Monday
Readers' Forum
Staff Report
Marin
Independent Journal
Article Launched:08/12/2007 11:04:16 PM PDT
These letters were first published in the Aug. 8 print edition of the
IJ.
IJ is
'flip-flopping'
The IJ is flip-flopping in its editorial position on the flood fee
election.
The July 25 editorial ends with the statement that "the integrity of
our elections is paramount." After Supervisor Hal Brown met with the
Editorial Board on July 30, the August 1 editorial was entitled, "Ross
Valley flood vote should stand."
No vote should stand if voters are denied their right to a secret
ballot. Our county officials allowed the election to be conducted by
the Department of Public Works, which had a stake in the outcome. A
flawed ballot design resulted in the 21 percent ballot disqualification
rate, yet county officials blamed the voters for "not following the
rules."
What's worse, hundreds of parcel owners were disenfranchised when the
county failed to include them in the list of 15,010 parcel owners in
Flood District 9. They never received a ballot and thus will be taxed
without having the opportunity to vote. This omission alone should make
the election null and void.
San Anselmo sleuth and activist Louise Matthews, who worked tirelessly
to put together the list of disenfranchised voters, made many attempts
to alert county officials and the press to this problem but she was
ignored and vilified. Taxpayers owe Louise a ton of gratitude.
Our county officials are asking for $40 million over the next 20 years
before the engineers have a plan. There still isn't an enviromental
impact report. Who knows where the money is going. We certainly don't
want the county to start running "fee" elections every time they need
some money.
Basia Crane, Kentfield
Election
should be repeated
I read with much pleasure that Supervisor Hal Brown worries that the
June mail-in "election" to control flooding in the Ross Valley may be
deemed invalid and should be repeated.
Yes! Yes! Yes!
However, this time let's do it correctly. Do not call a tax a fee
merely to circumvent Proposition 13, which mandates a two-third
majority vote. This $40 million fee would not be deductible for
property owners and will continue for 20 years at an increase of 3
percent a year. Do the math based on your fee.
As far as the accuracy of the mail-out, mail-in ballots, like many
others, I had to take the time to look up my supervisor's number, then
his secretary's number and my parcel number in order to call and
request a ballot. I wonder how many elderly people had to go through
this process to receive a ballot, and if they bothered at all?
I suggest we decide this at a regular election run by the Marin
Registrar of Voters, certainly not the Department of Public Works.
Let's hear it for Ford Greene. He brought the inequities of this
election to the attention of the public.
As for me: I will look very closely as to where my vote is cast in the
next Marin election for supervisor.
Helen Austin, Fairfax
Stop whining
Frequently, when traveling, I am asked what part of California I'm
from. Marin, just north of San Francisco. Oh, isn't that near the Wine
Country? Why, yes. As a matter of fact, we are the largest producers of
Whine in the state. We also have a unique radio station in Marin -
WIIFM (What's In It For Me).
I thank the IJ for printing the flood ballot in question (Aug. 4). I
now know that my ballot was counted as I did read and comply with the
instructions. Whether ignorance or stupidity stem from the same tree, I
know not, but they appear to overlap. If anyone did not receive a
ballot through the mail, has it been three, six or nine years since
they voted? If more than 50 percent of Marin voters use absentee
ballots, why were so many ballots not counted? If living in Sleepy
Hollow, or on a hill as I do, makes one exempt, then why wasn't I
exempted from school taxes as my children never attended public schools?
If one thinks that the $125 annual fee is too much, well guess what,
you paid more than that in the cleanup that followed the latest flood.
It was tax money that funded that cleanup, whether it was local, state
or federal money.
Both citizenship and a functioning democracy take effort. Reading and
thinking take work. Call your supervisor and let them know how you
think (499-7331). Ignore those whose egos are so small that they have
to huff and puff and blow on any issue, just to keep themselves afloat
until the next flood.
Brian Cahill, Greenbrae
Ballot seemed
simple enough
Although I was not eligible to participate in the flood fee vote, I've
followed the proceedings.
I would d like to thank the IJ for publishing a copy of the ballot
(Aug. 4) that caused so much confusion. I must say, It looked pretty
straight forward to me. Let's see, four simple instructions.
1. Read É duh.
2. Check "yes" or "no." Seems simple enough.
3. Sign your name. Another easy one.
4. Return. Again, duh.
None of that confused me. What does, however, is why a community of
well-educated and sophisticated people doesn't feel an obligation to
help each other. I wonder what the "No" voter will think when they are
having a heart attack while watching their house burn down and, gee
whiz, the fire department and paramedics are under water.
Wayne Woods, Forest Knolls
Too many
questions
I shall not repeat the many flaws of the flood control vote.
However, you know something is vitally wrong when my property in San
Quentin Village right on the beach is assessed. The runoff from this
property goes directly into the bay - not Corte Madera Creek.
What is even more critical is we don't know what, where and when the
work is going to be done.
If these matters are to be decided in the same unilateral way, we have
bigger problems ahead than anyone can possibly imagine today.
Jorgen Lunding, San Rafael
Let honesty
prevail
In regard to the "flood tax results," I think a revote is essential to
uphold our democratic process. We, of Marin County, do not want to fall
to the tragic level of Dade County, Fla.
Let honesty and clear instructions prevail.
Estelle Boyer, Greenbrae
Signing
ballot no big deal
The flood vote outcry seems misplaced and disingenuous to me.
For starters, when did signing your ballot become a "technicality"? In
our society nothing is valid until signed - not your credit card,
drivers license, or your ballot, whether you vote at the booth or
absentee. It's the law of the land, all over the land. I forgot to sign
my ballot, so I guess my vote didn't count. Shame on me, not on the
county.
Secondly, it is sad to see the same sorry cast of characters leading
the fight to stop the county's flood abatement efforts. We have seen
these misanthropes in action for far too long. It is hard to fathom how
these people can be against everything, but never for anything. Other
than their "15 minutes of fame," what do these people stand for?
Finally, and most importantly, improving the safety and well-being of
its citizens is the primary job of government and something our
community should support.
Clearly, we live in a horribly selfish age when you see quotes like "I
live on the hill, why should I support flood control."
I have always thought that our community had some decency and gumption.
It's not looking that way now.
Brock Greene, San Anselmo
Who cares
what the IJ thinks?
The Ross Valley special election debacle has certainly brought up some
interesting issues, the foremost being that perhaps there should be no
"special" elections to begin with.
Another issue worth considering seems to be whether a fee (tax) should
be paid by those directly affected or shared by an entire town or an
entire county. There are certainly good arguments for each point of
view. I, for instance, live in Lucas Valley but enjoy the quaint shops
and restaurants in San Anselmo. Maybe I should pitch in to help them
stay above water. They, in turn, could help us out if we have another
mudslide. Seems reasonable.
And last, but definitely not least, does the IJ, or any newspaper,
really need to deliver their opinions as if they have some superior
knowledge or insight? This applies not only to issues but to elective
offices. Who really cares how a newspaper's Editorial Board would vote?
Sorry, not me.
Jody Morales, San Rafael
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