Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutREDvariousph1RECEIVE D DEC 16 201 0 SLO CITY CLERK _ RED FILE -- MEETING AGEND A PATE /zfflfro ITEM #PNI bard cop': email a COUNCIL O CDD DIRa CITY MGR a FITDIR a ASST CM a FIRE CHEF a ATTORNEY a PWDIRa CLERK70RIG a POLICE CHIEFPIB a PARKS RRECDIRo TRIBUNE a UIILDIR a NEW 'TIMES a IIR I)I R o SLO CITY NEWS a COUNCI L o CITY MGR a CLER K From :Patricia L . Housemann[SMTP :PLHOUSEMANN@HOTMAIL .COM] Sent :Thursday, December 16, 2010 1 :38 :13 PM To :Council, SloCity Cc : shredder@newtimesslo .co m Subject :Coming Apointment to City Counci l Auto forwarded by a Rule To All Members of the SLO City Council : The following is an important editorial that appears into today's edition of the New Times Sa n Luis Obispo .It may be accessed on-line at : http ://www.newtimesslo,com/shredder/5389/stacking-the-odds/Its contents is important enough that I have cut-and-pasted it verbatim below for your convenience . Please carefull y consider its message before appointing the next councilperson . Respectfully submitted ; Patricia L . Houseman n San Luis Obispo, C A "Stacking the odd s I'm not a big gambler—never have been, never will be . There's something nauseating about chokin g on exhaled cigarette smoke while mindlessly pulling at a slot machine lever, which somehow always reminds me of a monkey playing with himself . And if I wanted to watch things race in elliptical pattern s while rednecks turn into raving lunatics, I'd just watch Nascar or something less boring, like curling o r C-SPAN . Since I don't gamble, I have trouble with the lingo . It's all Greek to me, or English even . What's the word for someone who hasn't yet mastered their native language ? One phrase I do know is hedging your bet . Hedging is a clever strategy in most circumstances—i t helps even the odds and stick it to the house . When you're in public service, however, it's a selfish, petty thing to do . In that case, the public ends up being the house . It's human nature to look out for oneself . The smart man finds a new job before he quits his curren t post. The smart city councilwoman—say, Mayor Jan Marx,for example—doesn't dump her sea t until she's planted her tuchus in a new one . Marx didn't relinquish her City Council seat when she ran for mayor because lawyers like he r apparently don't make enough money and need the piddly government stipend to afford another month's worth of liver and lima beans . Her actions weren't terribly in the spirit of selfless public service , but weren't all that surprising, either . Anyone who spends more than five minutes watching an electe d official speak can see that visions of ticker-tape parades and executive bathrooms with gilded throne s are dancing in their heads. And no, I'm not just bitter that I haven't been accepted as a potentia l appointee . Rather than spread her cheeks across two seats, Marx could have dumped the council seat , opened it for the election, and still taken a stab at the mayor slot. But she didn't do that . Now we have a seat that's up in the air to be decided by a slim majority of the City Council, who might jus t appoint one of her buddies because they're as gutless as she is selfish, at least in this case . I know, I know . Other people have held a death grip on council seats while they chased a mayor slot . It's just that this time the end result kind of sucks . Had Marx done the noble thing, current applicant and former candidate Dan Carpenter would have won . He came in third place in this election, just barely losing to Kathy Smith .Had there been three open seats and three top vote getters ...you do the math . It'll be interesting come Dec . 21 to watch Marx and Smith squirm over this appointment . Aside from Carpenter—and this Kevin Rice guy who won't be appointed in this millennium—there's this woma n by the name of Patricia Andreen .She's basically got two votes in the bag . Aside from contributin g to the Marx and Smith campaigns, Andreen helped organize a campaign mixer and shindig for Marx . She and Marx even co-hosted a documentary screening . That's like a Tupperware party for politician - types, but somehow more white and boring . Did I hear someone say BFFs forever ? Marx and Andreen seem to be buddies through and through . Hell, Andreen knows this . If you read he r application form, she knows her biggest challenge will be overcoming the logical choice to appoin t Carpenter and recognize the 5,161 votes he won, not to mention the massive amount of community support he's received compared to her thimbleful of praise . Just read her application : "Some say this choice for council is 'easy .' I hope, as leaders, you're looking for the strongest partne r for the work ahead—not the easiest choice ." By "easiest choice," she means Carpenter, and by "strongest partner," she means biggest ass kisser . "Previous exposure to the electorate is not a prerequisite," she goes on . "However, I received 4 9 percent of the votes for supervisor, winning in SLO City precincts ." Let me get this straight, Pat. You're trying to unload a four-door Radio Flyer wagon—ordinarily I'd sa y bus, but it is the holidays—of horse manure that political experience isn't a requirement for this seat, bu t you're pointing out that you ran for and lost another election? In other words, you're saying tha t experience isn't necessary, but if it were, you've got just as much experience at losing as this Carpente r dweeb, even if it was for another office . This whole thing just reeks of cronyism, nepotism, and a few other isms there aren't words for yet . Is suck-it-ism a word? I'm not about to blow the conspiracy whistle yet, but come on . It looks pretty god - awful . •Marx runs for mayor, keeps council seat, otherwise Carpenter would have won . •The council opts to appoint the seat rather than hold an election . •Andreen throws in her hat, knowing she already has two buddies and only needs three votes . But no, really, go ahead and appoint Andreen . I dare you . It'll give me something to write about nex t week, and 5,161 torches a reason to be lit . Though I might just be overly sensitive . After all, this Is an appointment process, not a popularity contest . That would be an election ." From :Patricia L . Housemann[SMTP :PLHOUSEMANN©HOTMAIL .COM ] Sent :Thursday, December 16, 2010 3 :33 :29 P M To : Council, SloCit y Subject :RE: Coming Apointment to City Counci l Auto forwarded by a Rule To All Members of the SLO City Council : Members of the SLO City Council need to realize that the spoils system of political patronag e won't be tolerated in the City of San Luis Obispo . It's now clear that one of the reasons Jan Mar x did not vacate her former SLO City Council seat is because she intends to orchestrate th e appointment of her friend, campaign worker, benefactor and fellow Democratic Centra l Committee (DCC) member Patty Andreen to her former council seat . Marx, Andreen and the rest of their fellow DCC accomplices should be ashamed for trying to manipulate who represents SL O residents in such a sleazy and underhanded manner . This whole scheme is a product of the DC C making local politics so partisan . We deserve better and so does our beloved City . Sincerely ; Patricia L . Houseman n San Luis Obisp o Original Message From : webserver@slocity .org [mailto :webserver@slocity .org ] Sent : Thursday, December 16, 2010 4 :08 PM To : Cano, Elain a Subject : Contact Us For m *********************************************************************** ******** Name :Marsha Lill y Address :1376 Panorama Ridge Roa d City :Oceansid e State :C A Zip :9205 6 Phone :760 295-293 9 Fax : email from : marshalilly35@yahoo .com Message : This correspondence is in reference to Kevin P . Rice, whom I believ e has applied for appointment to your City Council . I resided in Ocean o and Pismo Beach for a total of five years . I had occasion to work wit h Mr . Rice several times during those years, including as a voluntee r representative of Safe Beach Now for ECO-SLO's SLO County Beach Cleanu p and as an individual citizen on the OCSD Advisory Committee . In the first instance, Mr . Rice tried to take credit for his part i n ECO-SLO's project by saying he was the "head" of that beach cleanup in several resumes and on several occasions when in fact he was only a volunteer to oversee a certain part of the beach . In the second instance, he, as a member of the committee, supposedl y took notes of our meetings and promised those notes or minutes would b e sent to the other members within a few days ; as well as the date(s) o f the next meeting(s). I, and other members of the committee, neve r received any notes/minutes and furthermore another meeting was hel d without members being notified at all . I feel it would not be in the interest of the City of San Luis Obisp o to have a council member who is not responsible for his word and/o r takes credit where no credit is due .