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| Yes on Measure UUT leader Nancy Walsh |
One of the things that irked me about Tuesday's council meeting, and yet was very telling, was when the council voted 3 - 2 to create a resolution to give commercial high water users a break on their UUT taxes. When asked why they would do that Mayor Walsh replied, "because we can." What arrogance!
As the commenter says, what arrogance. Apparently in the opinion of The Nancinator whether you are concerned about this matter or not is of little importance. Nancy is the Mayor, and as long as she keeps her two agreeable Councilmembers in line she can do as she likes, whenever she likes. Even if it means giving special tax breaks to certain people and businesses who, get this, use a lot of water. You know, at a time when excessive water use is being strongly discouraged?
But wait, isn't there something that we can do as well? Yes, there is. We can vote NO on Measure UUT and guarantee ourselves the kind of tax break The Nancinator gave to Sierra Madre businesses that use a lot of water.
After all, if Nancy Walsh is able to give utility user tax breaks to those she wishes to privilege, we should give ourselves a utility tax break, too. And why is that?
Because we can.
The Yes On Measure UUT Committee
According to the California Form 410 that was spirited to me yesterday by invisible hands, the Yes On Measure UUT Committee was formed on Wednesday, March 12. Or one day after all of those Vote No On UUT TaxIncrease signs began popping up around town this week.
To me this seems like no coincidence. After having given this matter very little thought, once the "NO" signs began sprouting up all over town things suddenly changed. Bart Doyle and Nancy Walsh (who is listed on this paperwork as the Chief Officer of the UUT-istas), suddenly realized that maybe they ought to try and do something themselves.
So did they wake up from their tax nap in time, or is it just too late? Is their last minute attempt to yank victory from the storm drain of defeat so YESterday? The answer is, well, pretty much. Absentee ballots are in the hands of the voters already. It is quite possible that by now hundreds have been filled out and mailed in.
Meaning that Bart and Nancy are a bit behind the curve on this one. And anything they do now, such as printing their own signs, will also appear like a hurried attempt to recover from having been so completely ambushed.
Again the arrogance issue comes into play. Apparently Nancy and the YES Posse were quite confident the people opposed to a 25% increase in utility taxes would do nothing. So much so that they'd be able to snooze their way to victory. A clear indication that Bart and Nancy have no real understanding of what people in town are thinking these days.
Something else. By having Nancy Walsh listed as the head honcho of the Yes On UUT Committee, this now becomes a referendum on her term as Mayor as well. A move that I'd never have made if I was trying to get Measure UUT passed.
By saddling their efforts with the troubled legacy Mayor Walsh they have really made things a lot harder for themselves.
Do Kiwanis and Woman's Club Forums mean that much anymore?
The attendance at the Kiwanis so-called "UUT Debate" gathering was 11 (not including city staff), while the Woman's Club Candidate Forum turnout was maybe as little as 20. Which does raise the question of whether these two once important stops on any Sierra Madre election trail mean that much in the age of the Internet.
The Kiwanis UUT Debate was particularly absurd. As those few attending patiently waited for lunch to begin, John Capoccia and John Harabedian delivered a 45 minute long dog and pony attempt at justifying the so-called “extension” of the UUT. That they claimed to be giving both sides of this story was laughable.
Their City Hall slide show offered lots in the way of facts and figures. It was also heavily laden with such mind-numbing acronymic jargon as MOU, JPIA, OPEB, etc. Most of which had to have sailed over the heads of all but maybe three people in the room. The two Johns were the only speakers.
So why did the Kiwanis Club hold a "debate" on the UUT tax increase featuring two individuals that are in love with it? Susan Henderson claims she couldn’t get anyone from the "No" side to attend, and that they even looked outside of the city for supposedly unbiased parties like the League of Women Voters.
A "biased view," at least in the mind of Susan, apparently being anyone opposed to Measure UUT. She certainly didn't have the same problem with bringing in those who favor of it.
Of course, Susan might have gotten a real debate going had she actually asked someone from the "No" side to attend. Councilmember Koerber for one never got a call. Nor did anyone else I know.
Is the Chamber of Commerce the right sponsor for next Tuesday's candidate debate?
Noah Green, he of the overly candid Facebook pictures, just by coincidence happens to also be the Vice President of the Chamber of Commerce. Here is how this candidate debate is announced in the latest City of Sierra Madre e-mailing:
The Sierra Madre Chamber of Commerce will be hosting a televised City Council Candidate Debate in the Council Chambers at 232 W. Sierra Madre Blvd. on Tuesday, March 18th at 6:00 pm. The debate will be aired live on Channel 3 for Time Warner Customers and can be streamed live online at http://kgem.tv/category/sierra-madre-tv/.
I'm sorry, but this seems like a bit too cozy an arrangement to me. If I was a candidate I'd be asking some pointed questions about this debate.
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