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More "Responsible" Spending...The Rising Cost Of A "Facilitator"

It's amazing all the talk 'bout how broke we are, how we need our streets paved, our storm drains repaired, more staff for public safety. But these things don't bother our 'lected officials when it comes to spending your money on frivolous stuff.

Take the "facilitator" for a "priorities" meetin'." The city council, you see, wants to have a meeting where they set down, "once and fer all," the future priorities for Morro Bay. Now ya'd think they might have this kinda meeting right after 'lection time, when they'd have a coupl'a years 'head of 'em to maybe actually tackle a priority ot two. But nooo, not this council; do it a few months before an election when there's not time to get anything done and when a new council might change priorities. But that's just me thinkin' ablog; it's neither here nor there.

What I'm gittin' 'round to is the cost for a person to run this meeting. Last time I wrote 'bout this, the cost was a mere $5,000, and council asked staff to find a way to cut the cost. Now the cost has risen to $7,000(ish), this amount to run this meetin' and 'rite a report. I want this job. Think they'd hire me?

They picked the same company for this facilitatin' job that's written the reorganization report for the city 'cause "they understand the city and what we can and cannot do." One council member said if they (the council) came up with an idea that wasn't doable, the facilitator could tell them they couldn't do it. Huh? Is that facilitating?

What's wrong with the mayor runnin' the meeting? Isn't she the MAYOR? Or, as suggested by Rick, the city attorney? Or the city 'ministrator? Why spend this kinda money when we have MUCH greater needs in the city? Beats me. I know, I know, it's "not much money." But you add this to a new generator ($120,000), a new web site ($23,000), a firm to search for a new city 'ministrator ($24,000), and on and on. It adds up. And makes ya wonder how responsible they are with our money.

On Blogs, This Blog, And Blogging...And Council Members Wanting To Shut Me Down

Neil Farrell wrote a great piece in this week's Bay News on blogs and blogging.

This blog has, as Neil would say, "stirred up" a lot of controversy in Morro Bay. Of course it has; it's critical. The viewpoints are mine alone, however, although I know a lot of you share similar; I hear that every day.

According to Neil, Janice and Melody approached a city staff member and inquired how this blog could be shut down. Wow. Shut me down? When I was mayor, there were critical Letters to the Editor written about me practically every week; that's the nature of being a public official. People are going to criticize your actions. People are still writing critical Letters to the Editor about me, and that's what I get for sticking my neck out. If I'm not able to take it, I shouldn't dish it out.

Inquiring how to stop me from writing this blog is akin to me asking the newspapers to stop running critical Letters to the Editor about me. It's preposterous. I don't think Janice and Melody would have the same courage to ask the newspapers to not run unflattering letters about them. That would be silly.

I write this blog under my own name. No hiding here. One of the reasons I don't allow comments in this blog is the anonymity of commenters, and the anonymous battles that take place in comment sections. Neil talked about this; he even admitted he's written anonymous comments himself. I've never done that, but then, I've never commented on any other blog, or newspaper site, or any other site. I do it here. If I was moved to comment somewhere else, I'd put my name on it. I think anonymous commenters are cowards; read some of the comments following stories on the Tribune's site. Whew. I'm not nearly as rough as many of those people hiding behind secret names. Talk about personal attacks; they're amazingly brutal. Bravo to people like Dave Congalton who aren't afraid to follow their writings with their real name.

When I started this, I encouraged other people to start blogs. Don't like my viewpoints? Fine. Start your own blog and express your opposing views. To be honest, I'm surprised no one has taken the bait. It's sooo easy; just click the "Create Blog" button on top of this page and you're on your way; there's nothin' to it.

The $2.1-Million Blunder

As everyone knows, the city owns the big lot at the corner of Highway 1 and San Jacinto. The city took it away from the Cloisters' folks as one of project's conditions of approval. At the time, it was identified as the perfect place for a new fire station. Later on, we found out it's on a flood plain - oops - and, well, we can't put a fire station on a flood plain.

In December of '03, the Great Earthquake shook. Rumble, rumble, rumble, and the existing fire station got broken, so broken we had to move out, put the trucks in a tent, move the fire folks into a portable building, then try an' figure out how to pay for a new station.

Sell the property at Highway 1 and San Jacinto! Perfect solution. So the city put it up for sale and the offers came forth. The high offer - a bona fide offer - was $2.1-million. Looked good to staff; they recommended to the city council to accept it. But the council, in their extreme wisdom, their keen vision, decided, sorreee, the offer just wasn't good enough - didn't matter what staff thought 'bout it - they knew better - and they summarily turned it down, sayin' "NO, not good 'nough."

That was three years ago. Bill, Janice, Betty, and Melody were on that council. And the trucks remained in the tent, and the fire department staff remained in the portable building, until, well...they're still there today. Construction on the new station - and it's only the engine bay, not the entire station - didn't start until this year. And we still own that lot at Highway 1 and San Jacinto. The asking price today? $2.4-million. Dreeeam on. How many offers have they received since? None. Zip. Today, that lot isn't even listed on the Multiple Listing Service; that's 'cause the city is tryin' to sell it by itself. We can spend gazillions on "studies" and "consultants," but when it comes to Realtors - professionals at actually selling real estate - well, that's a different story. The only effort being made to sell it is the sign that sits on it - there's the picture of said sign, right over there.

Three of those four council members - Bill, Janice, Melody - are now running for re-election. These are the folks who tout their "experience," their "business acumen," their "fiscal responsibility." They had a golden goose in their arms, and they squeezed the life from it. Quaaack.

My Final Final Word (I Think) On The $120,000 Generator

Oh, boy, the $120,000 Dial-A-Ride/city hall/public services building generator has caused quite a stir. Poor Bill, he keeps defending it as sooo "needed...in case of emergency." He even figured out it cost the city $7,500 is lost productivity when the power was out a few dayz ago when the Mylar balloon had the audacity to crash into the power line. Darn them balloons anyway. At least Bill has dropped the "we can't even write checks" pronouncements.

So at last night's candidate's forum, one of those incumbent types said we had a grant for a generator for Dial-A-Ride and, while we're at it, "we thought we'd just tack on city hall and public services buildings." Let's see now, the Dial -A-Ride generator was gonna cost $25,000. To those incumbent folks, adding an additional $95,000 is merely "tacking on."

Bill has never gotten the point of the criticism. It's never been about the generator per se; it's been about spending that amount of money for something we've gotten along without forever, something that is not on any "needs" list, something that has never been mentioned before as being any kind of priority, and a huge amount of money that would have been better spent somewhere else...like our streets. It put the city organization ahead of the citizens.

But it's a done deal; the generator is a comin'. It was a 5-0 vote. I'm still wondering what the final cost will be, though; we'll see. I also think it's gonna keep coming back to slap the three incumbents on the cheek. They can talk 'till their blue in their collective faces how badly it's needed, but we're not gonna buy it.

"Five Star" Hotel For Brannigan's!

I'm watching the Chamber of Commerce Candidates' Forum on TeeVee. I'm glad it's the last one. Yada yada yada.

My daughter, Alisha, goes to school at University of Nevada Las Vegas; she's studying hotel administration. And what does this have to do with the Candidates' Forum, you ask? Well, that's a good question, and I'm glad you asked. For nine months she worked at the Wynn Hotel, one of only two five-star hotels in Las Vegas (the other being the Bellagio). {Correction: Alisha calls today - 4/30 - to tell me, "Dad, the ONLY five star hotel in Las Vegas is the Wynn."} In the entire country, there are only 41 five-star hotels. The requirements of attaining a five-star rating are gargantuan. And therein lies the link to the forum.

Bill and Janice have been talking on and on 'bout building a five-star hotel on the Brannigan's property, complete with their ever popular, fantasy conference center. Yak yak yak. This is what you call: not knowing what you're talking about. No matter that we spent a zillion dollars in 2004 on a study on tourism, and this property, that concluded Morro Bay can't support a conference center. No matter the last time we sought proposals for a hotel there, during an economically healthy era, it went nowhere. "Not economically viable," the developers said. No matter that we're in a recession now and there's NO building happening 'round here, not to mention that they increased building fees 500-percent, thereby increasing the cost of building a project like they want by hundreds of thousand of dollars. That's business friendly, huh? No matter that they have only FAILED at bringing ANYTHING to that property, and now they think they can? Give me a break. But the biggest laugh is their continual promotion of bringing a "five-star" hotel to that property. They don't even know what a five-star rating means. Why don't they give Steve Wynn or Donald Trump a call? Maybe they could help.

Pepper Gets "Endorsed"

Democrats received a card in the mail today from mayoral candidate Pepper Hughes. I didn't get one 'cause I'm a registered Whig.

Pepper's little campaign card says: "Please mark your ballot for the only mayoral candidate who is a Democrat. Endorsed by the Central Coast Democratic Committee."

Endorsed? Wow, that's a surprise seein' as her husband is a Central Committee member, and she's running for a seat herself. Guess they like husband/wife teams on their Central Committee.

But, but, wait a gol darn minute here...I thought our city council race is 'posed to be NONPARTISAN. That's the way it's always worked 'round these parts. You may KNOW a candidate's political affiliation, but it's never been used as a campaign standard before. Ya don't hear the other candidates running 'round hollerin' their party affiliation, do ya? Nope, ya don't, and that's the way it should be. Apparently Pepper doesn't get that.

A New Method To Shut You Up

For as long as I've lived here, there's been a three-minute rule for Public Comment at city council meetings. The city clerk had lights - green, then orange (time's almost up), and, when the three minutes has expired, red. In addition to the red light, a buzzer sounds. Buzzzz. Most folks respect the rule, and the buzzer, and conclude their remarks. Sometimes a person ignores the buzzer and keeps on talking; the mayor then asks the person to conclude. That's happened a lot; we've all seen it. No big deal.

Occasionally, a citizen WON'T shut up after he/she's been asked to conclude. This happens very infrequently. But the mayor has the ultimate weapon when a speaker refuses to stop talking: calling a break. Works like a charm. A short break is called, all council members stand up, the TV camera goes to the city logo, the sound is cut off, the audience members start talking among themselves, and generally the mayor will go talk to the person and explain the rule. In my six years as mayor, I think it happened to me twice, and one of those was a mentally unbalanced individual.

After decades of the same, fine-working system, our "mayor" - who's been up there leading the meetings for four years - apparently can't manage it any longer. It's sooo difficult being mayor, ya know, having to put up with us pesky citizens. Oh, what she has to put up with. So this last meeting, she had the lights moved to the podium and had a cut-off installed in the microphone. You get the lights, but now when the red light goes on, the microphone goes off. Good idea! Hey, that works even better than calling a break! That'll shut us up.

I can see sweet, elderly Mrs. Smith, a resident here since the forties, up there at the podium, expressing her appreciation, finishing her prepared speech, the one she worked on all week. "And in conclusion, I'd like to present the mayor with..." Click. Sorry, Mrs. Smith, your three minutes is up. No, you can't have the additional ten seconds we've been giving citizens forever. Nooo. You should have spoken faster! Didn't you bring your stop watch? Didn't you rehearse? What's the matter with you, huh? You DUNCE.

Oh, yeah, this is a goood idea. So respectful. This is gonna be fun to watch.

Next our "mayor" will install a trap door at the podium and a big handle next to her chair. If she doesn't like someone, she can pull the handle and send the citizen down a slide directly to the bay. Wheee. Kerplop splash.

But, hey, if you can't control us aggravating citzenz, just CUT US OFF. And while you're at it, BRING BACK THE GAVEL, will ya? We miss it. Oh, yeah, I forgot...that sounds like construction.

Fear In Morro Bay

I was in San Jose today. I left there at 3:30, rushing back to Morro Bay in order to make Public Comment; I arrived at the Vet's Hall at 6:30, and took a seat. Ten minutes later the weirdest thing happened to me: I sucked in some saliva, directing it down the wrong pipe, and that sent me into a coughing jag. Not wanting to disturb the meeting, I rushed outside to cough my brains out until it cleared. When I walked back into the room 60 seconds later, public comment had been closed. Talk about timing.

I waited until the break, then told the mayor my sad little tale and respectfully (yes, I used that word) asked if she would allow me to speak right after the break. You could see the icicles dripping off her. "And I should do this whhhy?" she asked. Made me shiver. Brrr. I don't think I'm her favorite person these days. It's understandable. In the end, she denied my request. It's what I expected, but I had made too much of an effort to make the meeting not to ask. She would say if she had allowed me to speak, then it would have opened the door for others to do the same. I would respond she could have stated she wasn't opening a door, that allowing me to speak was an exception. She's made lots of exceptions before. Lots. In the end, though, I don't begrudge her denial. She had closed Public Comment, and I had missed my opportunity.

I share this fascinating anecdote because it relates to what I intended to speak about: Citizen apprehension of criticizing the city/staff/council - their fear of retaliation. I hear this a lot. People in the building industries won't criticize for fear of having their permits mucked up. Fishermen don't speak up because they hold the leases on the gear storage building and the fish receiving dock, they rent their dock spaces from the city, sometimes they look to the city for help. Anyone stuck in the city meat grinder on, say, an appeal issue had better keep their mouth shut for fear of upsetting a council member or two; these things can drag on for months, and it's easy to keep them dragging on longer. Hopefully, I won't be building anything soon. And a lot of people tell me they simply don't have the guts. I KNOW a lot of people here are upset with our elected officials; I hear it all the time. But speak up about it? Nooo. Stand up at Public Comment and tell 'em how they feel? No way. Write a critical Letter to the Editor? Someone else can do that, not me.

But we can all speak, anonymously, at the ballot box. If we want change, it will happen there.

And the next time I go into a coughing fit at a council meeting, I'm keeping my seat.

Tonight's Debate...Whew

The Police and Fire Department's organizations held a mayoral/city council debate tonight at the Vet's Hall. The subjects revolved around, oddly enough, public safety. Four hours. Whew. My head is spinning.

First off, kudos and thanks to KSBY's Kory Raftery, who moderated. He did a fabulous job. He was polished, professional, and friendly. The best ever. He kept them on track, which wasn't always easy; some of the candidates had a tendency to go off subject. Imagine that. Shocking, huh?

My notes run pages and pages. With 12 candidates, it's a challenge to boil it down to 500 words, but I'll give it a shot.

First came the mayor candidates. Janice and Melody were silky smoooth, slick, canny; they have a lot of experience, practice, at this kinda thing. Smile. But, as usual, they spoke out of both sides of their mouths. George and Pepper were not as deft, but then they don't have the familiarity with public speaking and debating as the other two. Pepper said nothing of substance. George continually brought it back to bringing in more money, and had some good ideas how to achieve that. Okay, okay, I know; I'm a George supporter, so my view is not unbiased. He is still, to me, the only one of the four who would make a real, positive difference for Morro Bay. Janice and Melody would be more of the same; been there, done that, half truths, more restrictions, higher fees, lip service, smile. Pepper doesn't have a clue; I can't, for the life of me, see her leading the city.

Then came the city council candidates. Eight of 'em sitting up there in a row like birds on a telephone wire. I will say this: they have varying viewpoints. Yes! We need more police officers! Yes! We need more fire personnel. Most of them agreed on that. That's a big surprise seein' who they were playing to. I know, bad English. Forgive me. The English police need not write.

My brain was swirling with numbers. They had done their collective homework. After a while it sounded like this: "The general fund balance at the end of 2004 was $4.1-million with a negative balance of $1.9-million with 41-percent of the of budget going to the police department which cost the city $3.6-million that year and the following year the general fund balance was $2.9-million which was dipped into $930,000 but with a total general fund of $9.6-million of which $2.5-million..." and on and on. After a while it was impossible to follow. Yes, I made those numbers up for illustrative purposes. Wait 'till ya hear it, you'll see.

They were all great at defining the problems. There were, however, no real, concrete solutions from the council candidates. Lots of statements like: "We have to find ways to operate our Police and Fire Departments more efficiently," (Roger) and: "Let's make the best of a bad situation." (Joey) Sure, okay, let's do those things. And what, exactly, do you have in mind?

Another Crisis In Morro Bay!...Leaf Blowers!

Roger Ewing gets up at public comment and complains about leaf blowers. He wants them OUTLAWED. Dang things - they're noisy, ya know, and pollutin', and they blow dirt all over the place. GIT RID OF 'EM! he says. Go back to push brooms!

This is a man who wants to be on your city council. Mr. Appeal, Mr. Don't-Build-It-Here, Mr. Don't Allow That! Mr. Whine Whine Whine. Think anything would get done if he's up there? Nope. Nothin'.

I know, I know...he's a nice guy.

So later the council discussed this pressing matter. Hey, it's practically a CRISIS. I don't know 'bout you, but whenever I hear a leaf blower, I git ANGRY. Makes my blood BOIL. What's the matter with our council fer allowin' this to go on? Huh?

Council admitted they haven't had any complaints about this, but Rick suggested we BAN them anyway. Too dern loud! So discussion went to noise levels. Huh? What about lawn mowers and chain saws and skill saws and nail guns and those pesky motersikles runnin' wild up and down our streets? What about all the city-owned-and-operated leaf blowers? And while you're at it, City, ya better get rid of the big flail mower; it's toooo noisy! Cut the ball fields with scissors. We could git rid of a lot of noise if we STOP ALL CONSTRUCTION. That would help. Oh, sorry; we've already done that.

Worst of all, though, was the way it was left. The city attorney is going to "write something up" for council and "bring it back." Yet another example of wasting staff time, like there's not anything better for him to do than to revise the noise-level ordinance, an ordinance that's working just fine thankyouverymuch. And another waste of time when they bring it back for "discussion." Important stuff, leaf blowers.

Morro Bay City Council Makes YouTube

The aforementioned citizen who criticized our mayor and city council at the last council meeting - that would be resident Kathy Wells - showed up on YouTube tonight. I have no idea who put it on there. Kathy Wells, incidentally, has lived here 36 years. Unfortunately, the conversation between the mayor, Melody, and the city attorney during the break didn't make it...at least not on this version. I've heard the meeting was TVOed by some folks, though, and underground copies are making their way around...so stay tuned.

Check it out here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZYXoY9yNxI

Fishermen's Boats Take Up Too Much Space!

At the last council meeting, the harbor department brought forth an increase in fees. We like to do that in Morro Bay, increase fees. Increase the water, increase the sewer, increase the building fees, increase the parking fees, increase ALL fees, ad nausium. Now it was the harbor department's turn.

The harbor department - sorry, I can't bring myself to capitalize our departments or department heads or, especially, our elected officials' titles, I just can't...but I digress - anyway, the harbor department wanted to raise all fees, including the commercial fishing boat dock fees, 12 1/2-percent. The harbor advisory board recommended cutting the commercial dock fees in half, to 6 1/4-percent. The harbor director said he didn't favor the cut, didn't favor his board's recommendation. That's supporting your board, huh?

Council discussion ensued. Betty wanted to keep the raise the full 12+-percent. "We don't underwrite other businesses," she exclaimed. The commercial slips "are cheaper than any other slips in the bay," she pronounced. Yep, cheaper than the private slips where private yachts reside, true enough. Betty, our commercial fishing fleet, what's left of it, isn't like "other businesses." They are a protected species, evidenced by an inch of resolutions going back to the beginning of the city; the last one was passed in 2003, and she voted in favor of it if I recall correctly. I'm going to look it up. Supporting the commercial fishermen is (or was) a priority of the city. They are an integral part of who we are. We have always supported them with low-cost slips and infrastructure.

Melody complained that the commercial fishing boats "take up a lot of running feet down there." Melody, they were put in for the commercial boats. What does she want to do, rent the slips to yachts?

Janice complained that the council "didn't hear from the fishermen, so they must be okay with the raise." There's an example of not knowing the fishermen at all. That's the nature of commercial fishermen, they don't get very involved; they're working all the time. That's one reason they've been trampled on so much. It doesn't occur to Janice or (most of) the others to go down to the docks and actually TALK to the fishermen. Nooo, just sit back and wait to hear something, that's the way to be an elected official around here these days.

Only Rick - and kudos to him! - argued to keep the slip fees at current levels in light of what they're currently going through. He made a great case, I thought, but in the end his efforts were in vain. The slip fees were increased 6+-percent by a 4-1 vote. Even Bill, who was swaying to Rick's side for no increase, folded and ultimately voted in favor of the increase.

Now, more than ever, our commercial fishermen need our undying support. It's sad we don't have a city council (majority) that feels that way.

Free Speech? Sorreee, Not In Morro Bay

Monday's city council meeting was a hoot. A citizen - specifically a citizen who is clearly not happy with our council - spoke during public comment and blasted the mayor and council. She - the citizen speaker - also plugged this blog; thanks for that...but that's beside the point.

When she criticized the mayor for her "business experience," you could feel Janice squirming and bristling right through the TV screen. Janice was clearly going to say something -you could hear it - but I guess she changed her mind.

A few seconds later, though, when the speaker said: "And best of all, Cal Poly has a web site where the students evaluate their professors..." Uh oh, that was going tooo far for the mayor, who interrupted and said, sternly, "NO PERSONAL ATTACKS!" Huh? I didn't hear a personal attack. Is the mayor clairvoyant? But even if there had been a personal attack, where does the mayor get off shutting someone up? The speaker did question her First Amendment rights, but the mayor didn't address that. Not important, I guess.

I was personally attacked lots of times when I was up there. Remember Norman and Grant? It's a part of the job. If you can't take it, you shouldn't be up there. You sit there and smile and take it 'till it's over. Big deal.

When the break was called, the city attorney jumped up to the podium to discuss the matter. Small problem: the microphone wasn't turned off, so the whooole conversation went out over the air. Oops. Melody was clearly upset, as was the mayor; they wanted to BAN personal attacks. The city attorney explained that it's a First Amendment right; they can't stop people from talking. Sorreee ladies.

In the end, Janice said: "Oh well, I guess we'll read all about this on Bill's blog." I was laughing for an hour. I didn't know Janice was a reader.

Another Candidate's Forum! Mesmerizing!

Oh, boy, another Candidate's Forum today, this one by the Friends of the Library. It was a challenging forum for the candidates. I was searching for the beads of sweat to form on their foreheads, cocking an ear for a trembling voice. But...no sweat glaring in the camera, steady deliveries. They're palms weren't even damp. Know why? They were all provided with the questions beforehand. For the most part, the answers were read. That's makin' 'em think on their feet, I'll tell ya. Oh, yeah, it was a demanding exercise.

Only George said every word off-the-cuff, never looking at notes. For some reason, the Friends of the Library didn't provide him with the questions. Okay, I know the reason, but that's another story.

It's easy to visualize George as our mayor. He looks like a mayor, acts like a mayor, speaks like a mayor, is wise, knows how to think on his feet, and has deeper roots in the community than any of them, a LOT deeper.

Okay, before you write your letter to the editor and ACCUSE me of being a George supporter, I will confess: I'm leaning in his direction. I'm obviously not for Janice or Melody. They would be more of the same old same old: no forward movement, more restrictions, higher fees, stop any more building. Pepper...well I don't understand why she's running, what qualifications she thinks she has, where she's coming from. That leaves George, who is, to me, clearly the best candidate...clearly. There, I said it. Now you can write your letter.

"Quality of life." "Small town character." "Balanced budget." "Affordable housing." "Support tourism." "Support the fishing industry." "Support our police and fire departments." "Support our parks department." "Support our library." Lots of support, few ideas.

Melody: Lamenting, whining, over the loss of the old airport terminal building: "We need to protect our older homes; we need to protect our older buildings." Losing that little building is a loss, I agree. I loved the history of that building and it's look, as funky as it was. But it wasn't Historic Building material. Let's face it, it was an an old, crumbling, wood building. Most important, though, it was privately owned. Whatcha gonna tell 'em, Melody, you can't tear down your privately owned building and build a new one? Yep, that's exactly what she'd say.

Noah : "I would help develop the things we are lacking." What things are those, Noah? Do tell. We're all ears. Noah talks green green, eco eco, trees, recycling. All that stuff's fine, but how does it move us forward? Apparently, he doesn't know exactly what we're lacking, but I'm sure he's working on it.

Bill: "I'm the one who brought forward the idea of an efficiency study." Next breath, next sentence: "I don't think we need to make a lot more cuts." Does anyone else see the irony of this?

Joey: "Cutting services is the not the way to balance the budget." Okay. So? Whats' your idea then, Joey?

Ohhh, riiight, I forgot, Joey wants to exploit the Rock as a volcano to draw tourists, change the name to something like Morro Volcano, I guess. The new tourist angle could be: Come to Morro Bay and bask in the splendor, the majesty, the MAGNIFICENCE of MORRO VOLCANO.(Sorry, climbers not allowed; gazing from below only; please donate here.) We could build a bonfire on top, put in some fake lava down the sides using crinkled orange foil. Who needs a waterfront when you've got a volcano, huh? And then his finale: "Maybe we could plant some palm trees at the base of the Rock and make it look more like a volcano." That knocked me off my feet; I couldn't catch my breath from laughing.

Roger Ewing Says: "I'm Pro Property Rights"

At Saturday's ABC forum, Roger Ewing said he's pro property rights, pro growth.

But - there's always a "but" with Roger - he's pro community rights, but "the community has a right to blah blah blah..."

Roger is the Number One person to appeal building projects. He is, in fact, "Mr. Appeal." Pro property rights? Come onnn Roger. If you're gonna run for city council, TELL THE TRUTH.

And while you're at it, please tell us why you feel you have to talk at EVERY council meeting, EVERY public hearing, why you have to appeal EVERY new project that comes along. Okay, not EVERY project, Roger; it's hyperbole.

Roger is a nice guy; I genuinely like him. But as a council member? No thanks. He would not move Morro Bay forward.

Correction On The $95,000 Generator...And Truth

A few posts down, I whined about the $95,000 generator for Public Services, City Hall, and Dial A Ride. Checking my notes a while ago, I realized I goofed. It's not $95,000, it's $120,000. Oops.

Originally, you see, our esteemed council budgeted $25,000 from transit funds for a generator for Dial A Ride. Then we had that pesky power outage, and, since we CAN'T EVEN WRITE CHECKS when there's no power, they added the additional $95,000 (from the general fund) to cover the other two buildings.

Now, the really odd thing is: at the last meeting when this was discussed, every council member talked about the $95,000 generator. Not one of them mentioned the true cost of $120,000. In fact, the words "one-hundred-and-twenty-thousand dollars" were not uttered...by any of them.

This is my big complaint about this council: we don't get straight talk, truth, accuracy, candor. It's like a little club up there. Shhh. Don't tell the TRUTH and the truth will change.

Isn't that all we really want...the truth?

"We've never balanced our budget with reserves." Not true. "We don't spend more than we take in." Not true. "Our $15-million is cash and investments is like a retirement account." Not true. And then there's the half-truths like boasting: "Our general fund has been growing," without mentioning that expenses have been growing too. Or saying: "We've always had a balanced budget," without mentioning how the budget GOT balanced. I could go on and on. It makes me nauseous.

It's difficult to believe anything they say, especially from our "mayor." I would like a mayor and council that tells us like it is, gives us the honest truth, without any double talk, verbal slight-of-hand, hoodwinking, sugary frosting, and especially without any lies.

Bill Peirce - Our Savior

At the ABC forum Saturday: Bill Peirce said we need to draw new businesses here and we need to give them an incentive to come here. He said he brought this idea forward a couple of council meetings ago. "I'm working on this right now," he said. Bill's been on the city council for twelve years. We've always needed new businesses here; we've always had store fronts vacant for too long. How long was Von's empty? Too long. How much did the city have to do with drawing Cookie Crock here? Not a thing.

What about the paint store? Cotton Ball? Queens Closet? BRANNIGAN'S?

As long as I've lived here, there's been the same tired talk about "drawing new business here."

"Let's identify what businesses we need and get 'em here." Bill said those words. Heard that before? I have, every campaign season.

So now, after sitting on his hands for twelve years, Bill is going to save us.

Your time is up, Bill. Too late. You've had your turn at the wheel.

Janice Claims Business Experience - Huh?

At the ABC mayor/council forum on Saturday, Janice said, on the heels of George Leage's "I have business experience" statement, that she, too, has business experience 'cause she's "been a freelance photographer for years." Oh yeah, that's business experience. Uh huh. That's the same as George Leage's years of managing multi-million-dollar businesses, making payrolls, employing hundreds of people, dealing with bankers, fighting costs, staying in business. Riiight.

I don't think Janice gets what "business experience" means. To her, "business experience" means selling her photographs at Art In The Park. That's not real business experience, Janice. Sorreee.

The ABC Candidate's Forum

It's Saturday, April 5, the day of the Advocates For A Better Community Mayoral/City Council Forum where the candidates espoused their views on city issues. It just finished - almost four- hours long. If you were lucky, you missed it. Your time would have been better spent doing anything else.

First came the mayoral candidates. Only Melody and Janice showed up. George Leage was out of town but he sent a statement, which was read. Nothing from Pepper. Silence. Yeah, she's serious. Uh huh.

Same old same old blather. Yawn. If it was nap time, and you needed a sleeping aid, it was the perfect pill. Ninety minutes of Melody and Janice saying absolutely nothing of consequence. George Leage said more in his one-minute written statement than they could muster in a hour-and-a-half.

Then came the council candidates, eight of 'em. Babble. Next. Chatter. Next. Jabber. Next... It was like watching slugs race up a wall. FASCINATING.

Highlights following. Bet you can't WAIT.

Melody Gets Evaluated By Her Students

Over at Cal Poly, there's a web site for students to evaluate their professors. Melody receives a mixed bag a student reviews, but they're mostly not positive. It's FASCINATING reading.

In the most recent entry, a student says: "...she has extreme mood swings from day to day, and her ginormous ego is only inflated by her position on the Morro Bay City Council and her upcoming election race for mayor." I guess she likes to talk about city council and her run for mayor in class.

Another thing that comes through in many evaluations is she plays favorites. Gee, do ya think she'll play favorites if she's elected mayor?

Give it a read. You'll love it.

http://www.polyratings.com/eval.phtml?profid=924

Hey, Let's Get A "Facilitator" - For 5,000 Bucks!

There's a "goals" meetin' comin' up. We're big on those around here. Not that we follow our goals and priorities very good, but they feel good just havin' 'em.

So our city council is planning on hiring a "professional facilitator" to lead the meeting...for a mere $5,000. Hey, this is a goood idea, spending that kind of money when we don't have enough to operate the city. Fabulous idea.

But don't worry, staff informed council that there will be more work to it than just running the meeting; the facilitator will have to generate a report. Ohhh, well that explains it. That's a tough job, report generatin'.

Let's do some 'rithmitic. Let's say it takes three hours to prepare, four hours for the meeting, and another three hours to "generate the report." I think I have enough fingers for this. Three, plus four, plus three. Wait, let me get my calculator. That's ten hours. Okay, I'll double it. No I won't, I'll triple it. Okay, I'll quadruple it; we'll call it an entire week's work, 40 hours. Do you think it will take a whole week? I don't.

Five grand; not bad, huh? That's responsible spending. Uh huh.

Melody Whines About No Money From Power Plant

In her column in this week's Sun Bulletin, Melody complained we're not getting enough money from the power plant any more. In 2001 and 2002, Morro Bay collected $5-million; now we only get 'bout $250,000 a year. Poor us.

What Melody failed to mention is that she was not a supporter of a new power plant, and that's an understatement. She, and her crowd, fought the new plant to the point that it wasn't built.

Had it proceeded, the city would have received over $10-million by now - well over $10-million - and we'd be working on this year's $2.5 million. The old power plant would be demolished. The workforce would have stayed here and eaten here, pumping additional millions into the local economy.

So what was the end result of stopping the new plant? Well, there's the millions we've lost, and we still have the old power plant. My sense is it's going to be there for a looong time to come.

Next time you complain about the loss of income, Melody, don't forget to mention WHY we don't have it.

The $95,000 Generator

Our city council has decided to spend $95,000 for an emergency generator to keep the lights on in Dial-a-Ride, City Hall, and the Public Services building during power outages. This began as a request for a generator for Dial-A-Ride, but ballooned to include the other two buildings. Expenditures have a way of ballooning around here.

Now, I'm not against the generator per se. I'm against spending money we don't have for something we've gotten along without forever. The primary argument at the mid-year budget meeting was: we can't write checks when the power's out. The mayor even looked over at the finance director who confirmed we don't have those kind of checks.

And at last Monday's meeting, Bill Peirce repeated it. "We can't even write checks," he pontificated in a loud voice.

Not one council member, nor the finance director, suggested, at either meeting, that we get a box of checks that can be hand-written in case of a power outage. Well slap my forehead with the palm of my hand.

What could that $95,000 have bought? Well, another police officer, or a fireman - I mean fire person - or given every police officer a REALLY decent raise, or paved Avalon from top to bottom. There's lots of things more important than a new emergency generator. Lots.

But don't worry! During the next power outage the computer will run and we'll be able to write checks! Whew.

Now the big question: Will the new generator really come in at $95,000 or less? We'll see.

Be Careful When Smiling For Melody's Camera

At the spaghetti feed, Melody leaned down between a long-time Morro Bay couple, smiled, and had her picture snapped with them. This couple, who will remain nameless out of respect toward them, is well-respected and clearly NOT supportive of Melody's mayoral candidacy. That didn't matter to Melody. Melody put the picture on her web site with the caption: "Melody listens to citizens concerns." Okay, that quote is paraphrased, but it's very close, if not exact.

The point is, Melody put the photo in her web site without asking the subjects for permission. Said subjects asked her to take it off; she removed it this morning.

Melody was trying to imply these folks, by virtue of their picture appearing on her web site, were supporters. She knew they are not. It was, at the least, deceitful.

James Henry Is Outta The Race

City Council Candidate James Henry is, apparently, out of the running. His paperwork wasn't up to snuff and he was disqualified.

Let's Take A Look At Some More Of Those Letters

Yes, sooo many anti-Yates letters in the newspapers. Oh my, it's enough to put me into a funk. They don't, though; they make me laugh. The letter writers do exactly what they accuse me of doing: Criticism. Isn't that the American way? Isn't that exactly what Melody DeMeritt's mom says to do? Of course it is. I've said I'm unhappy with this council and I remain so. I have, and will continue, to give examples. Not one letter writer has taken me to task for what I've said; not one has attacked my arguments. Not one. Not even the "mayor." They twist my comments, or my history, around and tell me to, in effect, shut up. Sorreee, I ain't gonna. Melody's mom tells me not to.

Here's a few of the good ones: We elected Melody DeMeritt. Well, yeah, true enough. But under the new rules, she, in all likelihood, wouldn't have been elected. How's that, Bill? Well, in 2004, Stan House and Ken Vesterfelt received nearly 1,000 votes more than her. Under the new rules, she, in all probability, wouldn't have been elected. Same holds true for Betty, by the way. In 2002, Betty received over 1,400 fewer votes than Bill Woodson and Jim Wood combined. Yes, she won, fair and square under the old rules, but in all probability she would not have been elected in that election under the new rules. That's why the new election rules are a good thing for Morro Bay. It also illustrated the leanings of the populace here.

"Let's not be a house divided." Hey, it's election time. How do you have an election without dividing the house?

I was irresponsible with the city's money because I supported a city subsidy of Flippo's Skating Rink. What does this have to do with anything? I don't know. It's true, though, I was in favor of a city subsidy of the rent the city would have charged an operator. I raised three kids in that rink; I understood the importance of having it in the community. But I was irresponsible with the city's finances? I was the lone vote against the first violation of the city's reserves to, as our "mayor" would say, "balance the budget." Janice, Bill, and Betty all voted in favor of that $1.9-million taking. Not me.

Okay, I'm going to stop defending myself against stupid, meaningless accusations. I'm not running for anything. My "transparent agenda," as defined by one letter writer, is correct: I am out to change this city council and eventually I will support candidates who I believe will act responsibly and focus on serious matters. That's obvious, a no-brainer.

More Salaries

In this week's Sun Bulletin, I published the salaries for our department heads and promised to publish the salaries for middle managers here. Again, I share these with you without judgement. I do believe, however, that we SHOULD know - we deserve to know - this information.

Management Analyst - salary $67,857, benefits $26,894, total $94,751.
Accountant - salary $67,857, benefits $22,123, total $89,980.
Information Systems Tech - salary $79,359, benefits $29,460, total $108,819.
Police Commander - salary $104,803, benefits $62,109, total $166,822.
Support Services Manager - salary $55,332, benefits $22,054, total $77,386.
Capital Projects Manager - salary $102,880, benefits $23,040, total $125,920.
Building Official - salary $75,410, benefits $28,036, total $103,446.
City Engineer - salary $93,315, benefits $34,021, total $127,336.
Planning Manager - salary $75,410, benefits $29,019, total $104,429.
Senior Civil Engineer - salary $79,359, benefits $30,113, total $109,472.
Waste Water Treatment Plant Manager - salary $87,295, benefits $31,883, total $119, 178.
Facilities Superintendent - salary $71,250, benefits $18,472, total $89,722.
Parks Superintendent - salary $67,857, benefits $15,706, total $83,563.
Harbor Operations Manager - salary $69,841, benefits $35,517, total $105,358.

I'm Gone

I'm out of town all this week. Stop back this Friday, the 14th, for the latest.

Oh, No, I'm All Wet! -- Dorothy Cutter Doesn't Like Me

My, my, so many anti-Yates letters. My favorite, though, is this week's letter from Dorothy Cutter. I don't think Ms. Cutter likes me.

Hmmm, let's take a look at her examples of my misdeeds: (1) I approved the Main and Quintanta project. Yep, I did; it passed through a zillion public hearings; many changes were made; it was legal. Guess who else voted for it? Janice.

(2) I approved the "Embarcadero project without parking." Wow, I don't know which project she's talking about. If I did approve such a project, I'm sure they paid in-lieu fees, which is lawful and was put into place long before I arrived on the scene. Tell us the project you're talking about, Ms. Cutter, and let's see how Janice voted.

(3) The "bridge replacement that still floods." Huh? I can't think of a time the bridge has been closed for flooding since it's been built. It is, however, silting up beneath it and it's headed for a flooding. I recognized this and got it cleaned out in 2003. I don't believe our "mayor" or any council member has brought forward the concept of maintaining it since. When it does flood, and it's going to, don't blame me.

(4) I approved the "overcrowded Colmer project" at Main and Olive Streets. Nope, not me, Ms. Cutter, not on my watch. Your savior, though, Janice, voted in favor of it.

And finally (5) I approved the "substandard lot splits on south Main Street." Again, Ms. Cutter, that wasn't me; this didn't happen when I was mayor. How did Janice vote on this?

She closes questioning my agenda. I've said it here and in the paper a zillion times: My agenda is to see new people on the council; responsible, serious people who are focused on the important issues this city faces, not meaningless minutiae. And what's your agenda, Ms. Cutter?

Janice Plays Nice

Our "mayor" wrote a little piece in the Sun Bulletin which was, once again, filled with misstatements. One thing she did say that was true, though, is what this blog, and my column, is all about: the next election. I said it to their faces. I will continue holding a mirror up to her, and other council member's, absurdities, double standards, and factual distortions - especially the latter.

Betty writes a piece for the paper. Janice responds the following week basically calling Betty all wet, deluded, unknowledgeable, and accused her of not fostering a respectful dialogue. This is an example of one of her many double standards. If Janice criticizes, it's okay. If Betty, or me, or anyone else, criticizes, it's not okay. Huh?

Janice censures this blog and my column, but stays silent on the letter writers who attack me. Again, it's okay for them, but not okay for me. You can't have it both ways, "mayor."

I am disillusioned with Janice (did you know?) because (1) she doesn't tell us the truth, (2) she doesn't lead the council on focusing on the important matters the city is facing, and (3) she continues supporting/approving deficit spending. When she's ultimately painted into a corner, she goes silent, smiles, and says: "Can't we all just be nice to one another? Look at me; I'm nice. I'm sooo nice."

She responds to what she wants, and stays mute - or worse, gives us the verbal slight-of-hand - on what she doesn't. Have you noticed she still hasn't responded to the $4-plus-million violation of reserves (other than denying that truth)? Or her "We've always had a balanced budget" statements? Betty brought these things up, and Janice twisted Betty's words into a pretzel.

Bottom line: Our "mayor" is not straight-forward, truthful with us. In her mind, she may think differently. Her statements, though, don't bear this out.

Double Talk Gibberish

The mid-year budget review was held at the last city council meeting. It was so INTERESTING. If you watched it, I'm sure you're totally bewildered. It was like they were trying to confuse us. Janice starts the meeting telling us everything is rosy, and ends the item saying she doesn't want to leave the impression everything is rosy. Huh?

Without even attempting to explain what happened, the bottom line was we again spent more than we took in. They are experts at glazing that over. Property tax and TOT increases get highlighted, shortfalls get double talked, swept under the rug. They underscored (over and over) the $15-million we have "in the bank," but never explained what it's earmarked for, leaving the impression that it has no other purpose than a savings account. It's not; I have explained this here and in the Sun Bulletin and will spare you another recitation.

After all was explained, the lone speaker during the public hearing portion called the $15-million "emergency reserves." He didn't get it, obviously, and the term wasn't corrected after he spoke, leaving the impression it's...emergency reserves. It's not. Just tell us the truth. Tell us what that money is intended for.

So, again, we're told it's "cash in the bank," which it is. That's truth...but it's not the whole truth. It leaves the impression it's cash we can draw on for any purpose. It's not.

That's been my complaint since I started this blog: We don't get the (complete) truth. It is falsehood by omission. Or: Verbal slight-of-hand.

Moneeee

A reader's contribution:

Sing it to the tune Money. The mayor begins...

You know the best things in life are free.
But that ain't gonna pave no streets.
I want money.
That's all I want.
That's all I waaaaaant.
I need some money.

They say that money won't cure no ills.
But it could sure pay my petsitting bills.
I want money.
That's all I want.
That's all I waaaaant.
I need some money.
That's all I waaaaaaaaant

Melody takes over for the third verse:

We got you all to pass Measure Q.
Then we found a million dollars or two.
We want your money.
That's all we want.
That's all we waaaant
WE GOT YOUR MONEY!

Janice Gets Trounced Again

Last night's city council meetin' was another demonstration of grand theater and verbal slight-of-hand, especially during the mid-year budget review. But I will save that subject until I reserach the history I lived and the real truth of where we stand today. For now I'll say the picture that was painted is not untrue, but it's not the complete reality.

Let me add that in an earlier blog I alluded we didn't have $14-million in cash. I was wrong. Apparently we do. But the bulk of this money is in enterprise funds, not the general fund. It's the money we use to pay for things like the waste water treatment plant, state water, sewer pipe clean-outs, etc. The impression the mayor gives is it's money we can use for any purpose; it's not. And the mayor remains in denial that we ran through $4-plus-million - starting five years ago - to keep the city going. That happened; I was there, and so was she. Stay tuned.

My favorite moment, though, was the roundabout vote (the "roundie"). Discussion over, motion made and seconded, all in favor "Aye," all opposed, "Nay." 3-2 vote. Then Melody chirps up and insists on a roll call. A roll call vote is when the city clerk asks each council member, in turn, for his or her vote. Janice looked at Melody and said, "We just voted, it's all over." Melody: "But I want a roll call." She stared at Janice through cold eyes. Then a pause ensued that you could have driven a fleet of Greyhound busses through. This was Janice's opportunity to show leadership. Did she? Nope. She said, "Okay," and called for the roll. Both Janice and Melody lost on this, I thought. Janice for (again) lack of leadership, and Melody for insisting on an unnessary roll, without any kind of explaination why she was insisting on it. The roll didn't change a thing. All Melody proved was she could bully her way, and that, also, showed a lack of leadership.

And did any of the other council members speak up in the mayor's defense? Nope, not a one. They sat there silently, watching, waiting to see what was going to happen, like lumps.

City of Morro Bay Doesn't, Apparently, Like Realtors

Morro Bay Realtors are insulted that the city won't list the property that's for sale at Highway 1 and San Jacinto with a local Realtor. The city, I assume, feels it can save money doing the task itself. Who needs help anyway, huh? It's eeeazy to sell a piece of property; that's why we all do it ourselves. Why, on earth, would we want it in the Multiple Listings? Who looks there? Not me. Big waste of time.

The really odd thing is we're supposed to be a "business friendly city;" we even have a resolution to prove it. It was passed, unanimously, in 2003...not that resolutions are followed around here. After a few years, they're forgotten. That's the lasting impact a city council has.

There's the picture of the beautiful sign, right over there. It even makes the "Shut Off Faucets After Use" sign look good graphics-wise. The telephone number is the city attorney's. Wanna buy it? Give him a call.

But don't even think about touching those "monument" eucalyptus trees. We don't want no de-forestation on that corner. No way.

James Henry for City Council

His web site. It speaks for itself.

http://richardsonenterprises.biz/gov/

Scroll Down To The Bottom Of The Page...

...to see "No More Mr. Nice Guy's" latest cartoon.

Thank you, Joe!

Oh Boy! - There's A Meetin' Happ'nin' Monday!

Monday evening it's city council meeting time again! Oh, boy. Can't wait. Gonna be sooo much fun. Maybe Joey Racano will get into 'nother tiff with the "mayor." Those are so much fun to watch. At last weeks' meeting with the planning commish, Joey got in the "mayor's" face at public comment. In the end, they both looked foolish - Joey for being disrepectful (and he wants to be a council member?); Janice for not being able to handle him. Will he do it again? How will Janice deal with him? Stay tuned! It's the best soap opera in town.

I wonder if Joey will mention the outfall waver? Naaaaa.

Oookay, here's the agenda, right here in the Bay News. Ohhh, here's the biggie: the Mid-Year Budget Review (their caps; they like to capitalize everything). This will be when the un-budgeted items become - presto - budgeted. And you watch now, they will "find" money they "didn't know was there." It's just like magic! That's my prognostigation anyway.

And another prediction: The "mayor" will, at some point, say: "Morro Bay's budget is balanced and has been as long as I've served." Or something 'long those lines. I'm not saying it's not true; it is. But the statement hides the real truth; how it becomes balanced. Oh my, I'm becoming like her beating the same drum over and over. Make me stoooop!

What else? Oh yeah, here's a good one: building greeeen. It's coming to Morro Bay, just wait and see. Building materials will be mandated to be composed of tofu, bean sprots, and natural, un-bleached grains. It's gonna make for some enchanting houses. They'll be healthy houses, huh?

And then there's gonna be a discussion on water conservation guidelines. Yet another of my famous divinations: One of them (probably Melody) will make a statement regarding turning off our faucets. Please, more signs!

The best way to conserve water is to...shower with a friend. Everyone knows that.

Janice Fires Back At Betty...Again

The war between Betty and Janice continues unabated.

Janice fires off a letter to the Bay News. I quote her first paragraph: "Councilwoman Betty Winholtz claims that the City Council (Janice capitalizes city council) can't balance a budget. Actually, Morro Bay's city budget is balanced and has been for all the years I have served on the Council (her caps again). Combining all accounts, our current cash and investment assets total $14 million."

Janice repeats and repeats and repeats that our budget has always been "balanced." This is what I call verbal slight of hand. Of COURSE our budget has always been "balanced." When the council majority took $1.75-million from reserves (the first violation of reserves) and moved it into the general fund, the budget became - presto - "balanced." It's semantics. Betty says the city can't balance a budget. What Betty's SAYING is we can't balance our budget without adding money from somewhere other than our income stream. She doesn't say we've operated without a balanced budget. Come onnn Ms. "truth MATTERS to me." Why don't you address what she's saying? You are very adept at verbal hocus pokus, but we're starting to see through it..

And then there's the $14-million we have in "cash and investments." She makes it sound like we have $14-million in real money. We do not. The $14-million includes our facilities, buildings, parks, other land, equipment, etc. We want to know how much extra CASH we have. That's what pays the bills - not our parks, not the community center, not the trolley. You can't meet the payroll with a building.

Janice finsihes her letter with "...it would help to have us work as a team, instead of creating divisiveness with inaccurate and groundless criticism." I think that statement is divisive, and unnecessary. Why even say that? It does not show leadership. And I don't think Betty has been inaccurate. And I don't think her criticisms have been groundless. But that's just me.

If Janice wants to respond to criticisms, she should talk straight with us.

Noah Smukler Declares

Noah Smukler pulled papers this afternoon. I don't know very much about Noah 'cept he's on the Public Works Advisory Board and he's, ah, of the green persuasion. Public comment viewers know him and have a fairly good sense where he's coming from. He lists his occupation as chef.

More Candidates Declare

People are declaring.

Local political gadfly and perpetual city council speaker Roger Ewing has pulled papers for council. Anyone who has ever watched a council meeting knows who Roger is. Roger always finishes speaking at council meetings by rapping his knuckles on the podium; it's his trademark. If my feeble memory serves me correctly, Roger has run before.

GlassWorks owner Mick Theis has pulled papers. Mick is active in the Chamber of Commerce and Rotary. He always wears a smile and has an infectious laugh.

My sense is Mick and Roger are on opposite ends of the political spectrum, Roger being on the no-growth side and Mick being pro-business.

One James Henry has pulled papers for city council and no one I know knows who he is. His phone won't answer, won't take a message, but at least it answers and tells you he won't take your meaasge. He's a mystery man.

Joey Racano has pulled papers for council. Joey is for trees and against the waste water treatment plant waver. Joey is...an activist. My understanding is he was living in Los Osos and recently moved over here to be able to run.

And Bill Peirce has pulled papers for a FOURTH city council term.

Whew, they're comin' in like hail now.

Good for all of you!

Anyone else?

George Leage Running For Mayor!

Harbor Hut and Great America Fish Company owner George Leage pulled papars for mayor this morning. George has been here forever. He has never run for office before. I called him and asked: "How come?" George: "I love Morro Bay and I'm angry at the direction the city has been going under this mayor and city council. I don't see anyone else stepping up, so I am. I can do a better job than the current mayor. She doesn't get it." Okay, fair enough. Good luck George!

George had the guts to do it. Good for him. Who else? Come on.