What is wrong with our city council? Does anyone have the scoop? I don't have any inside knowledge, I don't know any of them personally.
But the quality of their decision making has been pretty damn poor, lately. From the BAT fiasco, to Juniper Ridge, it seems as though the results are drawn out, defensive, uncertain and contradictory. They appear to be playing favorites on the UGB; ignoring their own guidelines in order the get the best result for their pet project.
Is the staff giving them bad advice, or are they ignoring or over-riding that advice? Is it one or two members leading the others astray? Or total group think? It seems as though they've gotten a couple of fresh members, who immediately toe the line. I don't go to city council meetings; I may catch snippets on T.V. once in awhile. I just know what I read in the paper. I'm really not qualified to give any of the answers.....
But I have the following questions.
What would happen if we actually scaled back on the grandiose plans for Juniper Ridge? Perhaps letting it go altogether? Or at least putting it on hiatus? How about spending the advertising money we're currently spending on attracting growth and tourism on something else? (Is it possible in this day and age to say what Tom McCall did? Come visit, but don't stay?) Why isn't the Bend City Council asking the voters to fund a transportation system, instead of draining the same funds that pay our police and firemen? How about sticking to the objective standards they've already outlined in picking the UGB?
I wonder. Are they aware that the monies they've been seeing over the last few years are likely to diminish?
Is it time for a real, honest to goodness, anti-growth candidate? (NOT ME!!!!! Trust me, I'm not qualified.) Someone knowledgeable, maybe even a native Bendite?
All I know is, if 9 former mayors and 450 other prominent citizens came forward and suggested that my decision making was off track, my first move wouldn't be to hire a PR firm.
But the quality of their decision making has been pretty damn poor, lately. From the BAT fiasco, to Juniper Ridge, it seems as though the results are drawn out, defensive, uncertain and contradictory. They appear to be playing favorites on the UGB; ignoring their own guidelines in order the get the best result for their pet project.
Is the staff giving them bad advice, or are they ignoring or over-riding that advice? Is it one or two members leading the others astray? Or total group think? It seems as though they've gotten a couple of fresh members, who immediately toe the line. I don't go to city council meetings; I may catch snippets on T.V. once in awhile. I just know what I read in the paper. I'm really not qualified to give any of the answers.....
But I have the following questions.
What would happen if we actually scaled back on the grandiose plans for Juniper Ridge? Perhaps letting it go altogether? Or at least putting it on hiatus? How about spending the advertising money we're currently spending on attracting growth and tourism on something else? (Is it possible in this day and age to say what Tom McCall did? Come visit, but don't stay?) Why isn't the Bend City Council asking the voters to fund a transportation system, instead of draining the same funds that pay our police and firemen? How about sticking to the objective standards they've already outlined in picking the UGB?
I wonder. Are they aware that the monies they've been seeing over the last few years are likely to diminish?
Is it time for a real, honest to goodness, anti-growth candidate? (NOT ME!!!!! Trust me, I'm not qualified.) Someone knowledgeable, maybe even a native Bendite?
All I know is, if 9 former mayors and 450 other prominent citizens came forward and suggested that my decision making was off track, my first move wouldn't be to hire a PR firm.