Comments by Barry Parr
November 10, 2005
The number of lawsuits is a disingenuous argument because it ignores the fact that each suit has its own issues and that not all are equally valid. Let's also not forget that George "No more lawsuits" Muteff's biggest financial backer has lost one lawsuit, which they're appealing, and is threatening to sue the city for $30 million. The voters saw through this line of reasoning. I hope to see an end to the lawsuits, too. Once it becomes clear that the city's not going to roll over, we'll see the number…
November 10, 2005
It's as dishonest to suggest that Mike and Jim won based on fear, ignorance and apathy as it would be to suggest that Naomi won based on anger and greed. Muteff's defeat demonstrates that fear, ignorance, apathy, anger and greed are not enough. Each side has their constituencies. There is clearly some overlap in their goals and I would like to see the city council work together to accomplish great things for the community, particularly in the downtown area (92, main street, park, library, Cunha,…
November 08, 2005
Geez! I go offline for a couple of hours and I get accused of selling articles. Yes, Ferreira's committee's disclosure says they paid for an article. It's an error on the part of whoever filled out the form, of course. You can see the ad they paid for on the right-hand column, as was pointed out above. But look fast, because it'll be gone after today. I also have an invoice if you'd like to take a look. I considered pointing out the error in my report on contributions, but decided that nobody would…
November 07, 2005
There are hundreds, thousands, of Coastsiders who are giving their time and energy to organization that benefit the community. All the examples cited were of people organized around their property interests and not some larger civic goal. The Terrace Ave and substandard lot homeowners were taken for a ride not by the current city council, but by an earlier city council that Naomi Patridge sat on. I don't hear George Muteff or Bonnie McClung (or you) decrying her vote on the ordinance that created…
November 07, 2005
LCP fits any reasonable definition of a grassroots organization. As far as I know, no members have any financial interest in any LCP position. LCP has no corporate or other non-human backers or members. LCP represents no power interests and is organized from the bottom up, rather than the top down. LCP consists, as far as I know, almost entirely of Coastsiders. The money that is raised comes out of the pockets of hard-working middle and lower middle class people who no doubt have other uses for the…
November 07, 2005
I was just wondering aloud whether the candidates would have prefered to have the money to spend on their campaigns or the support of a newspaper into which they have no input. Even the election won't tell us how much Voice of the Coast helped the candidates, because we don't have a control group to measure it against. Publishing a newspaper isn't a good technique if you don't have a story to tell. I think LCP had a better story to tell than their opponents (Your mileage may vary), so it may have…
November 07, 2005
Given their druthers, the Grady, Ferreira, and Skinner campaigns might have opted for the cash over Voice of the Coast.
Given my druthers, PAC's wouldn't be allowed to donate to political campaigns on the Coastside.
November 07, 2005
I agree that there should not be two different sets of disclosure rules for two different PAC's. It should be noted the incumbents handicapped themselves by limiting PAC contributions to $500, because they are supported by the largest and most succcessful PAC on the Coastside. The fact that some candidates have spent only a fraction of their contributions makes it clear that more reform is needed. These leftover contributions represent big electoral slush funds under the control of individual politicians.…
November 06, 2005
I'm not sure anyone got a formal written confirmation from Gordon. Bonnie McClung didn't, and Steve Skinner got an email.
My take on this mess is that we'd all be better off if the endorsements went away. But given that the last-minute ads in the Review were all about endorsements, it's unlikely anytime soon.
November 05, 2005
Although Eshoo has formally endorsed Grady, Skinner, and Ferreira, Eshoo recalls a conversation with Naomi Patridge in the spring about the endorsement, according to Christine Stavem in Congresswoman Eshoo's office. Eshoo will allow Patridge to continue to use her endorsement in her advertising. Stavem manages a formal endorsement process for Eshoo, who, she says, rarely makes endorsements before the end of the filing period. It appears that Naomi didn't go through the formal process, as did the…
November 03, 2005
Don't forget Jim Larimer, CCWD board member, in both groups
October 29, 2005
If the rule was "one acre, one vote", Muteff/Patridge/McClung would be a shoo-in. I don't know who owns those lots (Are they out-of-town developers? I didn't think so.), but they're outnumbered by small homeowners. And they need homeowner votes if they're going to get what they want. Clearly significant percentage of individual homeowners (and renters) know and respect Naomi and Bonnie from their numerous and significant community activities, or just like their politics. I'm certain this is true.…
October 29, 2005
Here's a copy of one letter that the Review didn't publish this week. bp Gary Warhaftig Post Office Box 938 Montara, Ca. 94037 Tel: (650) 728-3806 e-mail:
[email protected] October 20, 2005 Dear Editor, Jim Harvey is running for a Board position on the Montara Water and Sanitary District and I would like to make some corrections to your editorial of October 12. You are incorrect in saying that he was appointed to his current seat. Over three years ago he was appointed to the Board to fill a vacancy.…
October 31, 2005
I've asked ldw and hmbranger to cool it, stick to the facts, and forego the personal comments.
November 03, 2005
I haven't written much about No More Delays for the same reason I haven't written much about the League for Coastside Protection. They're not running for office. But, since you asked, I think their ad in Wednesday's Review is...um...disingenuous. They blame the current city council for the fact that we don't have a middle school, when the members of NMD are a Who's Who of the disastrous decision to put the school at Wavecrest and the slow-motion disaster of refusing to recognize that it was a bad…
November 02, 2005
I have made no endorsement in the HMBFPD board race because I don't feel I'm familiar enough with the situation there to make a recommendation.
November 02, 2005
A policy can be "growth-inducing" if it creates a burden on taxpayers that could be reduced if spread over a larger number of taxpayers. This would create a strong incentive to lift growth limits. Excessive capital spending can have this effect. Failure to invest in public parks can have this effect, creating an incentive to bring in big developments and relying on the developer to create the resources we haven't built for ourselves. Jones and Larimer have made the argument that the Coastside needs…
October 22, 2005
Naomi Patridge isn't running on her record. Her ads are about what she wants to do, not what she has done--or what she hasn't done, in the case of her most recent ad. Grady and Ferreira are running on the record, which I think is substantial. What I said about Skinner is that we know where he stands--alongside Grady and Ferreira. You may agree or disagree with his position, but the position itself is indisputable. My concern about McClung is that she's positioning herself as a "conservationist" without…
October 22, 2005
Regarding park financing, the city has three years of free financing from POST to put together the long-term funding. Sid McCausland - a member of the Council's Finance Committee - stated publicly that the cost of financing the purchase could paid for by the extra funds that would become available from the Transfer Occupancy Tax (T.O.T.) as the street repair expenditures decline from the initial rate of $600k per year to $300k per year. I believe that Council has stated their desire to consolidate…
October 22, 2005
A lot happened here since I last posted. I've been on the road since yesterday afternoon, so I hope my absence here wasn't misinterpreted. Let me see if I can address your questions. It might take a couple of posts. I do think there's an inconsistency in saying the City Council hasn't gotten much done, when the opposition candidates seem to be saying they've done too much. And George Muteff seems to be saying both things at once. I cited Voice of the Coast because knew they had a list of accomplishments…
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