Monday, May 12, 2008

Random Thoughts & Observations

Commenting on the Monterey County Democrats decision not to file a lawsuit against the City of Carmel-by-the-Sea for a language error on the April 2008 ballot, Mayor Sue McCloud stated that “the ballot’s incorrect wording was provided by the County Department of Elections,” according to an article in The Monterey County Herald on May 9, 2008. The City of Carmel-by-the-Sea was in charge of the election, whereas the County was not in charge. Therefore, responsibility for the language error on the ballot is the City of Carmel-by-the-Sea’s alone. Moreover, isn’t it the responsibility of the City Attorney to review the City’s ballot for accuracy and completeness prior to the printing of ballots?

The Pine Inn’s plan for a subterranean parking garage for approximately 100 vehicles along Sixth Avenue between Monte Verde St. and Lincoln St., presented at the City Council Meeting on May 6, 2008, should remind Carmelites of the original plans for the renovation of Sunset Center, which including a parking garage located at the site of the existing north parking lot along Eighth Av. between San Carlos St. and Mission St. If the City Council at that time had approved and funded the parking structure, it would have ameliorated Carmel’s parking situation then and now.

According to SCC Executive Director Peter Lesnik, the Annual Meeting will be held on Wednesday, June 18 “at a time to be determined.” He further stated it should be “lot of fun as well as informative.”

In the last 4 years, the City Council has budgeted approximately $1.6 million annually for the maintenance and management of the Sunset Center and comparatively nothing on the City’s other historic, cultural and environments assets, namely the Scout House, the Forest Theatre, Flanders Mansion, Lester Rowntree Native Plant Garden and Mission Trail Nature Preserve. With annual budgets of $11 million - $13 million and nearly $10 million in reserve funds, it is unconscionable for the City Council to lavish financial resources on one entertainment venue and fail to annually budget for maintenance and improvements to all the other historic, cultural and environmental public assets.

FOREST THEATER severed and damaged beam: No attempt has been made by the City to repair the damaged and bisected FOREST THEATER wooden carved beam, which was once across the Forest Theatre Guadalupe St. gate. It lies abandoned in the now dried grass next to the gate.

Carmel Beach Access: A Goal of the City’s General Plan/Coastal Land Use Plan is to “provide for maximum public assess to, and recreational use of, the shoreline…” Yet, the southernmost stairway access to Carmel Beach adjacent to Martin Way still remains closed since the Winter Storms of January 2008. Like State Laws and the Municipal Code, it appears that the City only complies with provisions of the General Plan/Coastal Land Use Plan that the City wants to comply with and ignores provisions the City does not want to comply with.

On the Carmel Fire Department Consolidation with Monterey and Pacific Grove Fire Departments and Staffing Issues: Five City Council Members and the City Administrator, all non-professionals and non-experts on fire issues, have not only failed to place the issues on an open hearing agenda, but they have seen fit to reject the professional judgments of the Carmel Professional Firefighters. The next time City Council Members and the City Administrator give specious reasons as justification for their rejection of the judgments of our Carmel Professional Firefighters, Carmelites should ask ourselves who will respond at 2 A.M. to extinguish a structural fire and rescue fire victims, City Council Members/City Administrator or the Carmel Professional Firefighters? And whose background, experience and judgment on fire safety issues do Carmelites have reason to trust?

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sue McCloud seems quite comfortable stretching the truth,lying or blaming others for her mistakes. Anything to achieve her goals without having to take responsibility.

Anonymous said...

The Mayor is reputed to think of the "new" Sunset Center as the monument by which she will be remembered. That of course is nonsense but because she apparently believes it she has gotten the City Council to pump large sums into Sunset at the expense of arguably more worthy Carmel icons. Actually Sunset is a kind of white elephant that will continue to siphon off millions of dollars annually from much needed city repairs, staff etc. Sunset is no longer an asset for Carmel since it mostly serves non- Carmelites and its board is seeking to attract more and more non-Carmelites from farther and farther away.

Anonymous said...

I just want to comment on what a great service to the community this blog has become. I don't know how many people read it but based on the number of comments not enough people seem to be aware of it. Often it is the only source of accurate and in depth news available about Carmel. News that doesn't get into the Pine Cone or is reported in a biased manner and news that either doesn't get covered by the Herald or seems simply based on press releases or interviews with City Hall. I hope readers will spread the word about this blog.

Anonymous said...

It has been said before but bears repeating. Carmel's City Council led by the Mayor is more interested in cutting staff, spending and income than in the safety of residents and businesses.

Anonymous said...

There are so many issues where our so called representatives are not acting in the public’s interest. The staffing of the fire department and consolidation is the most egregious example of late. For every fallacious and specious reason, city council members and the city administrator seem to just come up with more and more fallacious and specious reasons. It just never stops. Meanwhile the firemen are the ones whose lives at the most at risk. It just doesn’t make any sense for this council not to enthusiastically support merger with Monterey & PG. As a matter of fact, Carmel is lucky to have Monterey & PG fire departments even considering Carmel, with its recent history of treating firefighters badly.

Anonymous said...

Whether it is the election, sunset center, budget, cultural facilities, beach, forest or fire dept., Sue is the root of all evil. There is nothing worse than someone in government who thinks they know best and acts with total control and micromanagement of every facet of government. And we have that person in Carmel in Sue McCloud.

Anonymous said...

The city council has willfully ignored or violated the LUP fairly regularly. With an understaffed Coastal Commission the city council has gotten away with it because the commission can only look at and deal with violations brought to its attention. Are people too scared of Sue McCloud to take this step?

Anonymous said...

There are ways to improve Carmel and all of it comes down to replacing the mayor with one who will be responsive to the residents. To do this Carmelites must step up to the plate and be involved. How to do this?
1. Ditto on spreading the word of this blog to all locals. (The only mention of this blog was in an article in the Herald a long time ago).
2. Petition by the local voters to change the city elections to the same day as statewide elections. My gut feeling is that non-local "residents" who own property or live here part-time vote in person or absentee as local voters since they can "legally" vote here and then later in the usual place of residence. How's that for stacking the deck?
3. Make your voice heard by mass letters to the editor of local papers, comments to this blog, word of mouth and getting out the vote.

Anonymous said...

The city does not attack areas in need of improvement with a comprehensive approach. For instance, when Sunset Center Theatre and rooms were remodeled, the parking garage was axed and Carpenter Hall was not remodeled. Another example, with all of Sue's talk about an art museum, the obvious choice is the Flanders Mansion. But her reaction is to sell Flanders Mansion.
I guess I see the city council not providing the city employees with the correct policies they need to comprehensively and cost effectively address Carmel's needs. This uncomprehensive approach leaves residents uneducated about the direction Carmel is headed, if the city is consciously headed in any direction at all.