What do you think

What do you think?

 

Every Tuesday there is a Board of Supervisors meeting. During these meetings each member of the public is entitled to three minutes of public comment in order to speak about issues the board is addressing. The Aug. 21, 2007 meeting was led by Chairman and Third District Supervisor, Brooks Firestone. Many people, myself included, took time out mid-day and drove to Santa Barbara only to speak to the board for three minutes so that our voice could be heard on those issues we were concerned about. Most of us had also taken the time to be well educated about the topic we were addressing and, as in my case, are not paid but rather are community volunteers. My interest in attending this particular board meeting was to comment on the California State Housing Mandate and what a broken process it has become. In my opinion this mandate is capitalized by powerful developers who now use it to build high-density market priced units under the guise of “affordable housing,” which never seems to actually get built – a classic case of smoke and mirrors.

 

I was disturbed by what I had witnessed during the meeting on Aug. 21. As mentioned above, the topic was the state housing mandate and at the request of Firestone, The Santa Barbara County Council was making a presentation on the consequences of defying the mandate. Throughout the presentation Firestone cheered our county attorneys on, while constantly interrupting and chastising those in the public that spoke against adhering to or questioning the validity of the mandate. These episodes were repeated over and over during this meeting and have become a progressively regular pattern now being displayed by some of our county leaders. Sitting there it seemed that the public was on trial and the chairman was unwilling to hear any points from the citizens that were in opposition to his viewpoint, no matter how valid or reasonable they were.

 

Leaving this meeting, I thought, “What a waste of time for so many concerned citizens to have come to speak. Why should they take time out in the middle of the day and drive down here only to be demeaned? Why am I leaving with such a sinking feeling?” 

I am personally interested in voicing my opinion regarding issues that will affect the quality of life for me and my family and the future of our county and valley. I am also grateful that there are others who feel compelled to do the same and will continue to do so, regardless of how they are treated.

 

I think our elected and appointed officials need to be reminded of what a public hearing is and that their constituents are not on trial. We rely on them to act on our behalf in a transparent fashion and to make sound decisions based on what is best for the people that they represent; one way for them to acquire that information is to sincerely listen to us during our public comment period. I also think that the chairman needs to rise to even a higher level in setting an example of professionalism and leadership by fully supporting the public’s right to freedom of speech and to respect that right with the highest regard without intimidation or threat.

 

What do you think?

 

A copy of the DVD from the Aug. 21 Board of Supervisors meeting referred to in this article may be obtained by calling GVTV, Channel 20, (805) 568-3420