Goodbye 2011...

It’s hard to imagine but 2011 is finally over.  It’s difficult to think of a year with so many things that happened around the world, both good and bad.

On the world stage we saw the incredible devastation in Japan from the earthquake and tsunami; we saw the end of Usama Bin Laden, Qaddafi and Kim Jong-il while we witnessed the whole of the Arab spring. We saw the world financial markets attempt to deal with Greece, Italy, Spain and more with limited success.

At home we have seen what happens when people become entrenched in their views and forget the big picture. We have seen the result of those that pander to special interests and forget they represent all of us from both sides of the aisle. We seem to continue to redefine the term, underwater and we saw protests in our streets and parks that went way beyond simple civil discourse.

We have seen the best in those that have stepped in to help others here and around the world. We watched a new generation’s version of a Royal wedding in all its pomp and circumstance. We celebrated the new faces of those that entered our world and remember those that we lost with a heavy heart.

We watched an amazing World Series… so good that we didn’t really care who won. We saw a football season full of surprises and a golf champion that was not a household name. We also turned away from professional basketball and got caught up in the college game, a game with more spirit, sportsmanship and class.

We all took our lumps at one time or another but we learned something each and every day. We learned our lessons from this past year so now we can look ahead to the future.

So be gone 2011 and let us turn the page on the opportunities that 2012 will bring. Let’s not collectively dwell on the things that made 2011 a challenge but let’s embrace a new start, with a sense of purpose and an abundance of enthusiasm.

So here is to all of you, may 2012 be the beginning of something incredible!

Happy New Year!

More later in 2012

Joy to the World

Joy to the World , the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.

Joy to the World, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love

Campaign Promises

Unfortunately, we have all become accustomed to our politicians promising to do one thing to get elected and once elected doing another. I am sure that is one reason why polls consistently put politicians near the bottom of the ‘trust’ scale.

Now before everyone jumps up and down I need to acknowledge a couple of things. One is that things do change, economies falter, circumstances were not as they were when a promise was made, so a change is needed. Or perhaps the politician was not aware of all the facts during an election but once informed they need to modify their stance. This is where honesty is needed to explain the reason behind a change.

All of that said, a principled promise is a completely different thing. One stands for election declaring an increase in transparency but then conducts the real business behind closed doors. Or they vow to fix the budget yet undermine half of the budget equation. These are the issues that people have a hard time with but time and time again it seems our elected officials seem to get away with.

In Marina we have a case in point. Mayor Delgado promised the people of Marina more transparency across the board but specifically as it has to do with Measures M and N during our last election. He specifically endorsed the establishment of a citizen’s oversight committee to help the City track the funds generated by the tax measures and make sure they help to maintain the level of core services promised with the Measures. He has now voted against the idea and stated that such a committee is not needed. So his vote along with that of Councilmen O’Connell and Brown, have killed the oversight committee that was promised to the voters of Marina.

When Marina voters passed the Measures they wanted accountability and a level of oversight that made sure the funds would go where they were promised. They will not get what they were promised. The Council’s majorities vote now makes any future Measure, bond issuance or other vote of our citizens nearly impossible to pass. Perhaps we someday want a new fire station, or civic center or even another branch for our Library and certain promises are made.  Will the citizens believe them to be true ever again?

If you continue to close the revenue options for the City the only other option is deeper and deeper cuts to our services until there is no need to be an incorporated entity any more.  Perhaps that is the goal.

More later

Curiouser and curiouser

“Curiouser and curiouser!” Cried Alice in Alice in Wonderland. The same exclamation seems to apply to our own Marina City Council when it comes to round three (or is it four) with a new Cypress Knolls request for qualifications (RFQ).

A brief look at the recent history and things simply do not seem to add up. After a two year process of extensive review and financial vetting the majority on our City Council decided to scrap the entire process and start over with a new RFQ. Then they decided to reconsider that decision and a very qualified developer was chosen (Coastal Rim Properties, CRP), then another reconsideration and they voted to scrap the entire process once again.

Throughout this process the Mayor has been for a second developer (Peninsula Housing Partners, PHP), Councilman O’Connell claimed that neither developer was qualified, Councilman Ford and Councilwoman Amadeo supported  (CRP) and Councilman Brown has wavered between starting over and supporting CRP.

So now we find our City Council wrestling with the creation of a new RFQ. The Mayor and the Mayor Pro Tem now want an accelerated process to choose a developer as soon as possible (they had one). And in the process, they want less information about the potential developers. Rather than require a certain amount of qualification, history and financial backing he prefers that they meet a base level of these qualifications.

So here is my question. If after a two year process of extensive review requiring multiple submittals of massive information, two developers were deemed unqualified, how can you ask for less information over a substantially shorter timeline and come up with a different outcome that’s credible?

Here are a few more questions that would make sense to ask as well. At what point in an accelerated process do you get this information? How far down the road do you go before you discover a potential developer is not qualified? How much staff time and money do you spend before you have the critical answers necessary to make a qualified decision? Isn’t it better to spend the time and effort up front and determine who is in fact qualified before proceeding with a project worth tens of millions of dollars?

As Alice said… curiouser and curiouser!

More later

Marina Matters - Get Away

First off let me state the best thing anyone can do for themselves is get away every so often. It is on this advice that I base my comments today. You see, getting away allows one to look at things from a completely different perspective, to be away from the trees and see the forest as it were.

So, as I return from a beautiful week deep in the Colorado Mountains I can share the lessons learned here that we all need to remember in Marina. It is my opinion that some of the best environmental policies in the country come from Colorado. It is Colorado that has found a way to incorporate the need for economic development and environmental policies to the success of both. It is also Colorado that voted down an Olympic bid because they felt it would be too devastating to the economy and environment several years ago.

It’s with this backdrop that I revisit the State of my younger years and see that, while so much has changed, the state has remained true to itself. What were small town ski areas 30 years ago are booming economic centers year round today. To drive up highway 70 past towns such as Georgetown, Vail, Avon and Edwards you barely see the development but it’s there.  Even the huge self enclosed area of Beaver Creek is built right into the mountain in a way that looks almost natural.

Over the years thousands of acres of trees have been removed to accommodate this development but it has been done in a way that preserves thousands of additional acres of natural habitat and beautiful mountains.

Now let’s take a look at Marina and Ft. Ord. We see people trying to convince us that the economic redevelopment of Ft. Ord is some great sin imposed on our environment. Never mind the fact that in most areas these lands have been scarred by decades of military use and any new development would actually repair much of the land and return the economics of our area to what it once was. In fact, that was the entire goal of the original Ft. Ord Reuse Plan. It was designed to replace the economic engine that the military was and do so while preserving thousands of acres of natural habitat.

There are those that want you to forget that part of the Ft. Ord Reuse Plan set aside an area slightly larger than the entire City of San Francisco as natural habitat. Areas that, still to this day, are being restored and managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

So yes, there will be development that changes the landscape in some areas. The ill fated Cypress Knolls project was one of them. It would have torn down all the blighted buildings on the property and restored the lands and developed a first class senior development that would be in tune with the goals of the Ft. Ord Reuse Plan.

There are other examples such as the Veterans Cemetery. Here we find opposition not in the concept but in the use of two entitlement parcels that will help fund the entire project. There are those that make a big public cry of support for the Cemetery but are trying like mad to stop the development parcels behind the scenes. To what end? It’s simply to stop all development at all costs without regard to the original goal.

My advice would be to take a trip, see what others are doing. Then come back and work together to replace the economic engines that will bring the jobs and housing markets back to our communities - to get off your high horse and see that our environment is being protected and has been from the beginning of this process.

More later

Cypress Knolls, RIP

Last Tuesday nights special council meeting in Marina signified the end of the development project known as Cypress Knolls, may it rest in peace. The current Council majority again pulled defeat out of the jaws of success and continues to put the City on a course of financial disaster.

Cypress Knolls was conceived in the late 90’s as a senior development to serve the entire region.  It was originally to use many of the structures already in place. These structures still remain today as dilapidated, decaying and dangerous buildings fenced off from public access. For a variety of reasons, including yet another lawsuit filed against a development project in Marina, the project stalled and was never built.

Several years later, another company came in with an updated plan to remove all the buildings and develop a new senior community on the same Cypress Knolls property. As the economy slowed this deal eventually fell apart and once again the project stalled and was never built.

Then two years ago the City of Marina started the process all over. They held public hearings and asked the Community what they wanted in a senior community on the property. As a result two developers came forward with concepts that would tear down all the blighted and dangerous buildings, fulfill the needs of the community and create a beautiful senior oriented community that created jobs while diversifying our City economy.

The process had many steps and stumbles along the way but it included a community selection committee (which I chaired), an investigation (on-going) and a decision to start over with a smaller project, then to reconsider and to choose one developer, than another re-consideration and a final decision last Tuesday to start the process all over again and seek developers for a smaller project.

The process reminds me of Lucy holding the football for Charlie Brown, this time she will hold the ball for the kick. Of course, Lucy pulls the ball away leaving Charlie Brown on the ground wondering what happened again this time. The problem is this is not a cartoon, this is real and it has real implications for the citizens of Marina.

First, the blighted buildings on the Cypress Knolls property will be there for years to come. Next, due to this decision our City’s budget situation will continue to get worse. There will be no developer fees, no reimbursements, no property taxes and no jobs for many years to come, if at all.

Our community’s image in the development community is severally tarnished. After all, how would you feel after spending hundreds of thousands of dollars, following all the rules then to be told that we changed our minds and to go away?

So with the Cypress Knolls project years away again (if ever), the Mayor’s highly touted Eco Village dead (what, no one told you that before?) and no new revenue generated over the past four years, our City Council will have little option but to continue to cut services in the future. This will mean cutting core services such as police, fire and recreation even though our citizens voted to tax themselves to keep this from happening.

So now the City has few choices ahead. They can continue to cut our core services or they will need to sell the Preston and Abrams Park communities to cover the City expenses until the real estate market recovers in California. There are few options left and further delays of projects such as Cypress Knolls will force that decision.

More later

Marina Matters – Priorities

“There you go again”. It’s a famous line from Ronald Reagan in one of his debates with Jimmy Carter. I feel we in Marina can say the same thing to Mayor Delgado and the current Council majority. There are two items on the Tuesday Council agenda that strike me as simply missing the point, again.

One is item F1 that is a report back to the City Council on the sphere of influence as it relates to the annexation of a portion of CSUMB. The second is item 10D. This has to do with endorsing a United States Constitutional amendment stating that corporations are not people and do not have free speech and other protections guaranteed to living humans by the Bill of Rights and the 14^th Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Let me ask this simple question. If the City of Marina has a significant budget shortfall and will likely need to lay off or significantly reduce our police, fire and recreation departments in next year’s budget, then why in blue blazes are they wasting time on these subjects? What does this say about the priorities set forth by this Council?

Let’s look at the annexation first. The Council has asked staff to report to them the costs associated with the annexation process to incorporate the East Campus housing areas of CSUMB into Marina. This is a costly and time consuming process that keeps valuable City resources (time and money) away from bringing new revenue into the City. Question: should the City of Marina look to expand its boundaries and stretch its resources further when they already have a significant budget shortfall and know they will have to continue to cut services in the future?

As for the second item, supporting a resolution to endorse a constitutional amendment, it’s more of the same. This is in response to the Supreme Courts Citizens Unites v. Federal Elections Commission decision last year. While individual Council members may wish to endorse this or any other item, is this really what we are directing staff to deal with? Again, the more time spent on items that are not related to fixing the City’s budget and bringing in revenue the worse our City budget issues get.

I attended the Monterey Chamber of Commerce Leadership luncheon this past week where all of our area elected officials spoke. When it came to Marina’s time, Mayor Pro Tem O’Connell (who filled in for the Mayor) spoke. He talked about the City working to narrow its budget deficit and not cutting our public safety and recreation services. He then proceeded to list several projects that implied they brought new revenue to the City. This list included the Wellness Center (maybe a little sales tax), the new MPC Campus (none), the Airport grant (not general fund), the Airport Fire Station improvement (none), the Pilot Lounge (none), the Canine Institute (eventually some sales tax), improved bike lanes on Reservation Road (none), the Equestrian Center upgrade (none but maybe some revenue in the future but not general fund), the Labor Day and Earth Day celebrations (maybe some increased sales tax) and the Teen Center (none). While each of these has merit they do not address our City’s budget in any significant way.

The City Council outlined some 125 plus priorities when this Council’s term started. How many of these related to bringing in new revenue to the City? How many other items were added to this list at each Council meeting that have nothing to do with revenue? Why has this Council not found one extra dollar in revenue but continues to spend monies on projects that the City does not have? Why do they continue to direct staff away from projects that could benefit the City’s budget?

More later

A College Town

Over the course of the last few years there has been an insistence by our Mayor that Marina should be a college town.  Although he has had a difficult time expressing just what that means, he defaults to say a fun and energetic town. I think we can all agree that a fun and energetic town is great but what does that really mean? Does that mean a town full of bars, clubs, and small student related stores? Do the demographics even come close to making this possible? Do we give up on who we are in the process?

The Mayor regularly refers to both his alma mater Humbolt State (Arcata) and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (San Luis Obispo) as colleges and towns Marina should emulate. Let’s think about that for a minute.

 Cal Poly SLO has a student and faculty population of some 22,000 in a town of some 45,000 and a small surrounding county of over 269,000. The county itself is very concentrated in the immediate area around the town. Not something that Marina can emulate. As for Humbolt State, they have a student and faculty population of some 9,000 in a town of just over 17,000. Here half of the population of the town is, in fact students. Again something Marina could never emulate.

So what is Marina today and what do we want our City to be in the future? I would argue that a couple of recent events tell us who we are and actually dictate who we want to be in the future. First our recent Labor Day parade, a Marina tradition that was rekindled with community support and a huge effort by the American Legion. It was a nice parade filled with community groups, politicians, schools and a fabulous contingent of our country’s military. There was not one entry from our college communities be it CSUMB, MPC or Hartnell.

The other event was the dedication of the CAPT Gordon R. Nakagawa Memorial Pilot Lounge at the Marina Airport. This event, on a breezy Friday afternoon at the Marina Airport was attended by a hundred family, community and retired military members that represent the best of Marina. This is Marina’s core, the ones that are here for the long run and want to help make Marina thrive.

So what is Marina really? Marina is a family friendly, ethnically diverse, retired military town that is open to all, be they tourists, visitors, shoppers or college students. Marina is a town that continues to pursue a diversified economy that will benefit all, not just one particular demographic. So let’s give up the idea of being something we are not and celebrate who we are and work together to make Marina a community that we are all proud of today and tomorrow.

More later.

Reconsideration

Here we go again, the Marina City Council is about to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory by again reconsidering the Cypress Knoll’s decision of a week ago. While the community finally thought that this Council could make a constructive decision and move ahead with a project some 15 years in the making, we know now they can’t seem to shoot straight on anything.

Councilman David Brown was right when he decided to reconsider the original decision to re-start the process all over again. His reasoning was rational and correct, in that, it is time to move this project forward, and time to fulfill the promise this project can/will deliver to our community in the years ahead. While there was disagreement on which developer was to be chosen, most just wanted one or the other so we could move ahead and remove the blight, create jobs and provide a much needed senior community to Marina and the region. Council Brown’s act was the right one then.

It is with this backdrop that Councilman Brown now wants to reconsider the reconsideration. When is a decision not a decision with this City Council? How can anyone trust what they do if they say no one day, yes the next and no again another? How many hours of staff time, Council time, developer’s time and community time are wasted? How much money is this City literally throwing away with this process? Monies that we can ill afford. Finally, who in their right mind would ever work with this City Council again, on anything?

By reconsidering Cypress Knolls again, we continue to delay a much needed joint use gym for Marina High School. This is because the Mayor reportedly wants the High School moved to the Cypress Knolls site despite previous School Board and City Council decisions. We potentially waste tens of thousands of dollars on a useless EIR that the school district has done in planning for a new Marina High School in the years ahead. Monies that they can ill afford. What does it take to move anything that benefits our students and our community forward?

This Cypress Knolls project has been under tremendous scrutiny almost from the beginning. There have been accusations hurled across multiple parties and this last round of reconsiderations will only make matters worse. Just when the community was ready to move on we now have to wonder just how corrupt this process is and who is pulling the strings.

If you have never been to a City Council meeting before, perhaps this Wednesday’s should be your first. Stand up and let this Council know that the delays, reconsiderations and games are over. This community has had enough! It is time to get something done that will benefit the entire community. If this Council will not move forward than perhaps it’s time to replace those that continue to play the games and let those that are pulling the strings know they answer to the citizens of Marina!

More later

Preston Park discussions continue....

On Tuesday night, the Marina City Council will once again discuss the disposition of Preston Park. One of the issues to be discussed will be the possible sale of the Preston Park property. Considering the state of the City's overall budget and the unwillingness of this Council to address the revenue side of the ledger makes this discussion all the more important.

On June 13th, I posted on this site my thoughts and reasoning as to why the sale of this property is vital to the long term financial viability of the City of Marina. I am re-posting that article below since it is still the only clear path that makes sense for the City's future. While the beginning is a bit dated the balance holds true today.

Please come to the Council meeting on Tuesday night and let your voice be heard on this important issue.

The Marina City Council has embarked on a series of scheduled meetings regarding the 2011-12 budget and an unknown number of ad-hoc meetings on the same subject. For the past few years the City Council has not dealt with the income side of the budgetary process; rather the Council has relied on cuts and union renegotiation's. If not for a couple of then City Council members and the willingness of the public to tax itself, we would not have any additional income.

This Council has already signaled that they will continue to center their discussions on the expense side of the ledger. It is my opinion that the answer to Marina’s long term budget issues is not that difficult to solve and it does not include additional cuts.

First, let’s understand what the future looks like for Marina today from a larger prospective. The Federal deficit will continue to limit their ability to push funds to local and State governments. Second, the State of California will continue their attempts to take monies from Cities, or at the least, push expenses back to Cities and Counties. This will not change for several years so there is little or no help from outside sources for years to come.

Even with the new taxes that voters approved, (approximately $1.8 million in new funds) the city will still have a structural annual deficit and will need to draw from our reserve fund. While this is not optimal we know this will not last forever and time is not on our side as we wait for the housing market to improve. At current levels we have about 2 years before our reserves are depleted. We can only hope that the housing market improves in that time and that we start to see new homes added to our tax base to help balance our future budgets.

On the expense side, we know that we are at an absolute base level for our Police, Fire, Administration, and Recreation departments. With crime increasing on most levels, due primarily to ongoing economic issues, we cannot jeopardize our community by cutting any additional public safety services. In fact, the community told us this by approving the new taxes. Our administrative departments are substantially understaffed and cannot lose anyone else and still perform the basic functions we require.

All that said, do we have any options that are not being considered? The answer is a resounding yes!

The City of Marina is the owner and the property manager for both the Abrams and Preston Park housing communities. The City Council has repeatedly underfunded the maintenance funds for these communities to the determent of both those that live there and the long term value of the properties. This is not a desirable circumstance for either community but I want to focus on Preston Park for now.

It is my understanding that Preston Park is valued somewhere between $50 and 60 million dollars. For the purposes of this exercise let’s say that number is the conservative $50 million. It is my opinion that the City needs to sell this property with all the current restrictions in place, (i.e.; the property would stay at least 20% affordable). It should be noted that while the residential housing market is still troubled, the apartment market is very robust, so sales of this property would be very possible. So let’s assume that we can get $50 million for Preston Park; half would go to FOR A (a very willing partner in the sale) so the City of Marina would net approximately $25 million.

Now, let’s further our example with a couple of hypothetical Council actions with those funds. First, take $1 million for deferred CIP projects like fixing pot holes and back fill a couple of much needed staff positions. Next, take a second million and honor our contracts with our police and fire personnel for the cost of living increases they deserve. That would leave $23 million. Finally, add three million to our immediate reserves thus extending them for at least one to two more years. We would still have a $20 million dollar balance.

I would suggest setting this aside in an investment fund with the Monterey County Treasurer or outside professional management. At today’s current rates, investing these funds in a series of properly laddered and balanced AAA rated bonds would garner approximately 3 to 5% interest. An average rate of 4% would generate approximately $800,000 annually (5% would generate $1,000,000 annually) that would be available to our general fund. This number all but replaces the income we currently use from Preston Park funds today in our budget. If Abrams is included the numbers improve even more, but since there is a note on this property the net balances would not change drastically.

An additional benefit is that a $20 million cash reserve would significantly improve the City’s credit rating thus reducing the cost of any bond financing that might be desired in the future.

A Life Lesson

Life is full of lessons; I guess the key is to learn from them the first time around. Of course, some of us take a little longer but we still learn along the way. Hopefully, at the end of the day we have moved the ball forward and prepare for the next day a little smarter for it.

That said, I want to look back a week and learn a lesson that we should all never forget.

This is the story of a group of Marina kids that just needed a chance. They needed someone to believe in them and to give them a path and a vehicle that would allow them to shine. I am sure we all remember our early teen years as a time when rebellion and direction did not go hand in hand. Add an element of authority and off the reservation we went.

So back up a couple of years ago when an unlikely authority figure stepped up and took a few ragtag skateboarders aside and planted an idea. It took a while but slowly this group of kids began to see something happening and it was changing them all.

Soon this group of kids began to become a Team and a good one at that. They began to believe in themselves and in each other, and they began to win. First it was a competition here and there, and then it was almost all they entered. When the first year was done they found themselves State Champions.

Now this is not to say that challenges did not remain, there were many. There was the normal school, family and friends to deal with but there was also that authority figure that drove them. He would not allow them to give up and he helped them deal with their own personal challenges.

So almost two years later they found themselves on the brink of something no one could ever have envisioned. They found themselves as a Team entering QUALCOMM Stadium in San Diego, before some 30,000+ people at the opening ceremonies of the 2011 State Games of America National Junior Olympic Championships. In a matter of hours they would be competing for a National title.

When it was all said and done, this group of Marina kids outdid them all, all 20 teams. They skated like they had never skated before and they found themselves the 2011 State Games of America National Junior Olympic Skateboarding Champions!

So what of the life lesson? What do you think of when you see a bunch of skateboarding kids? What about a group of kids in general? Do you give them a chance in your mind? Would you find a way to help mentor them? Perhaps the lesson is for all of us to learn.

So here's to our 2011 State Games of America National Junior Olympic Skateboarding Champions - the City of Marina/On the Beach/Drawn Skate Team, and here's to Terry Siegrist, our Recreation and Cultural Services Director who saw what was possible and guided a group of kids to accomplish more than they could have ever dreamed.

More later

The Real Marina

I spend a lot of time talking about Marina’s politics but there is another side to Marina. I’ll call it the real Marina. It’s the Marina that we all know about but sometimes forget.

Tonight, Dorothy and I went to the Mayor’s reception for the Bronco World Series Teams. This is where all the participating teams get together for the first time, have pictures taken and have a meal together. I am going to bet that many of you don’t realize that all the Bronco World Series teams stay in Marina for the duration of the games. I bet you also did not know that there is a dedicated group of Marina residents that help make all this possible. There is no fanfare, no big write ups in the papers just the knowledge that they are helping to provide an experience that these kids may never have again. An experience they will never forget.  It does not matter if they are from Florida or Taipei, they are all welcome in Marina. This is the real Marina!

From the Bronco reception we went to sent off our City of Marina Skate Team. They left tonight for an adventure of their own, the National Skate Board Championships in San Diego. Here is a group of young men representing their City, our City, at a national competition, and as two time California State Champions they could do quite well this weekend. They will have the support of their parents and our Recreation Director (Terry Seigrist) and an entire community here at home. Many that gave money to help make this adventure possible. This is the real Marina!

So the next time we all get caught up in the day to day events and the politics of the day, let’s not forget what our City is really about. Marina has always been about its citizens, let’s never forget that part. Let’s never forget the real Marina!

More later

Conflicts galore...

Another week has gone by and yes, the Marina City Council has had another meeting. Trust me on this one when I say they keep getting more and more interesting. If I recall, the resounding cry from the supporters of Councilmen O’Connell, Brown and Mayor Delgado has been for more transparency and fewer conflicts of interest (however real or perceived).  So what to make of the events at the last Council meeting?

A few weeks ago the Marina City Council voted on and approved a very modest (1.8%) rent increase for the residence of Preston and Abrams Parks. This was done after market surveys and testimony from the property management firm and was passed by the Council. So last week Councilman O’Connell decided he was taking too much heat for this vote so he requested the City Council revisit this item, which is his right.

What happened from here is disturbing. Councilman O’Connell proceeded to “grill” the property manager (Alliance), but never seemed to grasp or want to grasp the answers to his questions. Instead he decided to introduce a long motion with multiple parts that would roll back the rents, fire the City’s liaison, make himself the Council liaison to the renters, take funds from the reserve account to cover the difference in the City’s budget and introduce a new rent formula to calculate future rents. Clearly, this motion was set up in advance… which raises a whole lot of questions about process, but that’s another story.

Quite simply, this motion is a complete disaster. This omnibus motion should never have been made. Many of the parts are worthy of considerable discussion and have deep consequences that the Councilman clearly does not understand. The Council could decide to roll back the rents but that has some unintended consequences. I am sure that these items will come up again on Tuesday night as the Council continues the agenda from last week, so I will not detail all the issues here.

My concern is the profound conflict of interest that is imbedded in his motion.

As a Marina City Councilman, each council member has a fiduciary responsibility as the Agency - for oversight - of the property manager (Alliance). As the City’s representative to FOR A, Councilman O’Connell also has a fiduciary responsibility for the Property Owner (FOR A) for oversight of the Agency (The City of Marina). However now Councilman O’Connell wants to act as an advocate for the property renters against the property manager (Alliance) and also act as an advocate against the Agency (City of Marina) and the Owner (FOR A). The motion to change the rental policy and the recalculation of the formula for rents will negatively affect the financials of both the agency (City of Marina) and the Owner (FOR A). One other point: Councilman O’Connell is also a party to the arbitration hearings between the City of Marina and FOR A - which adds another layer to this complex issue.

So the question to get answered is:  to whom does Councilman O’Connell have fiduciary responsibilities to?

- Is it the Property Owner (FOR A)?

- Is it the Agency (City of Marina)?

- Is it the property manager (Alliance)?

- Or Is it the renters as their advocate?

Can one person have such conflicting roles and not put himself and all the parties represented in jeopardy?

Perhaps these are the questions that should be raised at Tuesday night’s Council meeting.

More later

Finalize Cypress Knolls now!

Congratulations to the Marina City Council!

This is not something you hear very often anymore but it is, in fact, warranted in this case. Last Tuesday night the City Council decided to bring back the Cypress Knolls development proposal for consideration. While it was not an easy process they ended up in the right place.

The next step is to listen not only to the will of the citizens of Marina and two City Councils but to honor the long standing process that a City government must abide by. The creation of the RFP for the Cypress Knolls senior development spanned two City Councils.  They took plenty of testimony and decided that any proposal must include a full continuum of care, include plenty of affordable housing, and try to minimize any potential changes to the current EIR on the project. The City of Marina even settled a lawsuit based on the current EIR. After sending this request out to the general development community, two development groups responded with very specific proposals.

Without going through all the steps that got us to this point, it appears that one development group remains standing. This group answered all the questions, has proven its ability to finance through the ENA process, was thoroughly vetted by the City’s financial consultants (Kayser Marston), is environmentally sensitive and most importantly they provided all the elements that the Community and two Councils asked for in the proposal.

So here we are with a decision to make. Does the Marina City Council honor its requests and follow the long standing process that makes the RFP system work for all forms of government? Or does the City Council do as the Mayor wants and throw out the entire process and start over with a smaller project that has serious economic questions about its viability?

After two developers and the City has spent well over $1,000,000 to get us to this point, do we allow the Mayor the right to veto something this important to the community and over their wishes because he wants something different? Do we open the City up for protracted litigation that could cost the City hundreds of thousands of dollars because we did not honor our word?

Of course, we could choose another path for now but what if the Mayor changes his mind again? What if the result of a new RFP does not yield a single qualified developer? This would result in another decade of blight and continued environmental damage without any project, but maybe that is the real goal.

It is time for this Council to listen to what the community wanted from the beginning. Choose the qualified developer for Cypress Knolls, honor the process and move on.

More later

Transparency

Transparency, as used in the humanities and in a social context more generally, implies openness, communication, and accountability. It is a metaphorical extension of the meaning a "transparent" object is one that can be seen through. Transparent procedures include open meetings, financial disclosure statements, freedom of information legislation, budgetary review, audits, etc.

Politics (from Greek πολιτικός, "of, for, or relating to citizens"), is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs. It also refers to behavior within civil governments. However, politics can be observed in other group interactions, including corporate, academic, and religious institutions. It consists of "social relations involving authority or power"^[1] and refers to the regulation of public affairs within a political unit,^[2] and to the methods and tactics used to formulate and apply policy.^[3]

^{____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________}

I define these two particular words because they are used a lot these days. It seems that every action taken by almost any individual or group is seen as political. It is also the claim that everything in this political context is done in the name of transparency. It is also true that the group with political power claims to be the most transparent but usually is accused, by those in the minority, of being anything but transparent.

It is in this context that we find ourselves in Marina today. Specifically in regards to the closed session meetings held by our City Council. I think the community would be amazed at the sheer number of closed session meetings that our City Council has held this year alone. These meetings are held with little notice (more later) and with little reported on the results of these meetings.

This past Friday night’s closed session is a perfect example. Yes, there was one, didn’t you get the notice? It was announced at the City Council meeting on Tuesday as a continuation of that nights closed session regarding our City Managers labor negotiations. However, by Friday afternoon it was amended to also include a performance evaluation of the City Manager as well.

Now I would argue that the two items should never be on the same agenda but that is my opinion. I just don’t think you hold anyone’s review over their head when you are asking them to reopen their contract. I would also guess that not many labor attorneys in this world would either.

Now, however nefarious or benign the intent of adding the second item to the agenda was, it should be done with full and proper notice. While the item was added on Thursday afternoon, it fell under the emergency meeting clause of the Brown act. This was far from an emergency and should have been done under the regular posting rules for all meetings.

So here is a simple solution. Let’s have the City Council pass an ordinance that all meetings be posted with the 72 hour rule. If there is an emergency meeting required, it too must be posted on the City’s website and e-mailed to all those on the City’s e-mail list. No more simply posting it on the Council Chambers wall the day before.

This solution will bring us back to the intent of the Brown act, use the technology we have today and make both sides of any subject politically transparent. You see, finding simple solutions without making everything political is not that difficult if you all work for the common good of the community.

More later

The Declaration of Independence

Happy 4th of July!

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IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

---

The 56 signatures on the Declaration appear in the positions indicated:

Column 1
Georgia:
Button Gwinnett
Lyman Hall
George Walton

Column 2
North Carolina:
William Hooper
Joseph Hewes
John Penn
South Carolina:
Edward Rutledge
Thomas Heyward, Jr.
Thomas Lynch, Jr.
Arthur Middleton

Column 3
Massachusetts:
John Hancock
Maryland:
Samuel Chase
William Paca
Thomas Stone
Charles Carroll of Carrollton
Virginia:
George Wythe
Richard Henry Lee
Thomas Jefferson
Benjamin Harrison
Thomas Nelson, Jr.
Francis Lightfoot Lee
Carter Braxton

Column 4
Pennsylvania:
Robert Morris
Benjamin Rush
Benjamin Franklin
John Morton
George Clymer
James Smith
George Taylor
James Wilson
George Ross
Delaware:
Caesar Rodney
George Read
Thomas McKean

Column 5
New York:
William Floyd
Philip Livingston
Francis Lewis
Lewis Morris
New Jersey:
Richard Stockton
John Witherspoon
Francis Hopkinson
John Hart
Abraham Clark

Column 6
New Hampshire:
Josiah Bartlett
William Whipple
Massachusetts:
Samuel Adams
John Adams
Robert Treat Paine
Elbridge Gerry
Rhode Island:
Stephen Hopkins
William Ellery
Connecticut:
Roger Sherman
Samuel Huntington
William Williams
Oliver Wolcott
New Hampshire:
Matthew Thornton

The budget is done

Late Tuesday night our City Council passed unanimously the City’s budget for fiscal year 2011-12. Well they approved the first pass through; they will come back for more potential cuts on July 9^th. There are six items that the Mayor and Council want to go back and review with the idea of cutting more from the budget. Once again we must be vigilant as there will be major items up for discussion, including Community Service Officers from the Police department.

Watching this Council work through the budget process is worse than making sausage. There really has to be a better way to do this.

Personally, I thought the interaction between the Council and the department heads was very interesting. It helps to get a better understanding of the programs we fund but does it need to be adversarial? In theory, both the department heads and the Council members are on the same side working for what is best for your community.

It seems to me that some of the Council members seem to have trust issues with the City’s department heads. This has seemed to be the case from the very beginning of at least two of the Council member’s terms. These are also the Council members that rarely if ever meet with the City Manager. You would think that you would want to understand from the City’s Executive Officer the issues and concerns that can and will affect the City.

If they did meet with the City Manager more often they would understand the staffing issues that the City is faced with. They might reprioritize the things they want to address to help the staff accomplish the goals that they all want to see completed. Instead of adding things to get done and complaining when it’s not done on time.

We have a City Manager form of government here in Marina. That means it is the City Manager that runs the day to day business of the City. It is his responsibility to make the Council’s action work. It is not for the Council to micro-manage the City Manager.

I would suspect that if all the Council members met with the City Manager on a regular basis, not just a couple of them, our meetings would be shorter, the Council would better understand the issues and that they may even grow to trust the City’s hard working staff.

More later

Our City Budget

Marina dodged a bullet this week when the City Council backed off what initially looked like draconian budget cuts. I think a lot had to do with the public’s outcry and at least one very heated City Council meeting. Now this is not to say we have solved much of anything but there are indications the public’s voice was heard.

The cuts were mostly in line with the department’s plans, as with the Police department. Others, while not optimal, will not directly affect our core services. The recreation department was trimmed slightly but they will still deliver the top quality programs needed for our youth and seniors.

This clears the way for the budget to be passed on Tuesday night and to be in line with the Councils legal responsibility to deliver a budget by the end of June.

What’s next? Well it is clear that the Mayor wanted a two stage process. One, just being completed to pass the budget and deliver some budget cuts. The second will be the most dangerous. Here is where several of the harder personnel issues were deferred to. The Mayor wants to revisit cuts to the police department, fire department and recreation in the months ahead. We must all be vigilant and not allow this to happen.

What the real next step needs to be is a look at new revenue and this is where the Council took the most heat this past week. Their focus was on the cuts and not the revenue side of the balance sheet. After turning down the Cypress Knolls development, then looking to annex more to the City, then cutting budgets the public finally said enough. Go back and look at the revenue side of the equation.

Here there is some potential for Council unity. Perhaps a new look at Cypress Knolls and other potential development deals either in the works or planned. The City could sell Preston Park and determine our own destiny for years to come. I would suggest a look at how the City does business from top to bottom; this includes the permit process, regulations and more. There are many options beyond cutting budgets and staff so the public must stay aware in the months ahead.

For my part, I will do what I can to keep you informed.

More later

Computer issues and Council meetings

I guess it was a case of bad timing. The start of a blog about Marina and the crashing of my computers hard drive. One is getting fixed and the other needs to continue on. So here goes....
First off, a big thank you to AMP for televising our City Council meetings. This gives you the opportunity to yell, scream and say things not normally said in the Council Chambers as you watch the meetings. Simply Google 'AMP Monterey', then go to programs and Marina. You can watch the meetings in real time or go back and watch earlier meetings. It also gives to the chance to see for yourself how our City Council works. Don't rely on others to tell you, you need to see it for yourself.
You will have an opportunity this evening as the Marina City Council goes back to 'debating' the City budget. Tonight's meeting starts at 5:30pm not the normal 6:30pm. If you only attend one meeting this year, or in your lifetime, this may just be the one you need to attend for all the reasons I have outlined previously.
The future of our City services is at stake this evening. The Council is discussing major cuts to police, fire and recreation that will effect our daily lives. Your thoughts and opinions need to be heard.
See you tonight.... more later.

Marina Budget Solution

With the Marina City Council meeting Tuesday night to discuss the budget issues that face the City, I want to post a "Letter to the Editor" that I submitted to the Gazette last week. After the Council's decision not to choose an developer for Cypress Knolls this letter is even more important.

More later...

The Marina City Council has embarked on a series of scheduled meetings regarding the 2011-12 budget and an unknown number of ad-hoc meetings on the same subject. For the past few years the City Council has not dealt with the income side of the budgetary process; rather the Council has relied on cuts and union renegotiations. If not for a couple of then City Council members and the willingness of the public to tax itself, we would not have any additional income.

This Council has already signaled that they will continue to center their discussions on the expense side of the ledger. It is my opinion that the answer to Marina’s long term budget issues is not that difficult to solve and it does not include additional cuts.

First, let’s understand what the future looks like for Marina today from a larger prospective. The Federal deficit will continue to limit their ability to push funds to local and State governments. Second, the State of California will continue their attempts to take monies from Cities, or at the least, push expenses back to Cities and Counties. This will not change for several years so there is little or no help from outside sources for years to come.

Even with the new taxes that voters approved, (approximately $1.8 million in new funds) the city will still have a structural annual deficit and will need to draw from our reserve fund. While this is not optimal we know this will not last forever and time is not on our side as we wait for the housing market to improve. At current levels we have about 2 years before our reserves are depleted. We can only hope that the housing market improves in that time and that we start to see new homes added to our tax base to help balance our future budgets.

On the expense side, we know that we are at an absolute base level for our Police, Fire, Administration, and Recreation departments. With crime increasing on most levels, due primarily to ongoing economic issues, we cannot jeopardize our community by cutting any additional public safety services. In fact, the community told us this by approving the new taxes. Our administrative departments are substantially understaffed and cannot lose anyone else and still perform the basic functions we require.

All that said, do we have any options that are not being considered? The answer is a resounding yes!

The City of Marina is the owner and the property manager for both the Abrams and Preston Park housing communities. The City Council has repeatedly underfunded the maintenance funds for these communities to the determent of both those that live there and the long term value of the properties. This is not a desirable circumstance for either community but I want to focus on Preston Park for now.

It is my understanding that Preston Park is valued somewhere between $50 and 60 million dollars. For the purposes of this exercise let’s say that number is the conservative $50 million. It is my opinion that the City needs to sell this property with all the current restrictions in place, (i.e.; the property would stay at least 20% affordable). It should be noted that while the residential housing market is still troubled, the apartment market is very robust, so sales of this property would be very possible. So let’s assume that we can get $50 million for Preston Park; half would go to FOR A (a very willing partner in the sale) so the City of Marina would net approximately $25 million.

Now, let’s further our example with a couple of hypothetical Council actions with those funds. First, take $1 million for deferred CIP projects like fixing pot holes and back fill a couple of much needed staff positions. Next, take a second million and honor our contracts with our police and fire personnel for the cost of living increases they deserve. That would leave $23 million. Finally, add three million to our immediate reserves thus extending them for at least one to two more years. We would still have a $20 million dollar balance.

I would suggest setting this aside in an investment fund with the Monterey County Treasurer or outside professional management. At today’s current rates, investing these funds in a series of properly laddered and balanced AAA rated bonds would garner approximately 3 to 5% interest. An average rate of 4% would generate approximately $800,000 annually (5% would generate $1,000,000 annually) that would be available to our general fund. This number all but replaces the income we currently use from Preston Park funds today in our budget. If Abrams is included the numbers improve even more, but since there is a note on this property the net balances would not change drastically.

An additional benefit is that a $20 million cash reserve would significantly improve the City’s credit rating thus reducing the cost of any bond financing that might be desired in the future.

It is my opinion that the long term health of the City’s finances can be met with this plan. It also gets the City out of the residential property management business which is not the proper role of government. This plan breaks the dependence on any outside sources for the future health of our City and allows us to determine our own destiny as other entities struggle with their own long term issues. I believe this is an option that must be thoroughly considered and acted upon over the next 12 to 18 months.

An interesting week...

It was an interesting week in Marina, without a doubt. The reason to start this blog all emanates from the actions of our Marina City Council, specifically the current majority. This is a long entry but it’s important to read it all. There were three meetings on successive nights that resulted in some good communication, some incredibly incomprehensible behavior and decisions, and even the threat of escorting a City Councilman out of the building by the police. I guess the best place to start is on Monday.

On Monday night the Cal PERS Ad Hoc committee met to look at options for City employee retirement plans. Since this is a negotiated area there are no immediate changes possible or really even desired. It is however important to look ahead at options that could help our City’s employee’s and the City’s long term budget. This work will continue with both Councilmen O’Connell and Ford at the helm. I hope they keep on this and really research the options.

The big issue was the City Council meeting on Tuesday night. Here the Council majority voted on what I see as an elaborate ‘bait & switch’ that will affect the City of Marina for years to come. The majority overlooked the most qualified developer group for the Cypress Knolls project and tried to shoehorn in a developer that has way too many faults to name here but they include allegations of bribery, lack of financing, legal, and environmental issues. Once the majority realized they could not make the Mayor’s choice they decided to start all over with a different RFQ and RFP process. They did this rather than choose the most qualified developer that could start negotiations tomorrow. Now a whole new process must begin that is more in line with what the Mayor wanted 2 years ago but was over ruled then.

The result of this process will likely be expensive lawsuits against the City and a development community that cannot trust the City of Marina to follow through with what they promise. Especially after the two development teams spent well in excess of $600,000 and almost two years of time doing what the Council wanted. Now our Council said forget it we changed our minds. Are you kidding me!

This action will directly affect our City’s budget now and well into the future. There will be no project funds now and no new major development that could contribute to the budget in the future. No reimbursement for monies already spent, no new monies for the fencing around Cypress Knolls and no monies for staff time to approve a new ENA nor DDA. Marina we need to do better than this.

All that said, we move to Wednesday nights ‘special’ Council meeting where the majority is deciding to spend monies we do not have to annex more land to the City. It will likely cost tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars to do the all the reports needed to accomplish this goal of our Mayor. Even the Mayor’s most ardent supporters are questioning this action. This is also the meeting that caused the police to be called to the Council Chambers (watch the end of the meeting on AMP to see it yourself). I may address this sometime later but it’s too bizarre to describe. Let’s just say it ended with cooler heads, thank goodness.

Now we need to look ahead to this Tuesday night when the Council goes back into session to hear how each City department is going to cut another 20% from its budget to decrease the overall budget deficit. If we can’t fund the things we have now why are we looking to annex more land and people into the City? If departments are going to have to cut deeper into our core services (contrary to the wishes of measures M & N) and put our City at risk why wouldn’t you bring in new revenues to the City and choose a qualified developer for Cypress Knolls now?

You just can’t make this stuff up. If I had not seen it with my own eyes I never would believe it. I would encourage you to look up the Council meetings on AMP and see them for yourself.

More later.

And so it begins!

With the many events that have happened this week that directly effect the future of the City of Marina I have decided to start a blog called Marina Matters. Over the course of time I will reflect on the issues of the day and the things that I feel are important.
You may agree or disagree with my thoughts, that is your right after all, but please remember they are my thoughts at the time. The funny thing about thoughts, sometimes they evolve with time and more information others are right on from the beginning. If you would like to respond to my posts please feel free to do so. I will listen to those that are honest and thoughtful, I will block those that vengeful, hate filled or otherwise completely obnoxious (as is my right on my blog).
It is time for an open dialog about what we think about Marina and the things that need to be changed. I hope that this blog will at least be cause for the honest, open discussion that our Community deserves.
More soon.