Palm Springs City Council Needs Fresh Blood
There are nine challengers and two incumbents in the race for Palm Springs city council seats this year. Three challengers are clearly not worthy of even minimal consideration, and the rest have yet to prove they would do a better job than the incumbents. While incumbents are running on their records and emphasize experience as their main drawing card, no challenger has offered anything similar in the way of credentials, experience or knowledge of the City, its government and activities. That's unfortunate, for the City needs fresh blood and some new leadership. The most serious problem facing Palm Springs is the current city council, for that's where change is most needed if longstanding problems are to be resolved.
Incumbents Ginny Foat and Chris Mills last ran for office four years ago. Is the City better off today, four years later than when they were last reelected? Two years ago council elections were held and those incumbents will face voters in 2011. Is the City better off today, after two years has passed, than when the last local elections were held? If the answer is yes (or even maybe), what are those areas of betterment?
The incumbents are proud of their record and neither has indicated an activity or vote that's since been regretted. Such is the stuff of arrogance and indifference. Recently The Desert Sun, and others, have suggested the City employ the services of a neutral arbitrator to resolve differences between the city council and developer John Wessman. That suggestion fell on deaf ears. Many have criticized the council's decision to raid the Redevelopment Agency and use its funds to pay city salaries and other operating expenses. They claim redevelopment funds should be used for revenue-producing investments in the community appropriate for such an agency. Such concerns have fallen on deaf ears. It's been questioned why real estate interests responsible for the numerous downtown store vacancies have not been surveyed or otherwise invited to participate in efforts to rent the empty properties. There appears to be no coordinated overall program with a clearly identified goal designed to restore the downtown area as a vibrant business community. The downtown area's economic decline during the incumbency of council members running for reelection, has to be considered part of their record - and one in which their performance has not been one of success.
Members of the current city council are good people with successful backgrounds and all have good intentions. But, as a group, they're autocratic, arrogant, a bit self-serving, sometimes determinedly mistaken and occasionally subject to the unfortunate whims of their partisan majority. Fresh blood - replacement of the incumbents - has to start somewhere and, were it not for lack of qualified candidates, this could and should have been the year for change. But, there's little chance of that happening when ballots are cast on November 3rd. Challengers started too late, never managed to attract meaningful support and failed to familiarize themselves with the City, its government and the techniques for getting elected to public office.
Two years from now the jobs of mayor and two more city council candidates will be up for grabs. November 4th, the day following this year's election, should be the time when serious, qualified candidates for those positions start running for office. The next two years should be spent attending council and commission meetings, boning up on city government issues, creating a campaign team and meeting the public. Otherwise, the prospect of another round of reelected incumbents is a certainty.
Bond Shands
Palm Springs
October 9, 2009
Incumbents Ginny Foat and Chris Mills last ran for office four years ago. Is the City better off today, four years later than when they were last reelected? Two years ago council elections were held and those incumbents will face voters in 2011. Is the City better off today, after two years has passed, than when the last local elections were held? If the answer is yes (or even maybe), what are those areas of betterment?
The incumbents are proud of their record and neither has indicated an activity or vote that's since been regretted. Such is the stuff of arrogance and indifference. Recently The Desert Sun, and others, have suggested the City employ the services of a neutral arbitrator to resolve differences between the city council and developer John Wessman. That suggestion fell on deaf ears. Many have criticized the council's decision to raid the Redevelopment Agency and use its funds to pay city salaries and other operating expenses. They claim redevelopment funds should be used for revenue-producing investments in the community appropriate for such an agency. Such concerns have fallen on deaf ears. It's been questioned why real estate interests responsible for the numerous downtown store vacancies have not been surveyed or otherwise invited to participate in efforts to rent the empty properties. There appears to be no coordinated overall program with a clearly identified goal designed to restore the downtown area as a vibrant business community. The downtown area's economic decline during the incumbency of council members running for reelection, has to be considered part of their record - and one in which their performance has not been one of success.
Members of the current city council are good people with successful backgrounds and all have good intentions. But, as a group, they're autocratic, arrogant, a bit self-serving, sometimes determinedly mistaken and occasionally subject to the unfortunate whims of their partisan majority. Fresh blood - replacement of the incumbents - has to start somewhere and, were it not for lack of qualified candidates, this could and should have been the year for change. But, there's little chance of that happening when ballots are cast on November 3rd. Challengers started too late, never managed to attract meaningful support and failed to familiarize themselves with the City, its government and the techniques for getting elected to public office.
Two years from now the jobs of mayor and two more city council candidates will be up for grabs. November 4th, the day following this year's election, should be the time when serious, qualified candidates for those positions start running for office. The next two years should be spent attending council and commission meetings, boning up on city government issues, creating a campaign team and meeting the public. Otherwise, the prospect of another round of reelected incumbents is a certainty.
Bond Shands
Palm Springs
October 9, 2009
Posted by Administrator at 10/9/2009 10:05 AM 
Categories: Opinion, City Council
Tags: Palm Springs City Council
Categories: Opinion, City Council
Tags: Palm Springs City Council
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