Missive to Carmel-by-the-Sea Voters on the Flanders Mansion Property

On the 3 November 2009 General Election Ballot, there will appear a Ballot Measure to approve or disapprove discontinuance and abandonment of, and authorization to sell, the Flanders Mansion Property Public Parkland; specifically, the Question on the Ballot will read, as follows:

Shall discontinuance and abandonment of the Flanders Mansion Property (APN 010-061-005) as public parkland, and authorization to sell the Flanders Mansion Property "with Conservation Easements and Mitigation" as passed on May 12, 2009 by the City of Carmel-by-the-Sea City Council by Resolutions No. 2009-30 through 2009-33, be approved?

Substantive reasons for Carmel-by-the-Sea voters to vote “No” include, as follows:

• Creation of an inholding within Mission Trail Nature Preserve thereby destroying the physical integrity of the City’s only Preserve Park and the removal of the focal point which makes Mission Trail Nature Preserve unique and differentiates Mission Trail Nature Preserve from all other parks in Carmel-by-the-Sea and elsewhere.

• Permanent transfer of ownership of a National Register of Historic Places resource from the public to a private owner thereby precluding any future public use of the Flanders Mansion.

• Reward a mayor and city council for their abysmal stewardship of the Flanders Mansion Property and for their failure to acknowledge correspondence and meet with the Flanders Foundation with the aim of determining a public use for the Flanders Mansion.

Undecided Carmel-by-the-Sea voters and voters inclined to vote “Yes” would be wise to ask and answer the following questions prior to voting on this Ballot Measure:

• In its news articles and editorial commentaries, has The Carmel Pine Cone informed Carmelites of the objective facts for the purpose of empowering voters to make the wisest decision or has The Carmel Pine Cone attempted to manipulate public opinion in support of Mayor Sue McCloud’s personal agenda of selling the Flanders Mansion with unscientific polls and misleading propaganda from the City, ex., past city councils have intended to sell the Flanders Mansion?

• Is the sale of the Flanders Mansion Property less about the sale of a public asset and more about Mayor Sue McCloud’s personal antipathy towards Flanders Foundation President Melanie Billig?

• Has Mayor Sue McCloud represented primarily the interests of her constituents, the owners of the Flanders Mansion, or the interests of the Hatton Fields neighbors, who have been given veto power over any reasonable use of the Flanders Mansion Property?

• Since the Carmel Heritage Society manages the city-owned First Murphy House and Sunset Cultural Center, Inc. manages the city-owned Sunset Center for the benefit of the public, why doesn’t the City have the Flanders Foundation, the sole nonprofit with the mission “To preserve, enhance, and maintain the Flanders Mansion property as an historical, cultural, and educational resource for the benefit of residents and visitors to Carmel-by-the-Sea,” manage the Flanders Mansion for the benefit of the public, particularly park users?

In closing, we, as Carmelites, and our elected city government representatives, will be judged by future generations of Carmelites according to how responsible we were in managing this unique, historic public asset entrusted to our care. To wit, only by voting to maintain the Flanders Mansion as a public asset, voting “No,” and demanding a commitment by the City Council to the upkeep and maintenance of the Flanders Mansion and to determine and implement a viable public use for the Flanders Mansion, can we hope to be judged as good stewards of the Flanders Mansion Property.

Carmel Heritage Society Presents “CARMEL: A HISTORY IN ARCHITECTURE” LECTURE & BOOK SIGNING BY KENT SEAVEY

WHAT: “CARMEL: A HISTORY IN ARCHITECTURE” LECTURE & BOOK SIGNING BY KENT SEAVEY

Carmel: A History in Architecture (CA) (Images of America)
Author: Kent Seavey
Paperback: 128 pages
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing (October 2007)
Description: Historic preservation consultant Kent Seavey traces Carmel’s significant architecture ranging from Mission and Mission Revival to Tudor Revival and Spanish Romantic Revival styles.

WHEN: Thursday, March 27, 2008 @ 6:00 P.M.– 8:00 P.M.
6:00 P.M.-7:15 P.M. (Lecture) & 7:15 P.M.–8:00 P.M. (Q & A)

WHERE: Sunset Center, Carpenter Hall
W/s Mission St. between 8th Av. & 10th Av.

WHO: Carmel Heritage Society, a non-profit organization serving the community of Carmel-by-the-Sea. Their mission is “to protect, preserve and promote the cultural heritage of the community in a way that encourages public recognition and participation so that people will have a greater knowledge and appreciation of the community of Carmel-by-the-Sea and its sphere of influence.”

ADMISSION: $10 donation requested at the door

NOTE: Books will be available for purchase. Refreshments will be served.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Carmel Heritage Society
W/s Lincoln St between 5th Av. & 6th Av.
Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA.

Phone: (831) 624-4447
Email: info@carmelheritage.org