Dear Editor, History figuratively repeats itself once again:
Nero fiddles while Rome burns. The folly reprises itself locally
with the recent
”
ransom
”
video produced by Morgan Hill’s mayor and city manager. The
video which used, presumably precious
”
staff
”
resources to produce, posits that the Governor has demanded a
ransom for the continuation of the RDA.
RDA video ridicules the process of reigning in RDAs to balance budget
Dear Editor,
History figuratively repeats itself once again: Nero fiddles while Rome burns. The folly reprises itself locally with the recent “ransom” video produced by Morgan Hill’s mayor and city manager. The video which used, presumably precious “staff” resources to produce, posits that the Governor has demanded a ransom for the continuation of the RDA.
The city has already decided to eliminate the animal control officer, as well as some currently vacant safety positions among other belt tightening measures. Additionally, at the most recent council meeting, Councilman Larry Carr stated “that if the city needed to be weaned off of the RDA monies, then the citizens needed to be weaned off of city provided services.” All of this, ostensibly, because of systemic, statewide abuses of the RDA program.
Meanwhile, our leaders have decided, for what ever sophomoric reason, to ridicule the process of the RDA’s being reigned in to help balance the state budget. They bristle at the thought of paying a “ransom” to the state. Note that when they have to pay it is a “ransom,” when we have to pay it is called a fee, or a tax.
Over the past five years our council has used the proceeds from the $330 million current RDA iteration for all manner of projects. Some good, some questionable and some, just outright wasteful. Along the way, they began shifting more and more of the General Fund’s salary burdens over to the RDA. The result of this is that we purchased those services with borrowed money and currently almost $1.5 million in salaries are charged to the RDA annually. That subsidy allowed the council to deceive themselves into acting as if they were more solvent than they actually were. Their virtual, unbridled use of the RDA “credit card” has been curtailed, hence their vexation with the Governor.
During their recent attempts to “hide,” “protect,” and otherwise “game” the system, our council, acting as the RDA, prepaid rent and administration costs for 13 years in advance, as well as transferred properties and assets in order to keep them from the state. Apparently, the big fish eat the little fish.
So, it is ironic that they would take umbrage at the Governor’s actions. Even now, they continue to spend, including $4.5 million to acquire the property and design, but not build, the Santa Teresa Boulevard Extension. The actual building part will depend upon the kindness of strangers, in the form of a grant(s) from the state or the feds, and we know that they are both overextended as well.
Perhaps they should consider applying the $4.5 million toward the acquisition of a fire station should they decide to go in a new direction. Or at least keep their remaining “powder dry” until the ramifications of a deteriorating fiscal picture reveals itself.
Instead, the pot, while continuing to spend the monies, chooses to call the kettle black. If they have that much free time on their hands, perhaps, we know where to start cutting the “deadwood.”
Frank Manocchio, Morgan Hill
Maybe guest columnist needs to adjust her focus
Dear Editor,
I am glad that the Morgan Hill Times published Lisa Clark’s guest view as it certainly will create reactions and hopefully will challenge people to think. I also think it’s great that she had the courage to speak her mind, but I was equally as surprised and somewhat saddened at what I read.
To start, I’m not sure what “looking Mexican” means unless Clark means she does not have black hair, brown eyes, and dark skin like the stereotype, which is in my mind as bad as any racial stereotype gets. Mexicans and other native Spanish speakers, come in all varieties. Green or blue eyes and fair hair is not as uncommon as one might think. Bottom line is the notions she promotes are often credulous, pretty offensive and almost shockingly naive. Did it occur to her that the response she received from the employees at the store was not solely based on her own inability to speak Spanish, but rather the employees’ own insecurity about their own command of the English language? Or rather, did she perhaps have an attitude that suggested she herself was exhausted with the communication gap, which might have put people off? And when one walks into any store, people look, don’t they? That’s what we humans do, we check others out. So for Lisa Clark to feel uncomfortable is clearly based more on her own perceptions of how others see her or how she assumes they think of her. Frankly I believe it’s more likely she sets herself up for disappointment and a negative experience based on her own identity issues and assumptions.
All in all, I believe this is not a matter of being shunned and penalized, or having “a people” against you. Rather this is purely a matter of assumption, stereotyping, perception and identity. I would challenge Lisa Clark to look deeper into why she feels like she is looked at strangely by “Mexicans” and why she receives what she feels like is less than gracious service. If she looks deep enough, she might find that it is her own filter that is determining these outcomes and if she adjusts her focus, the reception she may get from the diverse world we are a part of might be a lot more positive.
Heather Lyon, Morgan Hill
