anonymous email conversation with with me. If you…

Coastsider now requires real names and prior review of all comments

I've released HMBRanger and Bginna's comments to give them a chance to say their goodbyes. For the record. I don't remember anything either of them posted that I wouldn't have cleared.

Only 8 votes separate Ferreira and McClung; one vote separates King and McKimmie

Grady was replying to an editorial published after the election, so I'm pretty sure he couldn't have written it before the election took place. The Review's editorial lumped a bunch of very different things together and suggested an equivalence. It also snidely implied, without proving, that there was something unethical with the way the Voice of the Coast was published. That was irresponsible and divisive. This week's cartoon exacerbated the damage by suggesting that politically-motivated vandalism…

Ballots are still being counted

Thanks. No changes in outcome, but the margin between Ferreira and McClung dwindled to a mere 30 votes and Alex King increased his narrow lead over Bruce McKimmie from 10 to 40 votes.

IT’S CUNHA!

If it could be done without delaying the project (a big if), I would support making Farallone View K-8. I would also strongly support making all elementary schools K-6.

Patridge, Grady, and Ferreira elected to HMB City Council

Nah, I took you at your word, but I figured you knew I lived in Montara. Feel free to tell me whatever you like.

Patridge, Grady, and Ferreira elected to HMB City Council

I think Ranger already knows why I have no plans to run for HMB City Council. I live in Montara. And for all the blessings that confers upon me daily, I have zero input into my local government, which is elected at large by the residents of San Mateo County. I envy HMB their city council, which is made up of good people with the best interests of their community at heart and whom we see every day on the streets of town. They really care about doing the right thing and are working hard to make HMB…

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