And Rightly So

To most of us, the beginning of a new year marks a new beginning of dreams and possibilities. I hope that you and yours have a very happy and dream-fulfilling new year - Happy 2009!
Having shared our "nightmare" train-trip, I thought that I would relate a later family vacation that at times was a "nightmare, while at other times, a "dream" come true." Bizarre vacations are kind of like childbirth - after you have one, you soon forget about the discomfort of the previous one, and plan for another one. I would like to relate to you another of the Weyuker's adventurous excursions into weird happenings - our coast-to-coast airplane/auto trip of the summer of 1969.
Our family took off from LAX for our family's first three-week vacation on the American Airlines non-stop flight to the Washington National (now the Ronald Reagan International) Airport. The kids were "dressed to the nines," the buzz haircut boys wore blazers, slacks, shirts and ties, while Lori had on a red, white, and blue suit, and Marlene had fixed Lori's blonde hair in a cute pony-tail. The kids were thrilled to be traveling on their first jetliner. Rick was then 13 years old, Matt 11, Steve 10, Lori 8, and Keith was 6. They checked out the headsets to listen to music and/or watch the in-flight movie, and made pests of themselves to the people seated in front of them, by banging the tray tables up and back.
When we reached the DC airport, we collected our luggage and boarded the Holiday Inn van to that hotel. However, after we arrived at the Holiday Inn, they told us that they were expecting us the following day - but that the nearby "Inn" had two adjoining rooms to accommodate us for the night. After the seven of us checked-in to our "new" hotel, we went downstairs for a long-awaited dinner, then we walked about for a little while taking in some of the DC sights before we headed back to our rooms for a "good nights sleep." Early in the morning, we heard a series of loud noises coming from what sounded to be close by, so Marlene got up to phone the desk to complain about the noise, but instead, she opened the door to discover that the noises we were hearing were the hotel's fire alarm and the firemen in the hall. Marlene was told that there was a fire on our floor and we had to evacuate our rooms ASAP!

We got our four of our five kids wakened, #2-son, Matt, could, and has slept thru an earthquake, but we eventually wakened him. We quickly grabbed the first clothes that we could find to put on over our PJs, and went downstairs to the lobby. The sight in the hotel lobby was hilarious! People were dressed in suits and robes over their PJs and other weird getups, women with their hair in rollers, unshaven men, and for a minute I thought we were at a strange KKK meeting (not that I've attended one) - there were so many people wearing sheets and bedspreads. Everyone was informally friendly and chatty, then we got word that the fire was out, and all of us returned to our rooms, all of our clothes smelling of smoke. Later that morning, while we were at breakfast, Marlene and I tried to talk with some of the people we had chatted with in the wee-hours, and they wouldn't acknowledge us, they evidently were too embarrassed by how they looked in the lobby. That fire was the first "nightmare!"
The second "nightmare" was, you guessed it, our station-wagon rental! This time I had rented the car from a major company. I'd have been better off getting a car from "rent-a-wreck!" All totaled, we used four different station wagons before our vacation had ended. The first car that we turned in on the first day because the back gate wouldn't close. So, they gave us another wagon.
We drove to Charlottesville to visit my hero Thomas Jefferson's Monticello. While we were on the highway, people were honking or motioning that our left-rear shock absorber was hanging down and hitting the hiway, (another "nightmare.") That fact didn't deter my resolve to see "TJ's" famous home.
We stopped at a roadside "Mom-and-Pop" eatery and had the best egg-salad sandwiches that we ever ate - then drove on to Monticello. It was breathtakingly beautiful! The grounds, the majestic hilltop view setting, and the great house itself, were altogether awe-inspiring! For me, a "dream" come true.
While we were in the "neighborhood," we motored to James Monroe's nearby home, went into the inn where some of our country's early Virginia patriots like, Jefferson, Monroe, Madison, Patrick Henry, Lee, etc, used to meet to talk about political independence. Then we drove to neighboring Orange County to visit Montpelier, James and Dolly Madison's impressive home. On the way back to DC, our rented-wagon's broken shock absorber was making sparks, and the kids thought it might set the car afire. As usual, Marlene laughed. We got lost on the famed "beltway," and pulled into the Pentagon's parking lot to look at a map, only to be shooed out of there, pronto! We eventually got back to the hotel, and did two things the following morning after breakfast - we changed Holiday Inn's to the original, and I again exchanged station wagons.

The next day we decided to sightsee. We drove to visit George and Martha Washington's picturesque Mount Vernon home that was situated on a knoll that overlooked the Potomac River. After that, we returned to DC and toured the White House, and the Library of Congress, where we viewed our country's two most inspirationally significant documents, the Declaration Of Independence and the US Constitution. Leave it to me to have failed to notice that the famed Smithsonian museums were closed for cleaning all that week. All of us were disappointed at that news. But later that day, we visited the historic House Chamber and while seated in the gallery our Congressman James Utt introduced our family from the floor.

As we were heading to the Senate Chambers, an obviously tipsy Senator Ted Kennedy almost ran over us while we were on our way to the famous meeting room's gallery. We saw several Senators that we recognized - Barry Goldwater, George Murphy, Everett Dirksen, and "Scoop" Jackson. There was a controversial piece of foreign aid legislation being debated that day. Senator Dirksen uttered his oft-quoted, "A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon we're going to be talking about some real money" remark during that debate. When there was a "call" of the members, people came scurrying thru every door leading into this historical room. The seven of us returned to our hotel tired and with aching feet, but pleased and impressed with what we had seen.
The following day we went to the Rayburn Building, where some of the senior Representatives had their offices, to pay a call on our Congressman, James Utt. Mr. Utt was gracious - he let all five of our kids sit at his desk, and then he took their pictures. They were all excited at being treated so well.
The latest station wagon was not without its faults. The rear gate window would not roll all the way up. Our luggage was in the unlockable wagon on our last day in DC, before we headed to Philadelphia on the next leg of our family's historical pilgrimage. It made our visits to the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, and the Jefferson Memorial a little anxious, but we were determined to see the shrines to these three outstanding American Presidents who were so dedicated to the cause of liberty. Our kids were busy asking a lot of "who, why, what, and/or how" questions, after reading the historically magnificent quotations that were inscribed on the walls of both Lincoln's and Jefferson's Memorials.
Having finished our DC visit, we drove onto the I-95 interstate, and headed north to the next stop on the Weyuker history-education trek - the citadel of the birth of our nation - Philadelphia. We will have the next chapter of our journey, next time - And rightly so.
_______________________________________________________________________

My wife Marlene and I just finished reading the poignantly humorous "The Christmas Train," a David Baldacci novel, and it reminded us both of the hilariously chaotic cross-country train trip from Los Angeles to New York that our young family endured during August of 1963.

That spring, and into early summer, our oldest son Rick, then 7, brought home the measles, mumps, and chicken-pox, one immediately following the other. All of our other four children - Matt-5; Steve-4; Lori-2 ½; and Keith-5 months caught these dreaded "childhood diseases" from Rick. Even Marlene, who hadn't yet had it, caught the chicken-pox! We used a giant-sized bottle of calamine lotion - and our bath tub threatened to leave home, because of the day and night use for bicarbonate of soda baths to relieve the terrible itchy chicken-pox blotches. Thankfully the chicken-pox cleared up by the 2nd July weekend, because I had purchased our train tickets for mid August!

The intrepid Weyukers boarded the Acheson-Topeka-and-Santa-Fe's Super Chief train at LA's Union Station on a hot August afternoon and headed for Chicago and points east. Knowing that the 2,300-mile journey could, at times, be long and boring for our kids, Marlene had gathered four 3-lb coffee tins, and a bunch of small toys, games, coloring books, and crayons, and placed them in the large tins - so that the kids would have things to occupy their time.

Then on that late afternoon, we were at last on our way aboard the Super Chief; our kids made us both so proud. They marched single-file down the narrow train aisle to the dining car, and all along the trek they were smiled at because they were so cute and well behaved. In the dining car there was only one table that would accommodate our large family. It had a bulkhead seat with one bench seat and two chairs. After we were seated, with Marlene holding Keith across her lap on the bench seat, Steve and Matt sitting along side her; me sitting with Lori on my lap across from Marlene, and Rick seated along side me. We had just given the waiter our order, when I noticed that the train had not only gained speed, but was taking a substantial curve around a mountain as the Super Chief was careening thru the Rockies. Marlene slid off of her seat, landing flat on her bottom with Keith still on her lap. Two simultaneous things happened, Keith let out a startled howl and everyone in the dining car swiveled to see what was happening. Of course my bride was "sorely" embarrassed.

All went well after dinner until Lori needed to use the toilet. The toilets opened directly onto the rumbling noise of the speeding tracks below. Lori was afraid to get on the seat; for fear that she would fall on to the tracks. She finally acquiesced with much coaxing.

After two nights and two days watching the ever changing vistas and trying to keep our antsy youngsters occupied, we arrived at Chicago's LaSalle St. train depot, caught a cab for the Dearborn St. terminal to continue our journey on the N.Y. Central's legendary 20th Century Limited. This would be the shorter leg of our 3,200-mile trip, "only" 900 or so miles. Marlene had a portable insulated bottle warmer in which to store Keith's milk. Being the "thinking-ahead" parents that we were, Marlene and I had purchased milk in Chicago, to use to feed our baby for his night or early morning feeding. But we were in for yet another surprise, when Keith woke up in the middle-of-the-night the milk had soured due to the fumes from the chemical toilet. Naturally Keith howled because he was hungry and the milk in his bottle was sour. Marlene threw her bathrobe on and found a porter, telling him of our dilemma. He said we'd be stopping in upstate New York in about an hour to take on breakfast supplies, and that he'd be happy to get some milk for the baby.

Keith was fed and we were looking out the window at the beautiful scenery that was the Hudson Valley as our young family had breakfast. The kids looked cute, all dressed up to meet their Grandpa and Grandma at New York's Grand Central Station.

When the train pulled into the dark cavern of Grand Central Station, Marlene was carrying Keith while holding Steve's hand. I carried Lori and the one carry on bag. Rick and Matt were on their own. We stepped from the train to the depot platform. Suddenly, Matt wasn't there! We heard a tiny voice coming from the narrow space between the platform and the gigantic train-car wailing, "Somebody get me outta here!" When I pulled Matt from the gap, he was scared and grimy.

My Mom, step-dad Walt, my sister, her husband, and their two kids greeted us. After the baggage came, we discovered that Marlene's bags were not on the train. What else could go wrong? The next bombshell was, that the station wagon that I had reserved back in LA wasn't available, and the car-rental company hadn't any others. So there we were six adults, carrying luggage for a family of seven, plus seven children under the age of eight were forced to take the Long Island Railroad commuter train to Levittown at rush hour. After we arrived in Levittown, our family, plus Grandma and Grandpa, crammed our bodies into my step-dad's 1961 Falcon 4-door sedan, with luggage too. To make matters crazier, as soon as my step-dad pulled the car onto the roadway, it started to hail - large hailstones. Marlene being Marlene started to laugh at it hailing in August, as well as at Walt's struggle to have the wiper blades keep the sticking-to-the-windshield hailstones out of his view of the road.

Going home was no different, the travel agent had fouled-up our return-trip reservations, meaning there was no room for us on the Chicago to LA leg of the journey. I thought to myself that Marlene and I had to be out of our minds to have taken our young family on such a trip! But like the birth of our children, I wouldn't have missed it for the world - And Rightly So.

We have just concluded our national remembrance of Veteran's Day - a time when we take the occasion to honor the men and women who served our nation in the armed forces. There have been a number of wars in my lifetime where our people's leaders had to call upon our servicemen and women to protect our country's freedom and way of life - World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, Gulf War, and The War Against Terrorism, i.e. Iraqi and Afghanistan Wars - we owe an immeasurable debt of thankful gratitude to our veterans.

We move now to the gist of this column - Thanksgiving. When George Washington was elected President of our United States of America in 1788, and sworn-in March of 1789, he had his hands full. What our young country's newly elected-by-the-people government was about to embark on had not been done before - elect a President instead of having a King - what could our Founding Fathers have been thinking!?! Our new nation had endured eight-years (1775-1783) of a bloody and costly-in-American-lives War For Independence (25,000 dead, over 25,000 other casualties) from an England that had abused its authoritative rule over the people in the "colonies."

After he had appointed a Founding Fathers "all-star" cabinet, that included Thomas Jefferson as the first Secretary of State, and Alexander Hamilton as the initial Secretary of the Treasury, on October 3rd of 1789 President Washington declared Thursday, November 26th to be a National "Day of Publick Thanksgiving and Prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God…"

Although some opposition from some of the other Founders met the proclamation of a National Thanksgiving Day, they eventually supported the special day. The first officially proclaimed American Thanksgiving Day was inspired by a thanks-to-God day of parades and celebration of the resounding unexpected defeat of General Burgoyne's British forces at Saratoga in 1777, and later the United States unbelievable victory over General Cornwallis at Yorktown that ended the "Revolutionary War." General Washington acknowledged that his vastly outnumbered, ill-provisioned, and outgunned Continental Army was dependent upon "Divine Providence" for our fledgling nation to have won-out over such superior in numbers an army and navy as the British Empire possessed.

Thanksgiving Day was an on-and-off event, depending on who was our country's President. Then on October 3rd, 1863, (the 74th anniversary of President Washington's proclamation) smack-dab in the middle of the "War Between The States," most often called the "Civil War," President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the following: "to set apart and observe the last Thursday in November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens."
President George Washington inaugurated a national day of thanks, and President Abraham Lincoln re-established it, with unequivocal acknowledgement of our nation's dependency on God.
In their respective Thanksgiving Day proclamations, both Presidents Washington and Lincoln cited Heavenly intercession in American wars as the major reasons for establishing and reestablishing a national day of thanks to The Almighty. Washington gave thanks in October 1789 for "the favorable interpositions of His Providence in the course and conclusion of the war." Lincoln called on the American people in October 1863 to "fervently implore the imposition of The Almighty hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it, as soon as may be consistent with Divine Purpose, to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility, and union."

Our present celebration of the Thanksgiving holiday seems to have deteriorated to just another four+-day-weekend. There are over 12-million illegal aliens living among the 300-million of our fellow-citizens - over 4% of the population - that do not know or care what the holiday is all about. Many of our fellow-Americans frivolously call the Thanksgiving holiday, "Turkey Day." The erroneously named "day" has become an excuse for some guys to watch football games, and all of us to "pig-out" on turkey and all the trimmings.

Despite any controversy over the so-called "separation of church and state" that might have been stirring during those times, neither Washington nor Lincoln minced any words in their proclamations giving thanks for Heavenly intervention in our country's history. Washington said it was "the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favour." Referring to America's numerous blessings, Lincoln said "No human counsel hath devised nor hath mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy."

Contrary to Presidents Washington and Lincoln's unswerving trust in The Almighty, our secularist society has thrown God out of our classrooms, our public buildings, our local meetings - and our national holidays - such as Christmas, Hanukah, Easter, Passover, and the like - at a time when our nation and its God-fearing citizens should be appreciating and thanking God for the miracle of our republic and its gloriously unique-in-all-the-world freedoms.

We need to remember both Presidents Washington and Lincoln's plea for our nation's people, and their governments, to maintain reliance upon The Almighty for the blessings of liberty that comes from God. So when we sit down to eat Thanksgiving dinner with our loved ones and friends, we should offer our gratitude to God for living in freedom in our beloved America. - And Rightly So.
_______________________________________________________________________

“Those people who will not be governed by God will be ruled by tyrants.” – said William Penn, after whom the state of Pennsylvania was named. I am quoting this great God-fearing man because I believe that we are faced with the grim prospect that the ACLU, secularists, and the out-of-control federal courts are going to continue their outrageously rebellious-against-the-vast-majority-of-us-who-believe-in-a-Supreme-Being, will be successful their vile efforts to heave God out of our American public life.
After I did a little research about each of the United States of America’s 50-states, I learned that all of those 50-states State Constitutions have preambles that not only acknowledge God, but also recognize each state’s dependence on their Creator. In our own Golden State’s preamble we find these words, “We the People of the State of California, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom…”
Every other of the remaining 49-states use words similar to those stated in California’s Constitutional preamble – words like Alabama’s “invoking the favor and guidance of Almighty God,” to Colorado’s “with profound reverence for the Supreme Ruler of the Universe,” to Georgia’s “relying upon protection and guidance of Almighty God,” to Maine’s “acknowledging with grateful hearts the goodness of the Supreme Ruler of the Universe,” to Buzz Gambill’s native state, Oklahoma’s “Invoking the guidance of Almighty God,” to Texas’ “acknowledging, with gratitude, the grace and beneficence of God,” to Virginia’s “Religion, or the Duty which we owe our Creator can be directed only by Reason and that it’s the mutual duty of all to practice Christian Forbearance, Love and Charity towards each other.”
All of the other states use the word “grateful” to either “Almighty God” or “the Supreme Ruler of the Universe.” It is vitally interesting to note that at no time is anyone told that they MUST worship God! What do you suppose that the “Get God out of American public life, off of our money, and out of the Pledge of Allegiance to the American Flag” – that Democrat Presidential candidate US Senator Barack Hussein Obama refuses to place his hand over his heart for – extremists are going to do about all 50-state’s preambles? If the ACLU and other malevolent secularists were to take each state to court over the mention of God in their openings to each state Constitution, I believe that the outcry from and by the people would be so deafening that those “opposed-to-God ”group’s already flawed reputations, would be even more damaged.
Speaking of God – why haven’t we seen anything in the major media about the “Islamic Nation’s” intolerant bigoted-against-whites-Christians-Jews-leader, Louis Farrakhan, who in endorsing Obama, referred to him as “The Messiah!?!” Why is there no major media reporting of Obama’s Muslim upbringing, or his ties to certain Muslim leaders, or how he really got “selected” by the politically corrupt Chicago “machine” to run for the Senate? How about Obama’s extremist “God Damn America” Pastor, Jeremiah Wright? I haven’t seen any news-media mention of the fact that Obama’s Pastor gave a “lifetime achievement” award to the racist Louis Farrakhan, of all people! I recently saw a bumper sticker that read, “I ATTENDED OBAMA’S CHURCH – BUT I DIDN’T INHALE!”
Let’s go for a trip down memory lane, to recall us to the Obama oft-repeated mantra of “change.” Remember, a little over 2-years ago: consumer confidence stood at a 2 ½ year high; regular gas sold at $2.19 a gallon; unemployment was a rock steady 5%; the Dow was at a record high 14,000+; and many Americans were buying homes, new cars, taking cruises, and vacations overseas.
But the electorate wanted “change” – and man, did we get it, a lot more than we could have ever imagined – partly because America voted in a Democrat-controlled Congress! What did our country gain from that much-heralded “change?” We received the following “benefits”: consumer confidence has plummeted; before gas prices lowered to the current $3.40 a gallon, the OPEC-driven-consumer- costs flirted with $5, nearly 250% greater, now it’s “only” increased 65%; unemployment has increased 20% to 6+%; nationally, home equity has plunged over $12 trillion; a whooping 1% of American homes are in foreclosure; and an estimated $3 trillion has evaporated from US stockholders, mutual fund holders, and pension funds, as the Dow has crashed – down almost 6,000 points from the October 7, 2007 high of well over 14,600!
Did you know that the guys in charge of the fraud-ridden and bankrupt “Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac” home-lending giants – Franklin Raines, Tim Howard, and Jim Johnson are working for Obama’s campaign? Raines is Obama’s “Chief Financial Advisor;” Howard is an “Economic Advisor;” and Johnson, a former Lehman Brothers (now-bankrupt) highly paid executive, is a “Senior Financial Advisor,” and headed-up Obama’s Vice Presidential Selection Committee. Talk about the foxes guarding the henhouse! Speaking of Obama’s campaign – did you know that almost $100 million of the obscene $600 million that the “Barackster” had raised by mid-October came from foreign sources? Also, did you know that Democrat Senators Obama and Dodd have been the largest cash recipients of Fannie Mae political contributions, getting over $400,000 apiece for their “campaigns?” Did you see or hear that news reported anywhere?
An official government watchdog has found that Obama’s campaign has violated federal campaign laws of the individual contribution limit of $2,300 by initially not reporting that over 2,000 individual “donors” exceeded that lawful amount by “anonymously giving” Obama $10,000 apiece! Obama knowingly broke the campaign contribution law and he broke faith with the American people by unlawfully accepting these illegal political “contributions.” Where is the media outrage? I’ll bet that if McCain received unreported illegal campaign money, the media would be demanding a congressional or justice department investigation! Obama’s highly hyped ACORN has scored a perfect 100% in Lake County, Indiana voter registrations. The authorities rejected all the 2,100 new registrants they turned in as being fraudulent! Indiana is just one of the 12 states that the FBI is investigating because of ACORN’s blatantly illegal “voter-registration” activities. Senator Obama was once ACORN’s “legal counsel.” Have you seen or heard about that being reported in the “mainstream” media?
First there was the $152 Billion summer “economic bailout.” Next there was a $300 Billion “housing bailout.” The proposed and approved-by-Congress “bailout” was another case in point. I think that instead of burdening the American taxpayer with another $700 Billion, to bail out Secretary of The Treasury Paulsen and the conniving, grasping, and greedy Wall Street and other financial institution big-wigs – like Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Lehman Brothers, AIG, Merrill-Lynch; other investor-money-losing operations such as some banks, and corrupt DC politicians like Congressman Barney Frank (D-Mass) and Senator Chris Dodd (D-Conn), Congress should have insisted that the taxpayer’s funds be used as an interest-bearing loan, to be paid back to the US Treasury and American taxpayers in no more than 5-years. Speaking of bailouts – where’s the average-taxpayer-relief-“bailout?”
After the November election, the ultra-liberal tax-spend-tax troika of Senator Obama, House Speaker Pelosi (D-CA), and Senate Majority Leader Reid (D-Nev) are planning to reconvene Congress to consider passing an additional whopping $300 billion “stimulus package.” That would bring the total “bailouts” and “stimuli” to an enormous $1.45 Trillion that the American taxpayers would have to fork out. How do you like being a bank-owner? Tax increases anyone? Have you had enough? It’s past time for us to speak out about this waste of our hard-earned money, by rejecting Obama and his voracious spendthrift “friends” in Congress!
– And Rightly So.

My first recollection of meeting the vivacious Suzanne Gambill was at a Chamber of Commerce mixer at Doc Tad Lonergan’s office in July of 1999. This remembrance is so vivid because I had decided to have my nomination papers signed at this particular event, which would place my name on the ballot as a candidate for mayor. I knew some, but not all of the people who attended this particular get-together. Before I knew what hit me, this attractively petite woman motioned me over to where she was sitting to talk with her – that was my first encounter with the surprisingly feisty Suzanne Gambill.

Suzanne proceeded to tell me what was wrong with the city council, the lack of city services – especially police, code enforcement, and the terrible condition of some of the city’s streets – and she was really livid about the city’s reneging on the $1.4 million Trans-Note bond. Then Suzanne, without taking a breath, added something about that if I wanted to be elected as the Mayor of Desert Hot Springs I needed to know about these important things, and to watch my back. Just as quickly as she had motioned me over to talk with me, Suzanne got up and moved to talk with someone else. Aside from me saying, “Hi, I’m Matt Weyuker,” I never got a word in edgewise in our first meeting.

After I became the Mayor of our unique city, I could count on my weekly phone conversations with Suzanne in which she would pass on some vital or interesting information to me. During these weekly phone calls, and at city functions where we would both be in attendance with our spouses, I got to know Suzanne as a woman, outspoken about the city that she loved. I also found her to be a fun and caring individual. Also, that she loved her Buzz and “her boys” (Suzanne and Buzz’s Shi-Tzus) to pieces. I was proud to number Suzanne among my dear friends.

When Marlene and I found about Suzanne’s Alzheimer’s Disease we were both shocked and saddened. I missed the once vibrant person she had been. When Buzz had Suzanne with him at events, she was quiet and saddened, instead of her usual outgoing self. Although her personal warmth still glowed through her disease caused heartbreakingly cheerless demeanor.
Something that I won’t soon forget was last November’s election night. Marlene and I were at Mayor Yvonne Parks’ victory party when Buzz and Suzanne showed up to cover the event and take some pictures. Buzz had told us that sometimes Suzanne didn’t know who he was. So, when she squealed in instant recognition as she came over to where Marlene and I were, I was thrilled! Suzanne gave me a big hug, and then planted a kiss on my lips. Then she did the same with Marlene.

When Marlene and I last saw this precious lady, Suzanne was recovering from a broken hip and her surgery to repair it, and she had just been transferred to a rehab facility and we weren’t prepared for what we saw. This once attractive and feisty woman that we had come to know and love seemed to be fading away – preparing to leave her troubled and painful world of dementia, for a happier place.

My almost immediate reaction was tears – I felt so sad for her. I didn’t know what to do or say, and in my anguished disappointment over what I had just seen, I moved my power wheelchair out of her room before Suzanne could see me weeping.

When Buzz emailed us that his precious Suzanne had passed away on February 8th, at a hospice facility, Marlene and I were saddened, but not surprised. Although my wheelchair was in need of repair, we probably wouldn’t have been able to attend Suzanne’s memorial service, as it would have upset me to such an extent that it would have put at risk my own precarious health situation.

So Suzanne, this is my loving way of telling you how much I will miss you. In this world of hustle and bustle, one doesn’t meet many vivacious people like Suzanne Gambill – Suzanne; you were one in a million! – And rightly so.
_________________________________________________________________________________

There's an old saying that goes like this - It never rains but it pours! That adage is especially appropriate after seeing the two local newspapers stories, one about former DHS City Manager Anne Marie Gallant's alleged violation of her contract settlement agreement; the other regarding Cathedral City's plan to annex 1,471 acres north of Interstate 10, adjacent to Palm Drive.

The former City Manager was warned in a letter from Desert Hot Springs City Attorney Duran on behalf of the city, "To demand that you immediately cease and desist from engaging in any further activity in violation of the Settlement Agreement and Release of all Claims between you and the city." This formal legal letter from the city's lawyer came about a day after several of our community's more naïve citizens held a "Bring Back Anne Marie Rally."

Apparently Ms. Gallant received $119,000 out of Desert Hot Springs' meager and hard-pressed treasury for signing the August Tenth Settlement Agreement. The City Attorney further specifically alleged that that he has heard "multiple reports" that the former DHS City Manager has told "several individuals about the issues and facts leading up" to her August Ninth resignation.

City Attorney Duran further alleges that Ms. Gallant has told people she was fired, and that the City Council violated the Brown Act. The city's legal-beagle alleged further that the former City Manager has leaked that her performance evaluation was in retaliation or retribution for (her) purported on, or feelings towards one or more "developers." Duran's letter added a stipulation that these reports " have caused the city and its officials considerable harm and distress."

All of this claptrap has further maligned Desert Hot Springs troubled image, the one that Ms. Gallant had publicly stated that she was going to "fix." Some of our city's people have no understanding about how a city should and/or shouldn't be managed and operated, and they hold "rallies" to bring this or that City Manager back.

Like it or not, the California Government Code specifies that the Mayor and City Council are responsible for the hiring and firing of two city employees - the City Manager and City Attorney. They are also responsible for the making and setting of the city's policy - and oh yes by acting like a legislative body they are responsible for much of the city's image and reputation.

On the other hand, the same code book dictates that in a City Council/City Manager form of local government, that the City Manager is responsible for executing the Mayor and Councilor's direction, hiring and firing City Hall's non-sworn (not Police Officers) employees, and not involving themselves in the city's politics or "image." The city has had more than its share of highly paid chief executives who have tended to lose their way and involve themselves in the people's elected representative's civic duties and concerns.

Now to Cathedral City's plans to annex 1,471 acres of prime commercial acreage north of the Interstate Ten's Palm Drive exit, smack-dab in Desert Hot Springs so-called "sphere of influence." The Riverside County Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) has already approved this unbelievable mugging and raiding of premier commercial property that most common sense tells us belongs to Desert Hot Springs. One can't help but feel that this LAFCO action in granting approval to Cathedral City's incursion into our city's "sphere of influence," as being synonymous to being a case of out-and-out "favoritism."

Not since, then Palm Springs Mayor Sonny Bono and his administration came north of the Interstate Ten freeway at the Indian Avenue off-ramp ten years ago when they moved three or four miles further north to acquire some valuable land on which to place those inveterate west valley environmental eyesores that provide that city with plenty of ill-gotten tax revenue - the windmills - have we seen such brazen behavior by a "neighbor city."

Our city officials have got to remain vigilant, not let the fact that very soon our community will be mired in our local elections, and most of the other valley cities doesn't have a municipal election as a distraction, stop Desert Hot Springs' "sphere of influence" land from being grabbed by our neighboring cities, such as both Palm Springs and Cathedral City got away with, to use for commercial development. In addition to providing public safety, balancing the budget, etal, one would think that another major responsibility that our Mayor and City Council have is making sure that our municipal borders and "sphere" are secure from future outright thievery by our neighbors to the south - and rightly so.

I think that it was William Shakespeare who said something about a rose by any other name would still smell as sweet. Here in our teeming-with-all-kinds-of-growth Coachella Valley, (except in Desert Hot Springs, where commercial construction is at a stand-still), there is something unquestionably rotten going on that has the stench of dishonesty and/or mistaken decisions reeking from the Valley's regional arm of local government, and isn't "sweet smelling!"

It does appear from the Desert Hot_Springs Springs City Council scheduled agenda for the September 7th meeting that the Mayor and Councilors are going to reconsider rejoining their Coachella Valley Association of Governments (CVAG) confreres in approving the Coachella Valley Multi Species Habitat Conservation Plan (CVMSHCP).

Apparently CVAG is offering those Desert Hot Springs landowners who own ten acres or less, a pot of money totaling $5 million to purchase these parcels. Knowing this, it has caused me to ponder the $5 million question - If CVAG operates on a tight budget, where in the world did they get the $5 million pot of money to entice those small property owners to sell the property to CVAG? Another question that demands answers is: What about the larger property owners? Isn't CVAG just asking to be sued by a bunch of larger parcel owner-litigants?

If CVAG has a restricted operating budget, could it be that CVAG is planning to use "Measure A" revenue? If so, how do they rationalize using dollars that are meant for arterial and freeway road construction and maintenance to purchase a lot of ten-acres or less property? Can we all ask, "Where's the money going to come from to provide for Palm Drive/Gene Autry Trail; Indian Avenue; and Date Palm Drive's long-needed interchange improvements at the I-10?"

Locally, that $5 million would go a long way toward improving such heavily traveled thoroughfares such as Mountain View Road, Pierson Boulevard, and the small part of Indian Avenue that is in our city.

The "yes or no" decision to rescind the previous Desert Hot Springs City Council's refusal to go along with CVAG, Riverside County's Board of Supervisors, and the "environmentalists," in those three entities attempted "blackmailing" of both valley cities and developers into "going along" with the unnecessary taxpayer's expense of the CVMSHCP borders on being illegal. Our city's voters should pay strict attention to this particular important decision that will impact the future growth of our "Simply Above The Rest" community.
The City Manager's resignation didn't surprise me - Ms. Gallant's published resume alleges that she doesn't stay on the job more than about eighteen months.
She took our city for plenty of hard-earned taxpayer dollars. Ms. Gallant also left as a legacy, several pending lawsuits that could wind up costing DHS many more taxpayer dollars.

Former Deputy City Manager John Soulliere, would make a good choice for an Interim City Manager. He has lived in our city for over a dozen years, he knows both the city and the water district well."

There is the matter of the upcoming November election where Desert Hot Springs electors get to make a decision about who they want for their Mayor and two City Council members. There are at least two well-known "electeds" and a "wannabe" running for the office of Mayor. City Councilor

Yvonne Parks has announced her intentions to seek the Mayor's seat; incumbent Mayor Alex Bias is running for re-election; and perennial loser, Adam Sanchez has made noises about being in the hunt for that leadership office.

As of this writing, all of the City Council candidates have not turned in their nomination papers, but I've heard that hardworking and experienced City Council representatives Hank Hohenstein and Mary Stephens are planning on seeking re-election.

A thumbnail description of my views on these three Mayoral candidates is as follows: Council Member Yvonne Parks is bright, articulate, she is not afraid to make a decision, has a good deal of government experience, does her homework, works hard at being a good representative Councilor, and I believe that Yvonne has the time and will spend the many hours that it takes to be an outstanding Mayor. The incumbent, Alex Bias has been an unmitigated failure as the city's Mayor. First and foremost, he refused to heed the advice of then City Manager, former County Supervisor, and former CVAG CEO (and Riverside County local government icon), Corky Larsen. Mr. Bias rejected the legal guidance and opinions of the former City Attorney, who obviously knew more about the duties of the Mayor than the Mayor did He has taken thousands of dollars from windmill operators.
Mr. Bias has delusions of adequacy, and he has shown a propensity to not be a leader, which the city sorely needs. Adam Sanchez is very ambitious, so much so that he has run for the Mission Springs Water Board once, and for the DHS City Council three times with the results always being the same - the people refused to elect Sanchez - and rightly so.

There’s an old axiom that goes something like this – the wheels of government grind very slowly. There are four diverse subjects that prove this maxim to not only be correct, but also to be “politically incorrect.” There have been some strange “goings on” having to do with either a lack of action, or some dubious decisions that bear having some honest answers by our city and county leaders.

Although he was an outspoken democrat curmudgeon of the 1920s and 30s, Will Rogers was, and still is, one of my favorite political commentators and wits. Will Rogers had this acerbic comment about government, ‘I don’t make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts.”

As I wrote at the outset of this iteration of “And Rightly So,” I hope to ask some questions, and by doing that, get some much-needed answers about four issues that affect our community and its potential future. The four significant subjects that cry out for some sort of investigation, and/or answers, are the following: - 1 – The proposed, and much needed Desert Hot Springs Medical Center that was being discussed as long as 5 years ago; 2 – What city gets the western campus of College of the Desert (COD), that has been talked about since 2003, is it Palm Springs or Desert Hot Springs? 3 – The so-called “reconsideration” of The Riverside County Local Agency Commission’s (LAFCO) prior approval of the City of Desert Hot Springs’ annexation of 1800+ acres of Riverside County land to have the coveted Palmwood project move forward; and 4 – The campaign-cash rich “Windmill Projects” approval by the Board of Supervisors.

The residents of the City of Desert Hot Springs deserve to know what’s holding up the potentially life saving, much talked about, needed and wanted “Medical Center.” I view this important, and potentially life saving “Health Center” to not only be a community priority, but a reflection of our city’s commitment to providing its residents with local, quality health care within the city’s boundaries. In my opinion there is not a more important matter than completing the long overdue Desert Hot Springs Medical Center for the City Management to deal with, and bring to completion. As residents of this once thriving community, we ought to be asking, no demanding, that the City Manager empanel an investigating team to look into what has happened to the construction of this vital health center.

Another series of queries that need to be addressed are where is the College of the Desert (COD) Board of Trustees on the subject of which city gets to locate the new western campus of the two-year community college. Will it be in the City of Palm Springs? Or will the COD Board choose Desert Hot Springs?

Never mind the overwhelming statistical and unsettling reality check that the school’s officials have all but refused to use as part of the equation, that the main Palm Desert campus has over 40% of the school’s enrollment who reside in Desert Hot Springs, and whose census numbers have over half of the city’s estimated 25,000 residents under 18 years of age. Another little known factoid is that the majority of Palm Springs homes are childless.

But as you and I know, the decision of where to locate the new COD western campus will be political, pure and simple – and there’s nothing much that the city’s citizens can do to stop the damagingly questionable preference by the COD board. As the great Greek statesman/orator Pericles once said, “Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn’t mean that politics won’t take an interest in you!”

Let’s look at the “reconsideration” issue planned for the next meeting of LAFCO, at which the previously approved annexation by the City of Desert Hot Springs to acquire the desirable Palmwood development that proposes to include more than 1 million square feet of retail space. Who asked for the “reconsideration,” you ask? If you guessed that the answer was: The Coachella Valley Conservation Commission and the County of Riverside, you get a Gold Star! The “why” of the more than questionable decision for LAFCO to allow this important to our community annexation, is a question that merits some tangible answers.

Lastly, the Riverside County Board of Supervisor’s predictable approval of the Oregon based windmill manufacturing and construction operation. Did any of the Supervisor’s think to challenge the alleged altruistic “alternative energy production” myth? If not, why not? These windmill operators get all kinds of government tax breaks. Why didn’t our trusted county government examine the amount of those tax breaks? Has anyone from the government offered any of us a “tax break” lately? As I wrote in a column about 2 months ago, the County Board of Supervisors never met a windmill development that they didn’t like!

“There is no distinctly native American criminal class – save politicians with questionable ethics,” the bitingly droll and sardonic American humorist Mark Twain once said – and rightly so.

About a year ago a lot of the network and cable news "talking heads" were going on and on about the real estate market "bubble." These "experts" readily admitted that the overall economy was good, with unemployment levels being close to an all-time low, interest rates being at a low level, and inflation being held in check. Yet they panicked our country into believing that the real estate "bubble" bursting was imminent.

Frankly, they reminded me of the little kid's story about Chicken Little - y'know where Chicken Little tells his barnyard buddy, "Henny-Penny, the sky is falling!" But this tale of woe that was shown over and over again on these television "news" programs were far more serious than a children's fairy tale. The so-called "news-media" were destroying a large national industry, creating chaos among builders and their financial backers, putting a lot of construction craftsmen and real estate professionals out of work, and wiping out millions of personal home equity nest eggs that many people were counting on for their retirement.

I have noticed this media-bias phenomenon at least one other time - and like the real estate "bubble," they focused on another sector of the economy. It happened about a year before the first President Bush was about to run for reelection against an upstart democrat Arkansas governor by the name of Bill Clinton. After the Gulf War had begun, the elder President Bush looked to be unbeatable. His approval rating was in the 70 and 80 percent range.

The media, which doesn't particularly like either of the Presidents Bush, came up with a strategy that was meant to take the "boredom" out of the 1992 campaign for the White House and make a "horse race" out of the Bush-Clinton Presidential election. The network and cable "news shows" featuring so-called "economic expert talking heads" who repeated a clamorous drumbeat that somehow the nation's financial markets were in trouble. Do you remember Mr. Clinton's campaign cacophony that trumpeted, "It's the economy, stupid!"

The media has earned the disrespect that most of us as Americans hold for them. In a poll taken last year about which "professions" that most of our countrymen trusted, the answers were a little disturbing. On the bottom of the list were used and new car salesmen, then came the President, right above him were high-level politicians (U.S. Senators, Congressman, Governors and State Legislators), and just a little higher than these people was the media. Circulation is down among the so-called major newspapers - the L.A. Times has lost 200,000 subscribers, the N.Y. Times a like amount, and the once highly thought of Washington Post has just completed its second "reorganization" in that many years. These, and other metropolitan newspapers count heavily upon advertising revenue, and these marketing dollar formulas are predicated on circulation numbers - which are clearly on the decline.

The network "news" shows are in a ratings freefall dilemma. NBC Nightly News ratings numbers have fallen off the chart, CBS News had become so desperate for a ratings boost that they hired NBC's Today Show co-host Katie Couric, and ABC has moved Good Morning America co-host Charles Gibson to be its anchor. ABC News currently leads the ratings race among the networks. But in our distrust of the so-called "mainstream news networks," a lot of us Americans are turning to cable news stations, such as Fox News, CNN, and others - and they are making significant dents into what was once considered the invincible Big Three of "mainstream news."

This leads us back to the subject of the bursting of the so-called "real estate bubble" by the mainstream media. Knowing what we know about these charlatans, how then could we let them stir the real estate pot until it boiled over with doubt about what was really happening and what was, and is destructive conjecture. Using that line of "newsworthy" reasoning, let's look at the "Henny-Penny the sky is falling" children's story a little more closely. What was actually going on? Chicken Little was passing on "information" that he mistakenly thought needed to be broadcast. But not so with the "mainstream media" - they went at the housing market "bubble" with a vengeance! In the valley, home sales are down 25.4% from a year ago. Here in Desert Hot Springs, the figure is a whopping 50% - and the median home sale price has dropped 12.2% over the past year!

Most of us lead busy lives and look to receiving fast "news" like newspaper headlines, car radios, and/or television. In these uncertain times, we sure don't need these "pundits" frightening us with their version of "Henny-Penny the sky is falling" undisciplined and upsetting gossipy baloney. This is why we need an honest local newspaper like the Valley Breeze, that we know we can count on to tell it like it is - and rightly so.

Will Rogers, the well-known Oklahoma democrat and politically comedic curmudgeon of the 1920s and 30s, once said these wise words, "Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment." It looks like we the voters of Desert Hot Springs finally figured that conundrum out when we elected Scott Matas to the City Council on March 6th. To have voted in any one of the "also-rans" would have been a colossal case of "bad judgment."

With the exception of Mayor Bias, our city is again fortunate to have four adult councilors (we were blessed with the city's number one volunteer, Dot Reed, who served these last four-plus months as a first-rate councilor) who will continue to work like a team for the good of the city - not feathering their own political nest or that of outside-of-the-city "special interests." This doesn't mean the end of any disagreements among the four individuals. It does mean they will tend to handle any disputes like mature grown-ups, and not get involved in the rancorous or outlandish "debates" that have proven to be embarrassing to the city and its residents.

I can't get over the hypocrisy of the so-called "Friends of Desert Hot Springs," when they endorsed the sitting Mayor and council candidate Sanchez, both of whom received a lot of campaign money from windmill operators - then the so-called "friends of our city" claimed they were opposed to the construction of more wind farms. With "friends" like these, our city can't afford any enemies.

The City Council has a lot on its plate. For openers we have the you-knew-it-was-coming-lawsuit by the environmental extremist group known as The Sierra Club. John Muir has probably rolled over in his grave, when the conservation club that he founded along with others like former President Teddy Roosevelt, has gone off the deep-end time and time again in the last forty-plus years - all in the name of stymieing provable needed responsible growth. The I-10 interchange expansions at Palm Drive/Gene Autry Trail; Indian Avenue; and Date Palm Drive are valid cases in point. Environmental-whacko organizations have stopped these traffic congestion relief projects since 1991!

We can almost say the following in one breath - the Coachella Valley Multi Species Habitat Conservation Plan (CVMSHCP). Desert Hot Springs is supposedly not in the current plan. But I'll bet you money, marbles or chalk, if our city dropped its opposition to this most specious land-grab in recent valley history, paid its share of the taxpayer supported "mitigation," the Sierra Club would drop its ill-conceived, frivolous lawsuit. Talk about duplicity! The name of this ecological con game is blackmail - millions of taxpayer dollars being spent on mitigation, so that these environmental groups can coerce the valley cities and the county into playing their very expensive game by providing the tax dollars to buy over 60,000 acres of valley property! Most of the valley cities have been bludgeoned into not doing their due-diligence in this critically expensive matter of putting its residents ahead of a bunch of critters and weeds.

In the coming months, we can expect a lot of mud slinging and smearing of the reputations of two courageous public servants - councilors Hank Hohenstein and Mary Stephens, by the so-called "Friends of DHS." Please, for the sake of our community's future, filter out this hateful drivel - remember where it comes from and then handle the politically motivated baloney accordingly.

The aforementioned Will Rogers used to tell this amusing story about the communicating of political "misinformation" and it went like this: "After eating an entire bull, a mountain lion felt so good he started roaring. He kept on roaring until a hunter came along and shot him dead.

The moral of this story - when you're full of bull, keep your mouth shut!" - and rightly so.

In his timeless classic entitled "A Tale of Two Cities," Charles Dickens opens this immortal book with these words - "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." These words can be used to describe our city. We too are like a city that faces two distinct possibilities. One can fulfill our dreams for Desert Hot Springs to live up to its potential. The other would continue being torn apart by those that don't offer any solutions to the city's challenges, just harmful criticism.

We are facing a significant time in our city's often-calamitous history. First of all is the all-important special election of March 6th to fill the un-expired term of the late Gary Bosworth. Of all the candidates that are running for this seat, in my opinion, the contenders are Scott Matas, Karl Baker, and Adam Sanchez. Bobby Bentley and Ted Mayrhofen haven't raised any money to make a run at this seat. As the legendary former Speaker of the Assembly Jesse Unruh was known to have said, "Money is the mother's-milk of politics."

It's important to know about where the candidates are getting their major financial support. As an example, Sanchez, who has aspirations to seek higher political office, is getting a lot of greenbacks from the major windmill operators. He's also getting "in-kind" backing from the Boys and Girls Club - Sanchez as CEO of the local club, has the young boys and girls circulating the "other Desert Hot Springs newspaper" that contains Sanchez's campaign material. I'll wager that Sanchez doesn't report that information in his campaign reporting statement.
Matas, a life-long Desert Hot Springs resident, is getting the bulk of his financial support within the city. A city business owner, Matas is a long-time volunteer fire fighter, and Chairman of the all-important Public Safety Commission. Baker is a long time activist-critic of most of the City Councils that have served this community for the past ten to twelve years. He has been endorsed by the Stonewall Democrats.

On another subject - the county's Local Agency Formation Committee (LAFCO) has approved Cathedral City's application to annex 46 acres of prime land into its "sphere of influence."
This acreage, located on the east side of Palm Drive just north of the I-10, is important to Desert Hot Springs for a number of reasons. Foremost of those is the overriding fact that Palm Drive is the main entry into Desert Hot Springs from the I-10. Another factoid is that this acreage also contains the vital on/off ramps included in the Palm Drive/Gene Autry Trail overpass widening that is scheduled to be completed in late 2009. Our city's City Manager Ann-Marie Gallant was quoted in the Desert Sun as saying something about maintaining friendships with our neighboring cities. Like we did when Palm Springs came across the I-10 in the early 90s to take advantage of the construction of many of the windmill farms - is that what you meant by your statement, Ms. Gallant?

What Desert Hot Springs should have requested be done at this important-to-the-city's-future LAFCO meeting, is that our city's representatives should have insisted that a decision delay be the "order-of-the-day." Some city officials wanting to be a "good neighbor" will affect a great many people. Cathedral City is clearly the winner in this legalized land grab - and the residents of Desert Hot Springs, as well as our city's future, has been dealt a severe blow.

The Coachella Valley Multi Species Habitat Conservation Plan (CVMSHCP), less Desert Hot Springs, is about to get the green light from CVAG. This plan, loaded with a great deal of shoddy pseudo-science, will permit the environmental extremists to extort many thousands of acres of privately owned property to assuage critters and weeds that are supposed to be living on this land. Another factor is the exorbitant fees (over $6,000 an acre) that will be extorted from developers.

What really is so inane about all of this bow-to-the-shake-down pressure being wrung out of the CVAG member city elected officials, is that surely they must know that environmental-whackos won't stop with the adoption of the CVMSHCP.
These "electeds" should oppose this blackmail plan before it's too late -
and rightly so.

In his book, "100 People Who Are Screwing Up America," former CBS newsman Bernard Goldberg makes this critically astute observation about the relevance of his book, "It's about a country where as long as anything goes, as a friend puts it, sooner or later everything will go." Mr. Goldberg refers to these "100" people as America Bashers.

Desert Hot Springs citizens will have a special election coming in March for a City Council seat to fill deceased Councilor Bosworth's un-expired term of office. I believe that we're going to be overwhelmed during the "campaigning" by most of the 5 announced candidates with a lot of Desert Hot Springs Bashing - at least from the majority of the candidates and a certain "angry blogger".

As most us of are aware, the most serious responsibility that a City Councilor has is the approval of the budgets - General Fund, Public Safety, and Redevelopment Agency (RDA). Some of the 5 candidates haven't got a clue once you start talking about thousands of dollars, let alone millions - so voters, we have to pay attention to what these candidates are really saying - not what they want you to fall for in the way of campaign rhetoric.

Check these 5 candidates out, their real backgrounds, their prior employment, or lack of, what real experience they've had in dealing with all of the complex issues that go into developing budgets that go into the millions of dollars. Ask yourselves the following questions about these 5 candidates.
Why are they really running? What business/financial experience do they have? What out-of-town entities are they receiving campaign money from (and what do they expect in return)? How much are they beholden to the Desert Hot Springs Bashers? How much real support, both financial and grassroots, do any and all of the 5 candidates have coming from within our city?

Just who are these 5 candidates and what do they do for a living? What experience do any of them have in public service? I'll list the "Fab 5" alphabetically - Karl Baker, "Bobby" Bentley, Scott Matas, Ted Mayrhofen, and Adam Sanchez. Let's evaluate them individually to see what has motivated them to seek the office of City Councilor and to determine whether or not their attempt at serving our community will be a positive or a drawback.

Karl Baker - Mr. Baker claims to be a former businessman in Orange County and a schoolteacher. The last I knew, he was teaching in the state prison way out in Blythe - 150 miles from Desert Hot Springs! Why? He has also run for a seat on the City Council at least 4 times, and this will be his 5th run at attempting to get himself elected. Maybe Baker has a Norman Thomas complex, a well-known Socialist Party candidate who ran for President at least 5 times and never seemed to get the message.

Bobby Bentley - Mr. Bentley ran in November 2005 as Robert and finished down near the bottom.
His claim to fame is that he served one year on the Public Safety Commission.
Bentley alleges that he's going to law school at the present time. As the father of a law student about 24 years ago, I remember our son burning a lot of "midnight oil" both reading law material and writing briefs while he attended the University of the Pacific McGeorge Law School. If Bentley is indeed going to law school, he won't be able to spend the time required of a City Councilor - especially a new one.

Scott Matas - Mr. Matas is Chairman of the city's Public Safety Commission, a Desert Hot Springs native son, and the owner of the UPS Store. As a local businessman and longtime resident, Matas is well aware of the city's pressing need for economic development that will lead to additional sales tax revenue that is urgently needed to provide additional city services - especially added Police and Fire personnel. If by reading this bit of information about Scott Matas, you have deduced that I'm endorsing him, you have guessed correctly.

Ted Mayrhofen - Mr. Mayrhofen surprised a lot of people with his good showing when he ran for Mayor in November 2005. Some who have been around city politics awhile, thought that his electoral efforts helped elect our present Mayor Bias. Mayrhofen served in 2000-01 on what is now the Community and Cultural Affairs Commission and was not reappointed.

Adam Sanchez - Mr. Sanchez is the Executive Director of the Boys and Girls Club. A very politically ambitious guy, Sanchez would do just about anything to get elected - including taking thousands of dollars from the windmill operators, which he did during the November 2005 campaign. Mr. Sanchez is yet another guy who doesn't get it when the voters say "No." He's run for the Water Board once and City Council twice - each time without his "rubber stamp" board's OK.

I began this latest iteration of "And Rightly So" by quoting from "100 People Who Are Screwing Up America." I want to close this column by attributing a statement from the angry blogger, who said something to the affect that, the Chamber of Commerce receives tax-payer dollars as part of the city's support of that organization, therefore the Chamber should not be involved in city politics. Does this mean that the Chamber should not have invited the Mayor to speak at its luncheon to offer his "State of the City"?

Earth to angry blogger - earth to angry blogger - can you hear me? There isn't a Chamber of Commerce in the Coachella Valley, or just about anywhere else, who isn't involved in its city's politics - and most of them receive taxpayer dollars. To deny the Chamber their Constitutional rights to be involved in our city's politics is tantamount to tyranny of the worst sort. To do what the chamber is doing is as it should be, involved - and rightly so.

The Super Bowl hasn't been played yet, it comes later this month, but don't you hear off in the distance the home-team half of baseball's 7th inning, with the game crowd singing a line from the immortal "Take Me Out To The Ballgame," that goes like this - "Cause It's Strike One, Two, Three, Then You're Out, At The Old Ballgame!"

Our city faces more than 3 distinctly different "strikes" that may shape the future of Desert Hot Springs for years, if the City Council, the Palm Springs Unified School Board, the Riverside County Board of Supervisors, and our old "friends" at the Coachella Valley Association of Governments (CVAG) have any say in these potentially dangerous to our city proposals.

These impending threats to our city's previously optimistic outlook are the following: - 1 - More money from developers to "protect" the "much-in-need-of-environmental-'protection' fringe-toed lizard;" 2 - The continued failure of and by CVAG to remedy both a traffic safety and a human ecological problem by releasing the funding for wider over-crossings, on and off-ramps at the I-10 at Indian Avenue, Palm Drive/Gene Autry Trail, and Date Palm Drive; 3 - The addition of 45 more immense wind turbines, 327 feet tall, towering over the existing ones, blocking developable views, with blades that are as wide as four lanes of freeway; 4 - The construction of two new schools, one an elementary, the other a middle school, directly behind a housing development accommodating predominantly "seasoned citizens."

I'll take the last one first. When I was your Mayor, I started holding quarterly meetings with the PSUSD Superintendent Dr. Bill Dietrich and the President of the PSUSD Board of Trustees late in 2000, until mid 2004, to inform them of the city's progress in obtaining quality development - to forewarn them that the once sleepy little town was going to be a thriving community with numerous new home developments, so they had better be looking for parcels to purchase to erect the much needed schools.

Before they questionably used "eminent domain" against 25 acres of the 70 acres of view property and approved the two new schools, the school district did not do the required following: an auto traffic study, an environmental impact analysis, and/or the effect that student foot traffic will have on the neighborhood. The nearby housing development contains "local collector" streets that are small, connecting to intersections that were not designed to handle heavy traffic levels that PSUSD plans to dump on the area. So - they waited until the end of 2006 to make a decision (on a 4 to 1 vote - Palm Springs Police Chief Jeandron voting "No") to misuse the school district's so-called right of eminent domain of many acres of the city's fast-disappearing view property. This, in defiance of new law changes coming January 1, 2007 that restricts the use of eminent domain by local government. Is this one of the reasons that the citizenry has so little faith and trust in our local governance?

Next is the fee increase to developers from $600 to almost $2,400 (a 400% increase!) to protect an additional 2,260 acres for the woe-begotten fringe-toed lizard. This would raise another $32 million for "habitat." Most of the land is adjacent to Desert Hot Springs. Why? It's become very clear to me that CVAG is attempting to both punish our city for casting the lone "No" vote, while coercing our city into voting for a new Multi Species Habitat Conservation Plan that is due out in August 2007.

The 400% fee increase will drive up the price of new homes and condos in an already cooling housing market. In what has been deemed as "protected" blow sand acreage for the infamous lizard, off the I-10 freeway at Monterey, both the cities of Palm Desert and Rancho Mirage are erecting edifices to the shopping gods - how do they get away with this environmental no-no? The answer is simple - mitigation (that's another name for money, and lots of it).

The much-needed and long-promised I-10 freeway intersection construction at Indian Avenue, Palm Drive/Gene Autry Trail, and Date Palm Drive. Did you know that the expansion Palm Drive/Gene Autry Trail interchange went on both CVAG's and CalTrans list of "to-do" priorities in 1991? What, and who has been behind the 15- year hold up you ask? The environmentalist-extremist element demanding money (oops, mitigation), in order to release the mystical hold that they have on certain individuals at CVAG that may lead to the eventual construction of the widened overpasses and off-onramps by the end of the decade.

The ever-growing danger of the coming-home-from-work-traffic on the I-10 freeway, trying to get off at the aforementioned off-ramps, only to remain unsafely extended out on to the right lane of the freeway in jeopardy of getting hit by a big-rig or another car and perhaps loss of life is an increasing traffic safety problem.

About a month ago, Marlene drove me to my physical therapy session in Rancho Mirage. We traversed Palm Drive. From the time we arrived at the signal at the Chevron station to travel the quarter-mile to the other side of the overpass, it took us 14 minutes. I would imagine that the nitrous oxide and the carbon monoxide exhaust fumes emitted by the hundreds of cars moving at a stop-and-go pace, killed a great many desert weeds and critters. I know it sure didn't do us any good.

The windmills are conundrum. While the production of electrical energy should be a priority, windmill turbines seem to be expensive to construct, operate, and maintain. They are environmentally unfriendly, harmful to birds, other wildlife, and they block out views for humans. If you believe that these windmill operators are constructing these unsightly behemoths for altruistic reasons, then you'll be buying underwater property in Louisiana. With the sun shining on our valley 330 days a year, we should be looking at newer technology affecting the development of solar energy. Our City Council did the right thing at its December 19th meeting when they adopted a non-binding resolution on a 4 to 1 vote (Mayor Bias voting "No"). Do you recall my mentioning all of the thousands of dollars in campaign money both Bias and his mentor Bosworth received from some windmill operators? You can check it out in the City Clerk's office. Although many of the Riverside County Board of Supervisors never met a windmill turbine they didn't like or vote for, these massive monsters should be voted down! And rightly so.

As I wrote at the beginning of my last column, we Americans are a truly blessed people. During our nation’s birthing we were permitted a handful of special leaders that history has referred to as our Founding Fathers. These Founding Fathers did nothing out of the ordinary – unless you consider these exceptional and extraordinary accomplishments: the brilliantly motivated writing and approval of The Declaration of Independence; the incredible winning of The War for Independence against overwhelming odds; The Formation of the First Formal Government of the United States of America and the Approval of the U.S. Constitution; and the inspired addition and approval of the Bill of Rights by the first U.S. Congress.

Religious freedom, freedom of speech (not “expression”), of the press, the right to meet peaceably, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances are all contained in the First Amendment as a restriction on the powers of the United States Congress, as in, “Congress shall make no law restricting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;” etal. To my freethinking mind that bold and accepted statement has stood many time-tested assaults – that is, until the last 40 or so judicial-activist years.

I’m beating about the proverbial bush about writing about the celebrations of the rich and vivid Judeo-Christian heritage holidays – Hanukah and Christmas. There’s every reason to believe that these two old and traditional holidays are protected under this, one of the deep-rooted tenets of our political system – the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The wonder of the Maccabbean War with the astonishing and miraculous lighting of the Menorah for eight days that people of the Jewish faith will be observing on December Sixteenth - Hanukah. The other exceptionally wonderful day will be December Twenty Fifth, when Christians come together to celebrate the birth of The Prince of Peace – Christmas. These two long-standing, old-fashioned religious holidays are steeped in the deep-rooted principles of what the First Amendment speaks about as being almost sacred.

What I’m talking about here is our right to articulate our spiritual beliefs in places other than our churches and homes, (religious freedom plus freedom of speech). Otherwise the First Amendment is valueless – unless you hate America and you’ve a mind to “express yourself” by burning an American Flag. Christmas and Hanukah are not only imbued in long-held beliefs and traditions, they are celebrated and commemorated worldwide. So, what seems to be the problem? Could it be that the ACLU and its friends have pulled “it” off and gone and made a mockery out of “protecting our Constitutional rights” – by illegitimating and ridiculing, while sitting in judgment over banning any mention of any of the religious symbols suggestive of these religious holidays? This, all in the name of some “enlightened” tilt toward more secularism in the public square – a disease of the public mind.

There’s a Christmas song on a Roberta Flack – Peabo Bryson CD entitled, “As Long As There’s Christmas” that has a line in it that says, “As long as there’s Christmas, I truly believe, that hope is the greatest of the gifts that we’ll receive.” I guess that just about sums up my love of the Christmas Season and my antipathy for the politically correct “happy holidays” meaninglessness that some people greet one another with these days. Not only that, but at some of our better-known retail establishments, the management has given strict instructions to their employees to not offer a “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Hanukah” to the store’s customers, but to utter the hollow “happy holidays” instead.

One of the great Chaplain’s of the United States Senate, the late Doctor Peter Marshall when asked what holiday was most special and precious to him, answered with this most eloquent, and yet very straight forward Scotsmen like way, “Why it’s Christmas of course, you get a chance to keep it every day!” – And rightly so. From Marlene and I, we wish you a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy Hanukah!

As Americans we are surely a blessed people and we have a lot to be thankful for – or ought to be. We live in the freest, most prosperous and successful republic that Providence has ever set apart in such a special way for such a unique purpose in modern history. Having said that, I’m really so thankful that the recent election cycle is at last over – and not for some of the reasons that you may believe.

Since the President’s re-election in November 2004, the media drumbeat has echoed the Democrat party machine pattern, the so-called “non-partisan” pollsters and eventually resonated with the voters. But what was the message that got the voters dander up on Election Day? There was talk of “corruption,” what with an admitted homosexual pedophile Republican Congressman “hitting” on House Pages, and then there was the scandal surrounding the lobbyist Jack Abrahamoff. Are these things of any real global importance, given the world’s rather fragile situation?

How about the economy? Both the Dow-Jones and the NASDQ were at all time highs – and the unemployment rate was at a 5 year low, standing at 4.2%. Maybe it was the price of gasoline at the pump, but had fallen about $.25 a gallon by Election Day. President Bush’s steady hand on the national financial rudder never got the credit that he deserved.

Was it the “war on terror?” If you mean the war in Iraq – yes! That tom-tom beat has never let up on the President, and that negativity and disapproval has filtered down to our GI’s doing the fighting and dieing over there. As for the Islam-extremist’s Jihad, it is picking up steam all around the world. Add the radical leaders of Iran, Venezuela, and North Korea to the world’s tinderbox and we have a world that is just about ready for Armageddon.

Contrary to the criticism of the media ultraliberals like the New York Times, Washington Post, and Los Angeles Times, and much of the major “network news” shows, President Bush’s resolute policies have made our country much safer from attack by Islam-extremists terrorists. A good deal of thanks and credit has to go to President George W. Bush for not only standing firm, but pushing for legislation for both the formation of the Homeland Security Department and the implementation of the carefully crafted Patriot Act.

As some of you know, I’ve been active in local, state, and national politics for nearly 45 years.
I know that some of the ultraliberal media has tried to sell us the “mandate for change” scenario with all of the Republican losses, especially in the House – but they’ve missed one very salient point - the redistricting of 2002. Do you know what smart incumbents do to try to make sure that they get reelected? They carve themselves out as “safe” a district as possible. Most, if not all, of the Democrats that won, “upset” Republicans who either were outspoken in support of the President, the War in Iraq, or were in “leadership” posts. However, these districts either have Republican majority registration or “lean” GOP. So these freshmen Democrat Congressional representatives are going to have to be careful when it comes to voting the Speaker Pelosi ultraliberal party line if they want to be more than one-term members of Congress. As the legendary one time Speaker of The Assembly Jesse M. Unruh said to my one-time boss and I when we went to the new Assembly Member orientation, “Your number one job is to get reelected!”

We just finished what many irreverently call “turkey day,” but what the greatest President our nation has ever been privileged to ever have hold that most high office – President Abraham Lincoln – who by proclamation brought our Thanksgiving Day into being. He called it a “most noble holiday.” Had Jay Leno been around when Mr. Lincoln was our President, he would have made a lot of bad jokes about him too, just as he has President Bush. By the way, has anyone seen Leno’s Phi Beta Kappa key? He’s seemed to have misplaced it.

We keep reading the awful statistics about the dead and wounded American GI’s in Iraq and Afghanistan in the newspapers and they are alarming – over 2,500 dead and climbing. But did you know that there were over 600,000 dead and wounded in the 4 year “War Between the States” (Civil War) and more than that during the 3 year 5 month war with Germany and 3 year 8+ month war with Japan. These young men and women on the front lines are protecting our freedoms and don’t you forget it! Whether or not you agree with the war, it’s come down to this – we all need to recognize the clear fact that these Islam-extremists literally hate us as infidels – and we need to support our armed forces by remembering to include them in our prayers of thanksgiving everyday –and rightly so.

Matt Weyuker is the immediate past and three term mayor of Desert Hot Springs, CA.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

It seems to me that we're at a crossroads in our nation's history where nothing seems to make any sense. The illusive "they" have, and are, having their dubiously anti-American way in the multi-level worlds of jurisprudence, politics, religion, education, immigration "rights", economics, social engineering, culture, and national pride. It goes to the very heart and soul of what the United States of America is losing and what we once were all about.

Among the things that upset me are high court rulings. I've read the writings of the "Father of the U.S. Constitution," James Madison, former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Learned Hand, and most of the Founding Fathers quite extensively, and it is a pitiable shame what the ACLU and other off-the-wall ultraliberal zealots have done to our "nation of laws." Why is it that a teenage girl has to obtain her parents approval before she can have a tooth extracted and for other physical surgical procedures, yet can get an abortion without so much as a "may I?" And where does it say that it's OK to defame the God of the Christians and Jews, but it's not OK to denigrate any other Gods? In this whacked-out topsy-turvy modern world, where "political-correctness" is not only expected, it's demanded. Otherwise, we get called on it, or maybe find ourselves in court.

When I was a youngster, I was privileged to grow up in a less-than middleclass home and "melting-pot" of ethnicities and religious beliefs neighborhood. I used the word "privileged", because I wouldn't have missed my developmental years for all of the tea in China. In my Queens, New York neighborhood in the 40s and early 50s you could find Irish, Italian, German, Slavic, Polish, Jewish, Black, Scandinavian, and Puerto Rican kids to play with - and did we have fun! We played all kinds of very physical sandlot games. Sometimes one of us would get hurt and the guys were always helpful. Sure, as kids, we sometimes called each other mean names. But when the chips were down, we knew that we could count on each other. One thing we never thought to be was "hyphenated Americans." We just accepted everyone at face value. So this dash American "politically-correct" stuff really is an anathema to me.

Another thing that really gets my goat (with apologies to Jack Webb's goats), is that after 217 years of one of the most successful self-governments ever in world history, why is it that the so-called "enlightened" want to throw away the inspired accomplishments of the people who had a great impact on our uniquely free nation's first 175 years or so. Court rulings, the media, educational institutions, and our so-called representative government, is selling our American soul for 30 pieces of silver. Multi-culturism has taken the place of melting pot.
Neitchze's "God-is-dead" depends upon whose God it is.
If it's the God of the Christians and the Jews, to our "enlightened" media and educators, God is indeed a pariah. If it's any other deity, then it's politically correct to be able to venerate that God. In case you hadn't noticed, both the print and on-the-air media is pretty near subject to liberal bias and control.

The ACLU and other ultra-liberal groups and individuals have effectively challenged the courts to throw out: prayer in public schools, religious symbols marking grave-sites in government owned cemeteries, nativity scenes, Christmas and Hanukah programs in public schools, religious images from city and county seals that were part of the entities charter, prayer to God before local government meetings, they permitted the burning of the Stars and Stripes, and on and on. These uncommonly critical enemies of traditional American values, almost succeeded in having the words "under God" removed from the Pledge of Allegiance. Is "in God we trust" on our coins and paper money next? The things that most of us took for granted as the essence of U.S. Constitutional 1st amendment protections, and as being part of the American fabric have been tossed away.

During the turbulent 1960s, William F. Buckley began his PBS "Firing Line" very entertaining and educational TV program. Among his frequent guests was a TV producer by the name of David Susskind. Susskind was an avowed ultraliberal and Buckley an acknowledged conservative. I have never forgotten this exchange. Buckley was talking about the sad state of affairs in higher education, what with the "filthy speech" and other "protests" happening at U.C. Berkeley and other college locations. Susskind responded with what has to be one of the most prophetic things that I've ever heard, when he said, "Well Bill, it won't be long until we liberals dominate the press, schools, courts, and religious organizations - because we are going to control their schools of higher learning."

As I indicated at the outset of this column, our nation is at a crucial juncture - and it is no accident that we find ourselves in this distressing predicament. Most of us either don't like, understand, or realize what has been deliberately taken from us in the form of lost freedoms. But the illusive "they" do!

Well, what can we do about it! In the movie Network, the actor Peter Finch played a news anchor, who in anger, told everyone to go to his or her doors and windows, open them, and yell these disturbing words - "I'm mad as h___, and I'm not going to take it anymore!" Maybe we should become angry enough to let the powers that be know how frustrated and outraged we've become - and rightly so.

When I was musing about what to write for this issue of the Valley Breeze while sitting in front of my trusty Gateway, I thought at first that I would dedicate this column to the 5th anniversary of “9/11.” However, the more I deliberated, as important as that date is to all of us as Americans, the more I knew that I had to record my thoughts about the now infamous August 29, 2006 Desert Hot Springs City Council meeting.

During this session, our illustrious Mayor, Alex Bias, put on a dazzling exhibition of as arrogant, duplicitous, and spiteful examples of how not to conduct oneself in a public setting. Also, it may have been one of the most egregious examples of personal attack that the city’s council meeting aficionados have ever seen. This extended display was not only a visibly painful attack on 2 women city employees, but also extremely rude to his fellow Councilors and the public that was in attendance at this meeting, what with the Mayor’s smirks and railing very noticeable in his “power-point” show.

While under a lengthy agenda item, the inconsiderate and boorish Mayor, long recognized for what he doesn’t know about being a leader, went into a protracted power-point presentation, where he chose to put on exhibition his complete lack of understanding about how local government functions. Added to that, would be the obtuse Mayor’s lack of sensitivity to both the City Manager and City Attorney’s aggravated frustration whenever his power-point diatribe would pose a question that they would answer over and over again. His malicious Spanish-Inquisition style interrogation of City Manager Gallant and City Attorney Eggebraten was a distasteful embarrassment for the entire city. When he attempted to prove how “cool” he thought he was being while waiting for answers to his attacks on these 2 women that he believed that he could refute, Mayor Bias displayed his disrespectful disdain for both his council colleagues and senior staff personal, by alternately whistling and humming under his breath.

This led to agenda item 10-F, where Council Member Parks made a motion to strip the Mayor of all of his intergovernmental relations activities in which Mr. Bias had represented Desert Hot Springs on regional government boards and committees. Council Member Hohenstein seconded the motion and it passed on a vote of 3 to 1, with the Mayor casting the lone “No” vote. In fact, the unreasonable and obstinate “city-leader” cast the lone dissenting “No” vote on all of the other 5 items under agenda item 10.

We’ve been hearing some rumors about Mayor Bias seeking legal help, especially from some groups such as NAACP. If being contemplated, that action would bring some unwarranted disgrace to his colleagues, city staff, and the entire community. I have never seen or heard anyone in our city’s government – either elected or employed, that has displayed any form of bigotry in my presence. The Mayor should throw away any misguided idea of using the race card in this instance. In stead he should get serious about addressing the people’s business and concerns about the city’s public safety needs, the growing traffic congestion, and the pressing need to annex to the I-10 – for starters.

In his zealousness to accomplish his version of “transparent” government, Mayor Bias has made several errors in judgment. The first, and perhaps most glaring gaffe is that he apparently has forgotten how to count to 3. Another noticeable failure is the Mayor’s apparent deficiency in knowing how much so-called “power” that he has at his disposal. Yet another glaring miscue is the very apparent degree of aggravation that senior staff people exhibit when he asks questions about the Mayor’s authority or on a point of meeting order, and then he argues with them.

I began this discourse on the disruption that Mayor Bias has palmed off on Desert Hot Springs, all in the name of a perception that the city has not tried to conduct its business in as open a way as humanly possible. Maybe the Mayor is protesting too much. Maybe we should be calling for an investigation of his activities as our city’s Mayor. In stripping Bias of his representing the city on regional boards and committees the Council acted judiciously, and by its action they hit the Mayor in the 2 places that he has shown an unquestionable weakness – his ego and his wallet - and rightly so.

According to The American Heritage Dictionary, the word “bombast” means: pompous speech or writing. I know of no one that fits that description better than that well-known “prince of bombast”, Bill Effinger. The clown-prince of “know-it-allism” has really shown his ignorance when he wrote his rant-like attack upon my early September Valley Breeze column.
In his “And Wrongly So” tirade, Effinger, apparently uninformed, missed the whole point of my column. In spite of the Effinger accusation that I’m “the poster boy for political spin”, the September A edition column was aimed at shedding some light on one of the root causes of Desert Hot Springs financial woes – namely the under-funded and mistake-ridden parcel tax. If he had been here in 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004, Effinger, like the rest of our townspeople, would have heard me point out at those budget meetings, the glaring fact that the consulting firm that the city employed made some errors causing the public safety tax, (nee the parcel tax), to put an immediate strain on the general fund budget, that became exacerbated over the next 5 budget years. In fact, I repeatedly attempted to replace the consulting firm that gave the Council the erroneous data and this was finally accomplished in mid 2002.
One of the major reasons that the Council that was seated during 2001 thru 2005 were unable to take this issue back to the voters to straighten out the parcel tax mess, was due to fact of the elected city leader’s unanimous decision (yes Bill, Bosworth was part of the unanimity) to file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection.
From the city’s birth in September 1963, Desert Hot Springs municipal government was always short of adequate revenue. Effinger has seemingly disregarded our city’s long history of being under-funded. For much of 2005, the Desert Hot Springs Public Safety Commission studied both the city’s needs for enough police coverage, fire protection, code enforcement, and animal control services and the city’s ability to fund these important public safety essentials. They considered the present city requirements for these services and looked to the future, and in making their report to the City Council; the Public Safety Commission recommended that the city’s elected leaders revisit the “Public Safety Tax” (parcel tax) by taking the issue back to the voters.
The shoot from the lip impresario of bamboozle, (the definition of which means: to take in by elaborate methods of deceit; hoodwink) reiterated much of what I pointed out in my Valley Breeze column – namely, that the parcel tax was under-funded. Then he went to the “Jerry Hanson well” again. Poor Mr. Effinger – he is so angry at the former City Manager for not hiring him as the city’s Economic Development Director, that he just can’t restrain his anger, frustration and bombast.
His “know-it-all-ship” made yet another gaffe, when he raised the matter of Community Facility Districts. The 2002 City Council considered CFDs in one of its planning sessions and was told that the city’s bankruptcy would not permit the formation of these districts at this time. That reminds me of an anecdote that displays further how self-important and overbearing the renowned “bombast” can be. In one of his first appearances before the City Council under the “public comments” section of a meeting held in early 2005, Effinger chided the Council to make sure that we included language in the City Charter, to enable the city to enter into for-profit business, just as San Marcos had. When I tried to point out the fact that not only was that language included in Desert Hot Springs’ charter, but that it was “boiler-plate” words found in most, if not all, recent city charters – he insisted that it was “special language,” and not even the City Attorney could dissuade him.
Then there was the “coup de gras” – he took me to task over my recommendation that the city think about raising the transient occupancy tax (TOT) from the present 10% to 12%. Effinger wrote, “One wonders why he didn’t do that while he was mayor.” Well Bill, it’s like this – do you remember in my last article where I scolded our present mayor that in his post that he had to keep in mind that he had to be able to count to 3? The TOT increase where “the city’s tourists should be paying the freight”, was no different. With both the 2001 to 2003 and 2003 to 2005 City Councils I had only 2 votes in favor of this increase, Mary Stephens and me.
As to finding “the myriad of heretofore hidden and calamitous errors” that were left by my administration, as a human being, I know I made mistakes, but they weren’t hidden Bill, they were live and on television on a lot of Tuesdays.
You just gotta do your homework better Effinger – and do a better job of having your facts right, not just your “bombastic” opinions – and rightly so.

Matt Weyuker is the immediate past and three term mayor of Desert Hot Springs, CA. -VB

When I was musing about what to write for this issue of the Valley Breeze while sitting in front of my trusty Gateway, I thought at first that I would dedicate this column to the 5^th anniversary of “9/11.” However, the more I deliberated, as important as that date is to all of us as Americans, the more I knew that I had to record my thoughts about the now infamous August 29, 2006 Desert Hot Springs City Council meeting.

During this session, our illustrious Mayor, Alex Bias, put on a dazzling exhibition of as arrogant, duplicitous, and spiteful examples of how not to conduct oneself in a public setting. Also, it may have been one of the most egregious examples of personal attack that the city’s council meeting aficionados have ever seen. This extended display was not only a visibly painful attack on 2 women city employees, but also extremely rude to his fellow Councilors and the public that was in attendance at this meeting, what with the Mayor’s smirks and railing very noticeable in his “power-point” show.

While under a lengthy agenda item, the inconsiderate and boorish Mayor, long recognized for what he doesn’t know about being a leader, went into a protracted power-point presentation, where he chose to put on exhibition his complete lack of understanding about how local government functions. Added to that, would be the obtuse Mayor’s lack of sensitivity to both the City Manager and City Attorney’s aggravated frustration whenever his power-point diatribe would pose a question that they would answer over and over again. His malicious Spanish-Inquisition style interrogation of City Manager Gallant and City Attorney Eggebraten was a distasteful embarrassment for the entire city. When he attempted to prove how “cool” he thought he was being while waiting for answers to his attacks on these 2 women that he believed that he could refute, Mayor Bias displayed his disrespectful disdain for both his council colleagues and senior staff personal, by alternately whistling and humming under his breath.

This led to agenda item 10-F, where Council Member Parks made a motion to strip the Mayor of all of his intergovernmental relations activities in which Mr. Bias had represented Desert Hot Springs on regional government boards and committees. Council Member Hohenstein seconded the motion and it passed on a vote of 3 to 1, with the Mayor casting the lone “No” vote. In fact, the unreasonable and obstinate “city-leader” cast the lone dissenting “No” vote on all of the other 5 items under agenda item 10.

We’ve been hearing some rumors about Mayor Bias seeking legal help, especially from some groups such as NAACP. If being contemplated, that action would bring some unwarranted disgrace to his colleagues, city staff, and the entire community. I have never seen or heard anyone in our city’s government – either elected or employed, that has displayed any form of bigotry in my presence. The Mayor should throw away any misguided idea of using the race card in this instance. In stead he should get serious about addressing the people’s business and concerns about the city’s public safety needs, the growing traffic congestion, and the pressing need to annex to the I-10 – for starters.

In his zealousness to accomplish his version of “transparent” government, Mayor Bias has made several errors in judgment. The first, and perhaps most glaring gaffe is that he apparently has forgotten how to count to 3. Another noticeable failure is the Mayor’s apparent deficiency in knowing how much so-called “power” that he has at his disposal. Yet another glaring miscue is the very apparent degree of aggravation that senior staff people exhibit when he asks questions about the Mayor’s authority or on a point of meeting order, and then he argues with them.

I began this discourse on the disruption that Mayor Bias has palmed off on Desert Hot Springs, all in the name of a perception that the city has not tried to conduct its business in as open a way as humanly possible. Maybe the Mayor is protesting too much. Maybe we should be calling for an investigation of his activities as our city’s Mayor. In stripping Bias of his representing the city on regional boards and committees the Council acted judiciously, and by its action they hit the Mayor in the 2 places that he has shown an unquestionable weakness – his ego and his wallet - and rightly so

It's been an oft repeated quote that those who don't, or won't, pay attention to history, are going to make the same mistakes again and again. Enter Desert Hot Springs which is once again suffering from financial problems and there are some in town who would like to either see the city disincorporate and have the city run by the Board of Supervisors, or have some other valley city absorb our community, or petition for, and conduct a divisive and malicious recall election. The promoters of these ill-thought out and misleading opinions haven't lived here long enough to know what has transpired in the mid to late 90s and the early part of this decade in the city's history.
For the above scenarios to take place, the Board of Supervisors or the leaders from any of the adjoining cities would have had to have sat in the desert summer sun too long. There's no way that either the county, Palm Springs, or Cathedral City would take over the city's $11 Million + bond debt. In both the county's and/or adjacent cities assimilation situation, there would be the following caveat: those of us that live within the existing city boundaries would have to continue paying the bonded indebtedness ad nauseum, even though technically speaking, we'd be under some other jurisdiction.
Now to my deductions, (a little Sherlock Holmes speak), on why and how our city got into this fiscal predicament. In November 1999 the voters had chosen 3 new City Councilors - Jan Pye, Greg Ruppert, and Mary Stephens, with Gary Bosworth as the lone holdover, and me as Mayor. Early in 2000 the city was still reeling from the near devastating lay offs of 1998-99. In March 2000 I called for a series of 3 "Town Hall" meetings that were held in the high school's theater. The Council contracted with an outside consulting firm to research the feasibility of a parcel tax, later called the "public safety tax." This information was introduced at these give and take sessions.
The Council had an interim City Manager who would leave in April and then we opted to have Rob Parkins, former City Manager of Palm Springs, who was at that time the Deputy Chief Executive Officer for Riverside County, fill-in as the part-time, interim City Manager at no cost to the city.
After considerable community input, the Council decided on "Plan 1" that was supposed to provide the city treasury with $1.15 million in additional revenue - the lowest cost for any type of property owner, residential, commercial, or industrial, for the June 6, 2000 election. According the consulting firm, the "public safety tax" was supposed to be augmented by an equal amount from the city's general fund to make revenue available for public safety - police, fire, code enforcement, and animal control. Along with this important ballot initiative was the first extension of the utility users tax. Both issues were decided with a resounding YES by 80% of the 42% voter turnout!
But under the heading of "the best laid plans", the parcel tax has NEVER accomplished the aforementioned goal of 50% public safety tax-50% general fund city income. Why, you ask? Well, gentle reader, the answer is that the consultants contracted by and for the city, made some horrendous errors! Their figures included property either not within the city or property that was exempt from property tax such as churches. Instead of the city receiving the $1.15 million, it garnered about $700,000! The 2004-05 fiscal year budget had the city spending $4,577,608 for public safety. The public safety tax provided around $1.2 million, with a whopping $3.3 million and change, being squeezed out of the hackneyed general fund budget. Last year's budget was about the same, with a mistake-ridden, paltry 25% being derived from the public safety tax and 75% drawn from the over-worked general fund. This series of under-funded parcel tax gaffes add up to over $10 million that had to be made-up out of the general fund budget!Add to the at least $10 million, the nearly $1 million that the city was required to pay to CALPers, as the result of the outcome of a statewide peace officer lawsuit that was adjudicated in 2004, plus the nearly $550,000 that was part of a settlement with 2 employees that had sued the city, and you have a recipe for fiscal disaster.
Had the consultant's research been conducted correctly, I don't believe that the city would be in this financial muddle where they have had to go to laying off some valuable employees. Yes, we the residents of the City of Desert Hot Springs, deserve to have these vital public safety services, but the city's leadership urgently needs to address the public safety tax fiasco before it's too late. While they're at "fixing things that need fixing" - they should seriously consider having the city's tourists "paying the freight" for some of the city's services by increasing the "bed tax" (transit occupancy tax - TOT) from the current 10% to 12% - and rightly so.
__________________________________________________________________

This column will deal with more than one subject, yet it will deal with the multi-faceted word, "leadership." One of the definitions of a "leader" found in Webster's defines it as "a primary shoot of a plant or a tree, the main artery through which an organism lives and thrives."
The City Council is apparently contemplating appointing some Desert Hot Springs activist to fill the vacancy caused by Gary Bosworth's premature and unfortunate demise. I think that the city would be best served if the person appointed, be an interim selection - one who would not seek to be elected in next March's special election. This appointment is critical and will mean a great deal for not only the city's governance, but for its image in the valley. Then in March 2007, the voters can select a person that best fits the above description of "leader."
It's apparently Henny Penny - the sky is falling-time in Desert Hot Springs again, just in time for what was looking like a slow summer for the valley's media. Our new City Manager, Ann-Marie Gallant announced, while the Mayor and his fellow Councilors were in meetings in Monterey, in July 27th’s Desert Sun, that growth had slowed to the tune of 28% fewer development dollars that would lead to some draconian cuts in the budget and layoffs of the part-time and seasonal employees. (By the way - have any of you ever seen a draconian?)
All of us, as municipality budget fans, recollect that the revenue derived from development taking place within our community is mandated by state statutes, to be expended as restricted funds, within the city's planning, engineering, and/or building departments. Well then, why all the hoopla emanating from the City Managers office, when it's clear that the growth slow down has nothing to do with the problem at hand.
If the city coffers are suffering from the age-old Italian malady called "fundsalo", as the Desert Hot Springs community leaders, the City Council should consider showing leadership by taking the following actions: reduce all discretionary, non-essential spending; think about going to the voters during the election to fill deceased Councilor Bosworth's un-expired term, as several other valley cities have, and ask the electorate to increase the "bed-tax" that tourists pay from the present rate of 10% to 12%. If I remember correctly, this rate was established around 20 years ago.
Another little factoid for us to ponder is that the public safety (parcel tax) tax is due to expire in 3 to 4 years, and if that revenue were to vanish, our community would be in a world of hurt.
I would also suggest that our leaders consider going to our people and asking them to amend and extend the public safety tax for an additional ten years and increase the rate of the tax in increments of 10% every five years in order to generate enough revenue to fund our growing community's need for more police and fire personnel.
It seems that part of the city's fiscal deficit was caused by some avoidable unbudgeted expenditures - namely the two employees who were let go for a variety of reasons, and who later sued the city for discriminatory employment practices. The Council by a vote of four to one (Councilor Mary Stephens casting the lone "no" vote), agreed to pay Ernie Calderon $300,000, plus he got his job back earning between $52,737 and $64,103, plus back pay and benefits; Richard De la Cruz received $150,000, plus he returned to his job paying between $50,450 and $61,322, plus back pay and benefits. All together the staggering settlement figure is closer to $550,000 than the original arrangement of $450,000 as reported by the media.
This "boiler-plate" settlement that said by accepting these terms, that neither side was admitting any liability, was yet another example of Mayor Bias just not getting it! Our neophyte Mayor was quoted in the valley newspaper as having said the following about the settlement, "Anytime that there's a settlement, it does infer that there was some culpability on the part of the city. They received a settlement. So obviously, in receiving a settlement, we as a city simply didn't give that to them because they asked for it. What I'm saying when we are culpable (is) if we’re not we wouldn't have given them anything."
I couldn't believe that Mayor Bias would be so unknowledgeable, show so little leadership, and be so unaware of his "open mouth-insert foot" statement that could later on, cause the city to be in a lot of financial trouble. Why, you may ask? It's really very simple - the next time some disgruntled former city employee gets ticked off for what ever reason and wants to sue the city, the lawyers will be standing in a long line to emulate what the aforementioned two former city employees received by way of a settlement. The above word-for-word quote is the antithesis of any definition of "leader."
You know what they say - 99% of the lawyers give the rest of them a bad name - and rightly so.

In his treatise entitled “The Law,” French economist and statesman Frederic Bastiat propounds a very strong case for “The law is justice.” As part of his line of reasoning, Bastiat contends that “the mission of the law is not to oppress persons and plunder them of their property, even though the law may be acting in a philanthropic spirit. Its mission is to protect persons and property.” Apparently he hadn’t heard about the Coachella Valley Multi Species Habitat Conservation Plan (CVMSHCP) or the term, “political correctness.”

Among the “politically correct” dogmas being spread like the manure that it is, is the henny-penny-the-sky-is-falling mantra of “global warming.” The media is rife with how the polar ice caps are melting and that the weather has been warmer in the past three years, etc. After all, hasn’t the “inventor of the internet”, Al Gore, told us this scary news in both his book and movie?

Let’s look at some facts that pretty much dispel this “chilling” myth. Our planet has two major ice sheets that cover much of Greenland and most of Antarctica. The sea ice melt has caught the media’s attention, but it’s the land ice that is far more important to this “global warming” alarm. The sea ice is already in the water, so its melting doesn’t raise ocean water levels. However, the land sheet is a different melting problem, because if the large masses of ice sheets of Greenland and/or Antarctica were to begin melting, we could indeed be selling underwater property in Florida and other places on the Earth – but it isn’t!

The facts won’t, or don’t, stand up to the light of science that pooh-poohs the land ice sheets melting away. Professor Michaels, a University of Virginia climate scientist, says that just the opposite is happening on Antarctica, “What has happened is that Antarctica has been gaining ice.” He explains that there has been a cooling trend over most of Antarctica for decades. In fact this frigid landmass has grown by 45 billion tons of ice per year between 1992 and 2003 – I get cold just thinking about this huge amount of ice! In fact, we have temperature records that were released by the publication Geophysical Research that show that the increase in Greenland’s warmth was about 50% higher between 1920 and 1930 than the “hot” year 2003, that has the “global warming” aficionados and their media buddies foaming at the mouth.

I’ve made a particular point of sharing this information with you, because of my deep concern about “we the people” being sold out by some in our wonderfully beautiful Coachella Valley who brandish the sword of leadership and threaten those that oppose them about the scientifically flawed CVMSHCP – all in the name of “political correctness.”
CVAG and their environmentalist allies have let it be known that they are for sale, and have allowed certain developments to be constructed on here-to-fore sacrosanct fringe toed lizard habitat, all it took was “mitigation” money and they looked the other way. Yes, I’m again talking about the `huge Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club sitting on a chunk of fringe-toed lizard “blow-sand” property in Palm Desert that’s adjacent to the I-10 freeway at Monterey. What’s not being talked about, in order for the media to remain “politically correct,” is that there’s not 1 acre out of the almost 4,500 acres that the CVMSHCP takes that contain the “blow-sand” that this mysterious lizard needs to propagate and survive. These so-called Valley leaders, as well as the media, don’t really give “two hoots and a holler” whether or not our city thrives or even survives. So much for honesty.

Mr. Bastiat closes his powerfully straightforward little book with the following compelling statement – “God has given to men all that is necessary for them to accomplish their destinies. . . And now that legislators and do-gooders have so futilely inflicted so many systems upon society, may they finally end where they should have begun: May they reject all systems, and try liberty, for liberty is an acknowledgement of faith in God and His works.” – and rightly so.

The ink wasn't even dry on the minutes of the Desert Hot Springs City Council's special meeting of June 20th, when CVAG was on the phone talking with city officials with its version of "Let's make a deal."

What CVAG, with its media, eco-terrorist groups, the 2 state and federal fish and wildlife agencies, and 2 County Supervisors supporters couldn't win though intimidation, they are now dangling some "carrots" in front of the resolute "No" voters on our Council. This shoddy and inappropriate behavior by CVAG and its allies toward our city is inexcusable!

In the "negotiations" that took place before the initial May 15th deadline, Desert Hot Springs did not receive one of its requests from CVAG, the "environmentalists", and/or the aforementioned government agencies - not one! When the new City Manager Ann-Marie Gallant, installed a new negotiating team devoid of any City Council representation, CVAG extended the prior May 15th deadline to June 20th, with the same result - nothing! CVAG and its backers in essence told our city officials that they had offered Desert Hot Springs its best and final offer and now want to make a deal. How inanely untrustworthy is that proposition?

Even The Desert Sun, in its June 22nd editorial admitted that the proposed Coachella Valley Multi Species Habitat Conservation Plan (CVMSHCP) cuts Desert Hot Springs n half. Under this latest iteration of the CVMSHCP, our city loses almost 4500 acres of developable acreage! Entering into another round of "negotiations" with the redoubtably deceitful CVAG and its co- conspirator eco-thugs is simply not in the best interests of our community.

In approving the CVMSHCP by a vote of 4 to 1, (Councilman Mike Wilson cast the lone dissenting vote), Indio's Mayor Pro-Tem Ben Godfrey said something really ludicrous when he uttered something about the plan being "flawed", then he added, "The Constitution of the United States is a flawed document, it's been amended 27 times - if the Constitution can be amended, so can this (the CVMSHCP)."
Well, apparently Mayor Pro-Tem Godfrey, along with countless others, hasn't read the small print in this "flawed" document.

If Mr. Godfrey and the others involved in this rather farcical series-of-events, had taken the time to peruse the "imperfect" text, he and they would have found that it cannot be amended! The CVMSHCP is a contract between the valley cities, Riverside County, the environmentalists, and the 2 state and federal fish and wildlife agencies. The multi-agreed-to contract establishes yet another layer of beaurocracy called The Coachella Valley Conservation Commission (CVCC).

Fred Bell, a spokesman for the valley's Building Industry Association (BIA), said that by refusing to pass the CVMSHCP, the Desert Hot Springs City Council was "turning control over to the big agencies and giving up local control." Apparently, he too hasn't read the small print. If the City Council had capitulated to the heavy-handed pressure being exerted by outside forces, and voted to accept the unreasonable conditions of the agreement, they would have found, as I did, that the CVCC would become the development decision maker. That doesn't sound much like "local control", does it.

This "flawed" plan runs 180 degrees away from a time honored American ideal - the right to own property - part of the greatly valued "American dream." The CVMSHCP is simply the most spitefully aggressive move that I've ever seen taken against small landowners, as well as the City of Desert Hot Springs! This - all in the name of putting human being rights in second place behind those of some desert critters and weeds. Councilman Hank Hohenstein was right when he said that the small property owner was the real endangered species. As far as the "let's make a deal" baloney, our city leaders will be well advised to not fall for anymore CVAG/eco-terrorist/other layers of government claptrap - and rightly so.

For some inane reason, the Desert Hot Springs City Council will come under fire no matter how they vote on the Multi Species Habitat Conservation Plan (MSHCP) - but vote on it they must. This will be one of the most important votes that our city’s elected representatives will ever cast. It will affect both the growth and financial future of our community, as well as the quality of life of its residents.

Let’s take a look at what’s at stake presently for Desert Hot Springs and its 24,000+ residents. The MSHCP is a “lose-lose” situation for the already over-taxed people who reside in our city. According to one study undertaken that used fiscal year 2002-03 statistics, as well as the city’s general plan that was approved in late 2001, if approved, the “multi-specious” plot, would deny the City of Desert Hot Springs the right to have almost 6,600 acres of residential land developed. The per capita property and sales tax three years ago was $70.97, and the number of people in each household was 2.847 – translated into population lost 18,745, and lost revenue within the city limits - equals $1,330,333.

When included, the so-called “sphere of influence” that the city is supposedly entitled to, that acreage figure balloons to over 14,600 acres! No other Valley city is hit that hard! Nearly 23,000 residents would be settling elsewhere in the Valley instead of residing in one of the prime living areas in the desert. Using the above formula, the lost “sphere” acreage revenue would add up to $1,626,136. When we include the commercial, light industrial, and energy related property those figures grow exponentially. The study’s total as almost $1.5 million annually that will not wind up in the city’s treasury, and when the sphere of influence land is included, that figure grows to a whopping $5.8 million! Over the 75 years of the “multi-specious” plan, that yearly figure converts to over $111 million within the city-limits and within the “sphere”, over $544 million!

The MSCHP would require the city to “set aside” far more land for “conservation” than under current law and/or regulations stipulate. The MSHCP would provide the means for the state and federal wildlife agencies to exceed the requirements of current regulations when identifying private property to be “set aside” for the “protection of so-called endangered species.” Without the proposed MSHCP, public and private projects would follow current regulations to determine the amount of land they would be required to “set aside.” These regulations, under the state and federal Endangered Species Act, call for the set aside or replacement of land only when: endangered species are found to occupy a project area; or when a project triggers the need for a “consultation,” because it either involves federal funding or a federal permit before proceeding.

As to the private property owner, their U.S. Constitutional rights to own land and be fairly compensated for the property if the “government” says that it wants it, are not only being abridged – they are being violated! I know of several Desert Hot Springs property owners who would be hurt financially if the city’s elected leaders vote to approve the MSHCP.The City Council has scheduled a “town hall” meeting for Saturday, June 17^,2006, at the Carl May Center. You should probably call City Hall (329-6400, ext. 101) to learn the time that it is scheduled to start. All of us that can attend this vital meeting should be there and let the Council know how we feel about the “multi-specious” plan.

Do you remember being asked the question by your parents or some other adult, when you were young, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I know that I do – both our lives and the lives of the people we care about rarely turn out as once envisioned.

Desert Hot Springs – what do want to be when you grow up? Do you want to be the only city in the Valley that doesn’t touch the I-10? Do you want to be a poor bedroom community with no future? Or, do you want to be a charming, safe, cutting-edge, spa-destination city, complete with an intelligent balance of residential, commercial, entertainment, educational, and artistic venues?

On the home front, where was our Mayor when he wasn’t present for 2 important votes, one on the matter of a 6-month extension of the current Interim Police Chief’s contract, the other an important vote on the habitat plan. We were told only that he was attending a conference at city expense in New Orleans. If it wasn’t imperative that our Mayor be half way across the country attending “a conference,” then why in the name of common sense did he travel there? “We the people” deserve to know the answers to these, and other inquiries, otherwise it will lead to the demise of our city’s “transparent” government. We demand some answers - and rightly so.

Then again, when we were young, we didn’t have the shackles of political correctness, disabling our ability to speak out when there are iniquities. Currently for DHS inequities are all around us, especially as they pertain to the ill-conceived “multi-specious” plan. Among my dissatisfactions is the feeling that I have that somehow we are being forced into making excuses for being a human being, while at the same time, we humans are being vilified if we don’t hold with the view that the 27 critters and weeds that are being “protected” under this expensive 75 year plan are worth sacrificing one city’s hopes and dreams of a prosperous tomorrow.

Now we get word of the Sierra Club and Center for Biological Diversity’s petition to the U.S. Dept. of the Interior to have the rarely seen Palm Springs Pocket Mouse placed on the so-called “endangered species” list. This latest action shows how desperate these eco-terrorists are! They have thrust their latest blackmail demands smack-dab in the middle of some very complicated and fragile negotiations that are going on between CVAG and the environmental-whackos on one side and the cities of Cathedral City, Desert Hot Springs and Indio on the other side of the parleying table. These are the same people who have deliberately stood in the way of improvements to several Valley I-10 interchange improvements and traffic-relieving overpass widenings at the Indian Ave., Palm Dr./Gene Autry Tr., Date Palm Dr., and Bob Hope/Ramon Rd. freeway crossing points, causing the costs to escalate to beyond double over the last 7 years.

We should be demanding answers of CVAG, the County, those governmental bureaucrats that are supposedly in the employ of, “We the people”, at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Agency and California Dept. of Fish and Game, regarding the political-pressure games that are thriving, even as personal property rights are being ignored and diminished, regarding the Valley’s ballyhooed “multi-specious” plan. Questions like, “If the plan has been studied for 11 years, how is it that it comes at a time when the cities of Palm Desert and Rancho Mirage are building huge commercial projects on blow-sand acreage near the I-10 freeway?” Or, “Why have the impressively balanced growth and planned expansions into their respective “spheres of influence” of the cities of Desert Hot Springs and Indio being threatened by 2 County Supervisors, if those cities don’t approve the plan?” Or, “Why are CVAG, the County, the Mountain Conservancy and Palm Desert pushing the 9 cities to approve the plan?” Or, “Why is it that if the plan is approved in its present form, that Desert Hot Springs and Indio lose the most acreage, while Palm Desert loses less than 200 acres?” Or, “If Eagle Mountain and its projected trash dumping site is being litigated ad-infinitum, why is it’s thousand’s of acres still being included in the “multi-specious” plan?” I could go on and on with these significant queries – but I think you get the picture.

I think that if we were to ask a Coachella Valley property owner a similar question, such as, “What do you think your property will be worth when the Valley cities, in conjunction with CVAG, Riverside County, and the environmentalists, get thru approving the “multi-specious” plan?” To the Desert Hot Springs City Council I’m sorely tempted to ask the following, “What will you do for revenue when the 4500 acres that are currently in the “plan” physically divides your city, stops important development projects, restricts the needed repair to roadways, defeats the city’s ability to garner the new West Valley campus of C.O.D., and in doing so, backs the city up against the municipal bankruptcy wall again?”

_________________________________________________________________________________

During the month of April we experienced, (not celebrated), getting bitten hard financially by multi-layers of government with the payment of our property taxes, state and federal income taxes, $3+ at the gas pump, and the ever increasing costs for “government controlled” services. However, what we shamefully missed last month, in our busily filled days of “political correctness”, was the honoring of the man, who at age 33, wrote the bulk of the renowned Declaration of Independence and served as our nation’s 3rd President – Thomas Jefferson.
Depending on whose data is more correct, President Jefferson was either born on April 16, 1743 or April 19th of the same year. Most of us remember the story of his death. When he lay dieing at his beloved Monticello on the 50th anniversary of our country’s beginning (July 4, 1826), he thought that his old friend and political adversary, 2nd President John Adams, was still alive. Ironically, President Adams also died on that fateful day.
The reason for my bringing up this appalling oversight is two-fold. Thomas Jefferson should have been memorialized in some way by “we the people” or the media for the enormous impact of his service to his country and to the force, eloquence and relevance of his words that have stood the test of time and still reverberate 200+ years later. On one of the 4 panels that adorn the beautifully majestic Jefferson Memorial are these words: “God who gave us life gave us liberty. Can the liberties of a nation be secure when we have removed a conviction that these liberties are the gift of God? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, that his justice cannot sleep forever.”
In the years since, our nation’s highest court has decreed that “we the people” have the unwritten-in-the-U.S. Constitution civil rights of “freedom of expression” and the “right of privacy.” Over the last 40 years we have strayed from Mr. Jefferson’s warning that God’s “justice cannot sleep forever,” by permitting the burning of the U.S. flag and the permitting of prurient pornography as being merely “freedom of expression,” and the infanticide called “abortion rights” as only being a women’s “right of privacy.”
Thanks in part to the disloyal American (sic) Civil Liberties Union and other amoral segments of the increasingly dangerous “secularist movement,” anything having to do with God has been forced out of our daily lives (other than our churches and homes) by both Appellate and U.S. Supreme Court rulings. Prayer in schools, local government meetings, and/or certain scholastic sporting events, Nativity scenes, any and all references to God, (the 10 Commandments statuary in court houses and other government buildings) have been deemed to be an affront to individuals who believe that there is no God, and our State and/or National unaccountable-to-the-people-courts have removed any mention of God from these venues, including city seals that depict the historic beginnings of those communities.
Hypocritically, each and every day that the U.S. Supreme Court convenes, they intone the following, “God Bless this court!” Each and every day that the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate meet, their sessions are opened with prayer. Yet, neither the we-have-the-job-for-life Judicial, or the elected, therefore-responsible-to-the-people, Legislative branches of our government have given any indication that they will take any action to resolve this obvious disparity that runs in direct opposition to Thomas Jefferson’s reproving question, “Can the liberties of a nation be secure when we have removed a conviction that these liberties are a gift of God?”
In our zeal to erect an impenetrable wall between “Church and State,” we Americans have created intolerances for, and toward, anything having to do with the invoking of a Creator as the One responsible for the blessings of liberty that have been poured out upon the United States of America. Are we “perfect?” No way – we’ve made mistakes, that’s for sure! I for one am ashamed at the way some people, and especially our governments, at all levels, have treated minorities. But, America is the last best hope for mankind
There is a particularly germane quote from the President that history has dubbed, “The Great Communicator,” Ronald Reagan, that sums up the foundation upon which the United States of America was brought into existence. “I’ve always believed that we were, each of us, put here for a reason, that there is a plan, a divine plan for all of us. – I also believe this blessed land was set apart in a very special way, a country created by men and women who came here not in the search of gold, but in search of God. They would be free people, living under the law with faith in their Maker and their future.”

...... And rightly so!

I’ve a confession that I have to make to you, readers of this great local newspaper - I was tempted to title this iteration of And Rightly So, “Alex in Blunderland” - but rethought it and wound up fighting off the impulse. That is not to say that this column will not point out a number of errors in judgment and lack of leadership on the part of our city’s Mayor that have taken place during his 5 month empirical reign.
Mayor Bias hyped his recent run for election on the need for a “transparent” municipal government in Desert Hot Springs. However, contrary to Alex’s campaign rhetoric, he wasn’t being “transparent” when he listed a prominent developer as his home mortgage holder on his FPPC form 700. When the well known mortgage holder/builder’s developments come before the Mayor and City Council for approval, the “transparent” Mayor should make it a point to recuse himself. Just as he accused Jerry Hansen, the former City Manager , of listing his property near what is now the Skyborne Project on his form 700 as not being enough “transparency” - Mayor Bias should apologize to the residents and voters of our community for his not being more “transparent.”
Then we have his “Yes” vote on the CVAG/Mountain Conservancy sponsored and County Board of Supervisor’s lobbied initiative - the Coachella Valley Multi Species Habitat Conservation Plan (CVMSHCP) - at the CVAG Executive Committee in early March. Although the Desert Hot Springs City Council voted 3 to 2 to oppose the “plan” and instructed the Mayor to cast a “No” vote at that important meeting, Bias rebelliously ignored the Council’s direction. Mayor Bias should have used his “leadership” position as Mayor to convince his Council colleagues to change their vote and then he could have ethically voted “yes” on the CVMSHCP - although in approving the “plan”, the heavily-influenced-by-the-east-valley regional government - CVAG - and the cities who vote for it, would no doubt callously cripple a number of major essential projects within the city and its sphere of influence.
This “multi specious” plan has been expensively lingering around CVAG for over 11 years. Have you, or for that matter, the Valley’s leaders ever stopped to think of why this so-called environmental scheme has been lingering on the back burner for so long a time? Could it be that some of the “plan’s” critics have pointed out the blackmail aspects that is in the small print of the 75 year land grab? Nevertheless, to quote the Desert Post Weekly’s “Desert Rat” column-“but, I digress.”
Earlier in Bias’ term as Mayor, there was the matter of Valley icon, the legendary Corky Larsen, who courageously stepped in as the Interim City Manager when former City Manager Jerry Hansen suddenly announced his retirement last July. Bias embarrassed the city, his colleagues, and himself, when in a pique of frustration with what he didn’t know about being Mayor, he continually lashed out at the former County Supervisor at public meetings, so much so, that Corky resigned the post at the end of last December. To quote a former City Manager, who was an integral part of a Cindy Uken‘s Desert Sun column about how Bias’ mortgage holder had filed the necessary foreclosure court documents on the Bias home, because the Mayor had not made a mortgage payment in 16 months, “He (Bias) doesn’t have a clue about what’s entailed in being a city Mayor.” Maybe Alex should have pursued getting a job instead of running for Mayor.
There have been so many other instances of the Mayor’s defiant attitudinal blunders that I won’t cite any others - but you get the picture. Suffice it to say that enough is enough! Don’t take this personally, Alex - but I think you should consider resigning before you become more of an embarrassment to yourself, your Council colleagues, and our city - and rightly so.

________________________________________________________________________________

There may be other town-folk old enough to remember the song “On the Atchison, Topeka, and the Santa Fe,” from the movie, “The Harvey Girls,” besides Marlene and me, possibly “veteran citizens” like John Furbee, John Santucci, Jack Webb, maybe even our own redoubtable Buzz Gambill. Be that as it may, the following parody of this “railroad” classic fits rather nicely with my opinion of the Coachella Valley Multi Species Habitat Conservation Plan (CVMSHCP). Here she comes – down the track!

“Do yuh hear that whistle down the line? I figure that it’s conservation plan number 49, It’s the only one that sounds that way, When CVAG, County Supervisors, Mountain Conservancy folks have their say.”

“See the ol’ smoke risin’ round the bend, I reckon the traffic’s snarled at the ramps to the ten, Folks around these parts find themselves in a spot, About CVAG, County Supervisors, Mountain Conservancy and their multi-species plot.” “Here she comes! Ooh, ooh, ooh,” etc.

The CVMSHCP creates so many problems for Desert Hot Springs that it’s pretty difficult to know where to begin – but begin we must! For openers, the “Plan” calls for oversight of future city development by a “joint powers authority” Coachella Valley Conservation Commission (CVCC-CVAG) by virtue of a CVMSHCP Implementing Agreement between CVAG, local jurisdictions, (Valley cities & the county), the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, CA Dept. of Fish & Game (the Wildlife Agencies). This “accountability” feature is to assure the “Wildlife Agencies” that the cities & county are not free to implement the plan any way they choose to. The plan is written in such a way that the “Wildlife Agencies” ARE the Coachella Valley’s ultimate land-use authority for the next 75 years!

Next, let’s examine the direct impact on Desert Hot Springs. For almost a decade the “eco-terrorists” have held our city, and the rest of the west Valley hostage, in-so-far-as the long-needed infrastructure improvements to the Indian Ave/Palm Dr.-Gene Autry Trail/Date Palm on/off ramps and overpass widening at the I-10 freeway. The controversy? - The “blow-sand” for the infamous fringe-toed lizard. But, if either CVAG or the yet-to-be-finalized CVCC-CVAG comes up with the “mitigation” dollars (read – blackmail money), the “eco-terrorists” would back off on their “concern” for this phantom desert critter and the traffic snarls along these busy intersections along the I-10 would be ameliorated.

Then, we have the land that the plan calls to be “taken” from the city’s future – over 5,000 acres, one of the most in the Valley!
It covers the gamut – from residential to commercial to industrial. The proposed acreage to be placed under the CVCC-CVAG joint authority literally cuts a large swath through the center of town, in so doing dividing the city in half! It keeps our community from being able to compete for the prized west Valley College of the Desert campus, as the land that has been earmarked for this new education village lies directly in the path of the CVMSHCP juggernaut.

There’s also the city’s potential loss of huge amounts of property and sales tax revenues. Beyond that conundrum, who will pay for the city’s inability to maintain its roadways and arterials? Off-site improvement fees, normally paid by developers, won’t be available if the “plan” is adopted, because of the non-development aspects of the “plan.” There is also a most troublesome piece of the “plan” – for every 10 acres “taken” 1 acre would be developable. How would that be possible, if the property under consideration for a building site would be deemed to be some critter or weed’s habitat?

What about the 2 Valley Supervisor’s (Ashley & Wilson) threats of retaliation should any city within their respective districts oppose the “plan?” For both of them to utter the same warning to the cities within their jurisdiction vis-à-vis assistance with annexation, roadways, freeway overpasses, healthcare problems and other important issues, smacks of juvenile vindictiveness and is beneath both of these otherwise fine public servants.

Doesn’t it seem odd to you that the almost “built-out” cities in our Valley lose very little “take-acreage?” Haven’t all of us experienced powdery “blow-sand” in many of these communities? There are some legal questions that come to mind about Measure A tax dollars that are supposed to be used for new road construction and roadway maintenance being used to pay the aforementioned “mitigation.”

The Conservation Plan train is fast moving down the track – and it’s heading for Desert Hot Springs! With Indio leading the way, our city’s leaders should choose the right course of action for Desert Hot Spring’s future, and vote a resounding NO on this specious plan – and rightly so.

________________________________________________________________________________

For all of us “ancient” U. S. history fans, I’d like to hearken back to Samuel F. B. Morse’s invention of the telegraph, and his famous message sent May 24, 1844, “What hath God wrought?” Paraphrase that to today’s outcry of, “What hath the Desert Hot Springs voter’s wrought?”

Mayor Bias didn’t receive a mandate from the voters; he defeated Councilor Mary Stephens by the narrowest of margins, a mere 31 votes, 865 to 834. This translates to a little under 35% and means that 65% of the nearly 2500 ballots cast didn’t vote for Bias. His feud with then Interim City Manager Corky Larsen, and Interim City Attorney Toni Engebraaten about his “authority and powers” has made Bias a laughing stock and embarrassment to our town’s citizenry, as well as throughout the Valley.

Why then, Mr. Bias, did you run for Mayor? Did you run thinking you could do whatever you wanted? Did you not research Mayoral authority and responsibilities prior to your decision to seek this vital-to-the city’s-future highest elected office? By running for Mayor, did you do so at the request of recall leaders, or have you thrown-in with a certain long-time Councilman to get Councilors Hohenstein and Stephens recalled? Who else do you “owe”, and what will it cost the city’s taxpayers for your November “squeaker” and other questionable actions?

Mr. Mayor, what’s with your last-minute antics about hiring an executive-search firm to employ the next City Manager? Hasn’t your Council Rasputin-like mentor informed you that the last 2 City Council’s utilized 2 such firms to hire the last 2 City Managers Guzzetta and Hansen? Haven’t you yet realized, that aside from chairing Council meetings, appointing your fellow Council Members to regional boards and commissions (with Council ratification), and representing the city at ribbon-cuttings, etc, that you’re just 1 vote? The voter- approved City Charter defines Desert Hot Springs’ governance as a “City Manager-City Council” form of government – I ought to know – I “borrowed” the language from Palm Desert! It isn’t absolute rule!

If your only tool is a hammer, then every problem looks like a nail.
I’ve heard from 3 prominent developers via email in the last couple of weeks, each of them have made sizeable investments in Desert Hot Springs. All of them have expressed concern with the dearth of stable, local leadership, and their apprehension about the attempted recall.

The Coachella Valley is growing and quickly. Those “in-the-know” point to the governmental stability of Palm Desert, La Quinta, and Rancho Mirage as being the major ingredient for those community’s successes, especially in bringing quality commercial and residential development to their respective cities. Desert Hot Springs is unique in its geographic location. We’re at the entrance of both the Coachella Valley and high desert, and that fact cries out for some spectacular projects. The city has overcome huge problems in the last few years, including prevailing in establishing financial stability after filing for bankruptcy protection in December 2001, creating a professional atmosphere in City Hall, initiating an increase in public safety personnel, and preparing for the exciting future that awaits our community by fashioning an innovative comprehensive master plan.
The foundation having been poured, Desert Hot Springs is ready for its next exciting phase to begin – all we need, and have the right to expect, is sound leadership – and rightly so.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

December A 2005 ~ We, who are privileged to be citizens of this great country, just finished celebrating our nation’s wondrous holiday – Thanksgiving. This day which was set-aside for us to stop and reflect on how truly blessed we are, was established by the legendary President Abe Lincoln. In this, my last Straight Talk column, I would like to take this opportunity to express my thanks and appreciation to many of the good people, my City Council peers, and city employees that live and work in our community – I just could not have shouldered the diverse Mayoral responsibilities without your help.

Permit me to start out in my long list of people I wish to single out for some well-earned appreciation, by asking your indulgence if I omit your name – it’s not intentional. The Desert Hot Springs residents and/or business people who come to mind for a huge “thank you,” are the following: the late Paul Allen & Vera Gilles, Angelo & Rula Avramides, Rabbi Alon Barok, Mike & Lynn Bickford, Bill & Charlotte Bivens, Fred & Leanna Bonamici, Jeff Bowman, Pastor Jose Cervantes & wife Joan, Ron Cook, Dick & Sandra Cromwell, LaVita Dillman, Randy Duncan John Furbee, George “Buzz” & Suzanne Gambill, Pastor Gary Geesey & wife Charlotte, Mary Gibson, Jessica Gilbert, Eduardo & Isabel Guerrero, Tom & Marilyn Heidrick, Frank & Judy Hodge, Susan Hohenstein, Dave Hoopes, Bill Houston, Dennis & Adele James, Mary & Franny Johnson, Ripple Justice, Dorothy “Teddy” Kovach, Pastor Lorna Lazovsky & husband Dan, the late “Doc” Tad Lonergan, Walt Luce, Bob Mayer, Father Ed McGinnis, Pastor Paul Miller & wife Karen, Adrian Miracle, Courtney & Audrey Moe, Tom & Dolly Moen, Pastor Bruce Montgomery & wife Connie, John “Whitey” & Gloria Morgan, Pastor Anthony Murphy & wife Kathy, Charlie & Jane Nocella, Pastor Joyce Okert, Frank & Yvonne Parks, Frank & Norma Persina, Colleen Peters & Joe Farber - her “plumber”, Pastor Steve Petri, Trenalee Pieper, Dot Reed, Republican Women’s Club, Marshall Roseborough, John (Sr) & Gloria Santucci, John (Jr) & Barbara Santucci, Bonnie Scott, Mike & JoLynn Slaughter, Steve Sobotta, Dr. Paul Steier & Tineka Ossman, Mike Stephens, Dr. Joseph & Frances Struzzo, Joe & Christine Watson, Jack & Barbara Webb, Collette Woods, the men & women of the Christian Ministerial Fellowship of Desert Hot Springs, and my wife Marlene. There were times that I called on each of you, and more often than not you didn’t let me down. Desert Hot Springs is a much better place in which to live, work, worship, and enjoy, thanks to your efforts – I’ll never forget any of you.

Our city has been a source of media, pseudo-experts, and blog criticism in recent times. Apparently, none of them remember “the good ole days” when the city was operated on a shoestring budget. But that was then and this is now. City Hall’s employees are more professional, courteous, hardworking, knowledgeable, and have a “can-do” attitude, than at any time in my memory. I would like to single out some of our city’s personnel for some over due thanks, so here we go: Interim City Manager Corky Larsen (who has to be the most patient person in the world), Deputy City Manager John Souilliere, City Clerk Rossie Stobbs, Police Chief Walt McKinney, Fire Chief Bill Mason, Administrative Services Director Linda Kelly, Planning Director Larry Grafton, City Engineer Dan Patenaud, Community Services Director Glenn Roberts, Animal Control Manager June Parker, Assistant to the City Manager Teresa Thompson, Human Resources Manager Kim Malcolm-Valenti, and the rest of the excellent men and women who comprise our City Hall Staff. I would be remiss if I didn’t offer a special mention and kudos to the brave men and women of our valiant and hard working public safety department – with a particular heartfelt thank you to the members of Police and Fire Departments. I would also be thoughtless if I didn’t mention the contributions to the solving of the city bankruptcy predicament that the former City Manager Jerry Hanson helped with. Not withstanding Jerry’s early-on accomplishments, in my opinion, he was the focal point of the recent election and current misguided recall attempt.

The City Council should operate as a team. As an old jock, by and large quarterbacks are only as good as the lineman supplying the blocking. In that way, the linemen keep the defensive team from tackling the quarterback or one of the other ball carriers. On the first Council I was privileged to be a part of, the city had a very good team, a team that thought of the city first and foremost. It was composed of Greg Ruppert, Mary Stephens, Jan Pye, and Gary Bosworth. We had serious challenges from the get-go, but we never lost sight of our mutual goal – to right the city’s ship-of-state and by doing this, turn the city around. The next Council was without Jan, but we added Will Pieper, who learned pretty fast as a good teammate. After Greg bowed-out in 2003, the city was fortunate to elect Hank Hohenstein, who was of much assistance to our Council team in working out a solution to the city’s bankruptcy. A special thank you to Vice Mayor Mary Stephens for picking up the slack for me, and to Councilor Hank Hohenstein for similar efforts on my behalf. Thank you does not express my feelings of gratitude toward my Desert Hot Springs City Council colleagues – but to each of you – Greg, Mary, Jan, Will, Hank and Gary – you have my sincere gratitude!

To the residents of our blossoming community, it has been a privilege and an honor to serve as your Mayor. I am humbled by the trust that you placed in me when you chose me to lead our city. I pray that out city will not be racked with any further turmoil.

I’ll close with some very appropriate words of former President Ronald Reagan spoken in 1992 at the President Hoover library in Iowa. Mr. Reagan said, “We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give.

November B 2005 ~ There’s an old joke about the definition of a person with divided interests as being like someone whose mother-in-law drove his Mercedes off a cliff. In my case, my being Mayor is the Mercedes, and my declining health is the mother-in-law. While I’ve been proud to serve as Desert Hot Springs’ Mayor, and I’ve given working as your Mayor a thoughtful, proactive and determined effort, I know that my deteriorating neurological condition has precluded me from seeking reelection, as well as affected my effectiveness, I still have mixed emotions about leaving office. There is still so much left to be done before our city can at last throw off the shackles of being a city with the potential that it has never quite realized – and I wanted so much to be a part of Desert Hot Springs attaining that promise that has been so frustratingly out of our reach.

Enough of that maudlin stuff – in this next-to-the-last Straight Talk column, I’d like to spend this brief column recalling some of the positive City Council goals accomplished during my 6 year tenure as your Mayor. The list of the following accomplishments that I’m proudest of, comes under the heading of, “You had to be there,” to those newcomers who have either been critical of the seated City Council, and/or are ignorant of the difficult challenges that faced our community in the winter of 1999-2000.

Here’s a random-order listing of the major achievements of the two City Councils that I have had the privilege of serving with, as well as my being able to fulfill some campaign promises:

1-After 13 years of being under the Silver Sage lawsuit cloud that was the primary cause of the city filing for bankruptcy, Desert Hot Springs is now in the best financial shape since its inception in 1963. The city’s 2005-06 $39 million budget includes a $3 million reserve, a $9 million Capital Improvement program (consisting of the new Civic/Community Center, rehabbing city streets, and traffic signals at 3 busy intersections), $4.6 million in funding for 31 officer-strong Police Dept., (including 2 canine officers), and $1.3 million for a fully staffed Fire Dept. When Jan Pye, Greg Ruppert, Mary Stephens and I were sworn in December 7, 1999, the city had a $9 million budget for 1999-2000, which included a questionable $27,000 reserve, a 14-officer Police Dept., and $0 in Capital Improvements.

2-The city was in deep doo-doo in that fiscal year, after conducting a series of Town Hall meetings, the Council asked the voters to approve 2 tax increase measures (an increase and extension of the Utility User’s Tax, and a “Public Safety Parcel Tax”) on the June 2000 ballot. The city had an impressive turnout of 45% for a “stand-alone” tax increase election – and an overwhelming 80% of the electorate “Saying Yes-DHS!”

3-The traffic signals at the Palm Dr./Gene Autry Tr./I-10 interchange are the result of my using the time-tested “Chinese Water Torture” strategy. At almost every monthly CVAG Executive Committee meeting, I relentlessly pointed out the Desert Hot Springs motorist’s need for these signals. It took me 2 years of persistently urging CVAG and Cal-Trans to approve this important project. While the signals are a stopgap solution to the traffic flow along Palm Dr., the city should not rest until the long-ago promised overpass widening construction occurs.

4-While I don’t wish to sound immodest, during the first 3 ½ years of being your Mayor, I easily spent 20 hours a week meeting and talking with contractors, investors, realtors, and others in the development business, about building in our city. I especially appreciate and wish to thank the following: Walt Luce and Bob Mayer of Hacienda Hills, Desert Willows and Tuscan Hills/Johnny Miller golf course project; Michael Risman of Paradise Springs; Roger Snellenberger of Highland Falls; the Century Homes, Mountain View project; the Stone Ridge developers; and Mike Crosby of the diverse 1,900 acre Palmwood project, with its over 1 million square feet of shopping center, housing, Phil Mickelson golf course and an open space area; for making the commitment to me to invest in our community.

5-Paving city streets: right after I was sworn-in, Rob Parkins (the Interim City Manager the city had borrowed from the county) and I met with MSWD President Mary Gibson and General Manager Whitey Morgan and worked out a cooperative plan to resurface streets that had been torn-up for the MSWD’s sewer installations. In addition, along with the city’s DC lobbyist, I met with an old friend, Congressman Jerry Lewis, and obtained $1.9 million in street rehab funding in the Federal 2003-04 budget, and a commitment to the city of $2 million per year for 5 years beginning with 2005-06 fiscal year.

6-The city becoming a Charter City in a special election in November 2002. I led an ad-hoc committee in researching this important-to-city-governance-issue subsequent to the City Council placing the matter before the voters. It passed convincingly.

7-The proposed new Civic/Community Center is the result of joint visioning. The Community Center aspect was the result of a group of civic-minded people, at their own expense, paying for and mailing a professionally prepared questionnaire to over 5,000 households in 2001 asking them what new services the city could provide. The overwhelming response was for a community center! Coupled with what The Mission Springs Foundation had the foresight to be on the same page with the community and were in the planning stages of the center, when I asked the question – if City Hall is getting crowded, why not combine the 2 dreams and have a new Civic/Community Center? The new buildings would house activities for youngsters, seniors, and the city government, permitting the Police Dept. to have its building returned to them. In the spring of 2003 I went to DC and asked Congressman Lewis for some help with the project and he put the first $450,000 in funding in the 2003-04 House Appropriations bill. The city has obtained an additional $1 million thanks to our influential Congressman.

In closing, I’d like to touch on the subject of leadership. Real leadership is never divisive – and I quote the great President Abraham Lincoln, when he said, “A house divided against itself cannot stand. . .” And in his Cooper’s Institute address Mr. Lincoln eloquently said, “Let us have faith that right makes might, and in that faith let us to the end dare to do our duty as we understand it.” As I write this, it’s Sunday afternoon, November 6^th, 2 days before our city’s election, and I urge and implore you as residents of our great city, that no matter who you were supporting in the election for Mayor and City Council, that we unite behind the winners for the sake of our community’s future. In that way we can bind up our city’s wounds that were needlessly opened by some people’s zeal to get elected at any cost.

____________________________________________________________________________________