The "Passover" saga is the latest in a long history of so-called progressive efforts to block progress of any kind. I mean no disrespect to Passover, a sacred day to Jews the world over that celebrates the Lord's sparing of the Hebrews as His angel slew the firstborn among the Egyptians who held them in bondage. Though it is ironic that the Holiday was used as yet another stalling tactic in the anti-growth faction's effort to hold all developments in bondage to their whims.
The Regency Center (Target) is still being delayed after years of stalling, foot-dragging, and outright obfuscation on the part of the City abetted by a tiny (but vocal) cohort of NIMBY activists who cloak their selfishness in civic pride. Now the Deer Creek project (Lowes) is entering into that same ever-mutating cycle of abuse, e.g., the review and (dis)approval process. Why any business person would want to engage with a community that so-reviles commerce is beyond me. Maybe the City mothers and fathers could hire the Disney folks to run the City as an amusement park called NIMBYLAND. Think of the rides: The Road to Nowhere, Legal Limbo, The Incredible Expanding Fee...
City Manager John Brown is yelling from the rooftops that the City has about a year before fiscal Armageddon. Is anyone listening? Last year, Mayor Glass-Half-Full promised that, "Revenues will come," without actually saying from where. Since then, when he's not intimidating City staff, his "revenue-generating-efforts seem to have focused on stalling the Deercreek shopping center, now that that the Regency Center is has been delayed yet another year, if not longer.
You know, folks who are born in a town and lived there all their lives, or others who move to place because they appreciate it's qualities have a right to feel strongly about the future of their town and express these feelings strongly. No problem there. Of course, that group I just mentioned includes pretty much everyone in Petaluma, not just the "no-growth-ers" Oh, excuse me, the politically correct term for "build-nothing-that-we-don't-like-or-we'll-sue" is Smart Growth. The problem with the Smart/No Growth gang, is that they've forgotten their biology. In EVERY living organism, growth and change MUST happen. When an entity ceases to grow and adapt it starts to die. I don't want my town to die and I don't want to live in a town that's radically changed from the town I love. However, I'm willing to listen with an open mind, accept new ideas that can benefit others (not just me), abide by the rules I voted to approve, and not to sue when things don't go my way. That's what make me - and a lot of others in town - different from the so-called Progressive / Smart Growth gang.
It's a deadlock, alright. Miss P. calls for a compromise, but the business-averse Progressives are so convinced that they're in the right, they've become deaf (excuse, hearing challenged) to any disagreement. And why shouldn't they believe this? Liberal pundits have been writing since the mid-60's that any point of view other than theirs is ignorant, illegal or insane. Whatever else they may believe, the the "so-called" pro-development bloc understands that new construction can be taxed, as can completed buildings, sales, employment and other forms of commerce...and that commerce (not just taxes) are the life blood of communities.
To hear the so-called progressive faction tell it, their opposition on the board are a homogeneous group of shills for developers. Well, I know all three and I see a lot of difference between them, their experience with, and their goals for Petaluma. If there's any predictability among board members it's with the gang of three and their perpetual, unrepentant anti-business agenda. Oh yes, I can hear the voices. "The council approved Regency. See! They're not anti-business." Yah, yah...after (what) seven years of log rolling, stalling, repeated reports, and a fraudulent lawsuit. That's some record. So given their intransigence, I'm guessing the only candidate they'll consider for the seventh seat is a dyed-in-the wool NIMBY.
Well kids, the Road Diet that not only failed to energize commerce but further clogged traffic west of Washington Blvd will now be inflicted on the downtown merchants. Our council majority must not have heard about all of the centrally-planned disasters (all done by the way in the name of achieving progressive, Utopian goals) that crippled the Soviet and Chinese economies and are now causing Venezuela to circle the drain. Or maybe they did, we're now learning that "progressive" really is synonymous with "anti-business."
Well, race fans, it's a crowded field for the upteenth running of the biannual Petaluma Freakness. Got to love the free-for-all nature of participatory democracy.
Well, the anti-growth city council majority is setting a dangerous precedent by inciting frivolous, nuisance litigation against the Regency Center (apparently to appease it's NIMBY base), while at the same time pretending to support growth to replenish the empty city coffers and, the mind boggles, takes credit for bringing the Regency Center to town. Anyone who really believes the Hon. Mr. Glass when he takes a bow for the Regency Center needs adult supervision, or is off their meds.
At the Sonoma-Marin Fair this week the games of chance that line the midway are good, honest, wholesome fun. Not so the games played at the City Council. Sleight-of-hand, misrepresentation, and misdirection are the hallmarks of a Council majority ever-determined to achieve their so-called Progressive agenda by any means available.