The NEWS index
County holds sham meeting
in Rio Linda
Is this an "end around?"
by Jay O'Brien
Remember the "Town Hall Meeting" called by the County on July 26th? First District County Supervisor Roger Dickinson kicked off the meeting saying, "What we are embarking on here... is the creation of local community councils, which will in fact have decision making authority, and we're starting with a variety of planning issues within the domain of the jurisdiction of the community council, and the decisions that the council makes will be final... It will be fundamentally different from what most of you have been accustomed to with the Community Planning Advisory Council (CPAC)..." An audience of 32 heard Dickinson's statement.
The County's Department of Neighborhood Services (DNS) Director Victor Morrison-Vega said, "These sessions will be an excellent opportunity for residents, County staff and the Board of Supervisors to hear community council applicants' hopes, dreams and aspirations for their area... Results from these meetings will contribute to the Board’s final selection of council members." Dickinson and his Chief-Of-Staff Cortez Quinn listened intently on July 26th to the five applicants who applied before the deadline for the five positions on the Rio Linda Elverta Community Council.
The applicants were Hal Morris, Norma-Lee, Jim Rogaski, Zack Arbios and Jeff Bair. Four of the applicants are presently members of our CPAC, plus Norma-Lee. Norma-Lee, who served as our Honorary Mayor, is active as a community advocate, working closely with County enforcement staff members.
After the meeting, to the surprise of many, the Supervisors re-opened the application process to provide more choices.
Don Flesch, Editor of The NEWS, learning of this unwelcome change, printed an editorial in his column, "After spending a couple hours of my valuable time attending the Town Hall meeting that introduced the five nominees for the new Community Council concept, I find now it could be a waste of time. Nominations were closed, supposedly, but apparently things have changed. After community members and I interviewed the five nominees, it seemed that we were satisfied with them as representatives for the Community Council. Now I understand that nominations have been reopened which could mean that we could end up with representatives that we don't get an opportunity to interview. Sounds like an "end around" to me. It would seem to me that if 4 of the nominees have served extensive time on the Community Planning Advisory Council, they would be logical choices with planning experience to represent us."
The County announced the re-opening of the filing period with a postcard that was sent by first class mail to some residents who received them August 15th. The postcard also announced by-appointment-only tutoring sessions for potential applicants to be held by DNS representatives on August 17th, only two days later.
At the August 16th Chamber of Commerce meeting, Mark Manoff, DNS's North County Service Area Manager, was cautioned that it would be inappropriate to deny the first applicants, who after all followed all of the rules, an equal opportunity to be heard at a subsequent "Town Hall Meeting", if one was to be held. Manoff agreed to take the concern to Dickinson. The concern fell on deaf ears.
A second meeting was held. However, the first round of five applicants was specifically not invited to answer questions at the second meeting. Only the new applicants, those who filed after the first deadline expired, were showcased to an audience of 25 at the second "Town Hall Meeting", held September 1st at the Community Center. The new applicants are Robert G. Andrade Jr., Bob Bastian, Robert A. Blanchard, and Mary R. Harris. Harris, however, did not attend the second "Town Hall Meeting".
The three new candidates who did attend provided similar answers to the questions posed by the moderator and the audience, with few exceptions; Robert Andrade differed from the others on several issues, instead supporting Supervisor Dickinson's known positions. On the closure of East Levee Road, Andrade said, "they had 8000 people going through there a day, that's why they closed the East Levee" and, on approval of the Florida Power and Light (FPL) power plant, he said, "I think the power plant would be a good thing for our community." Andrade also said, "so we can control our own power", ignoring the fact that we are SMUD customers, not FPL customers.
Bastian, a retired educator, serves on the Rio Linda School Board and served on the Parks and Recreation Board. Blanchard, retired after 25 years in the military and 15 years of civil service for the military, served on the Rio Linda/Elverta Community Water District Board. Andrade is an elected member of the Northern California Regional Council of the Carpenter's Union. All candidates except Andrade provided biographies that were distributed at the meeting in a pamphlet published by the County.
Cheryl Creson, Sacramento County's Municipal Services Agency (MSA) Director, thanked the participants and called attention to the fact that some of the first set of applicants were also present, showing their support of the community.
Craig Moyle, MSA's Communication & Media Officer, moderated the "Town Hall Meeting". According to Moyle, the Board of Supervisors will nominate the Council members September 7th; a week later the Board will hear public comments and finalize their appointments.
Neither Supervisor Dickinson nor his Chief-Of-Staff attended the September meeting. Instead, Dickinson's Secretary, Susan Culver, was present. No announcement was made explaining Dickinson's absence, and his opening statement from the July meeting was not repeated.
The following comments express community reactions to the extension of the application deadline and to the second "Town Hall Meeting".
Armand Nadeau, a former Rio Linda & Elverta Parks and Recreation Board member and a member of the Incorporation Committee, said, "I'm not holding a lot of stock in this council setup. I think it's real clear that the supervisor wants to maintain control over the local body. And further, I think it's an attempt to stave off incorporation."
Rio Lindan Mike Lynch commented on the need for a second Town Hall Meeting, "Why in the devil are we spending extra money when you already have five candidates out there that all have good planning background behind them, they've all served the community. I think the voters in Rio Linda Elverta got shafted and the taxpayers are paying for it." Lynch wrapped it up, "Was this a Town Hall Meeting, or a back-door politician meeting? It's the same old B.S. that's been going on for years. If they don't like what's going on with the people that are out here, then they try to get around it by doing what they did here."
Chuck Gordon from Rio Linda, when asked why he thought more candidates were recruited, said, referring to Dickinson, "I believe he felt he cannot control the ones that put in for it on the first round. I don't think he has confidence he can control them. If the county was serious, we would have an election for these people. They would not be appointed by Dickinson. They are a day late, a dollar short on trying to pacify the citizens of Rio Linda by giving us a little bit of local control." Asked for his opinion of the second "Town Hall Meeting", Gordon said "It was uncalled for, it accomplished nothing... I think it was --- it's just a big sham."
Is this an "end around?"
by Jay O'Brien
Remember the "Town Hall Meeting" called by the County on July 26th? First District County Supervisor Roger Dickinson kicked off the meeting saying, "What we are embarking on here... is the creation of local community councils, which will in fact have decision making authority, and we're starting with a variety of planning issues within the domain of the jurisdiction of the community council, and the decisions that the council makes will be final... It will be fundamentally different from what most of you have been accustomed to with the Community Planning Advisory Council (CPAC)..." An audience of 32 heard Dickinson's statement.
The County's Department of Neighborhood Services (DNS) Director Victor Morrison-Vega said, "These sessions will be an excellent opportunity for residents, County staff and the Board of Supervisors to hear community council applicants' hopes, dreams and aspirations for their area... Results from these meetings will contribute to the Board’s final selection of council members." Dickinson and his Chief-Of-Staff Cortez Quinn listened intently on July 26th to the five applicants who applied before the deadline for the five positions on the Rio Linda Elverta Community Council.
The applicants were Hal Morris, Norma-Lee, Jim Rogaski, Zack Arbios and Jeff Bair. Four of the applicants are presently members of our CPAC, plus Norma-Lee. Norma-Lee, who served as our Honorary Mayor, is active as a community advocate, working closely with County enforcement staff members.
After the meeting, to the surprise of many, the Supervisors re-opened the application process to provide more choices.
Don Flesch, Editor of The NEWS, learning of this unwelcome change, printed an editorial in his column, "After spending a couple hours of my valuable time attending the Town Hall meeting that introduced the five nominees for the new Community Council concept, I find now it could be a waste of time. Nominations were closed, supposedly, but apparently things have changed. After community members and I interviewed the five nominees, it seemed that we were satisfied with them as representatives for the Community Council. Now I understand that nominations have been reopened which could mean that we could end up with representatives that we don't get an opportunity to interview. Sounds like an "end around" to me. It would seem to me that if 4 of the nominees have served extensive time on the Community Planning Advisory Council, they would be logical choices with planning experience to represent us."
The County announced the re-opening of the filing period with a postcard that was sent by first class mail to some residents who received them August 15th. The postcard also announced by-appointment-only tutoring sessions for potential applicants to be held by DNS representatives on August 17th, only two days later.
At the August 16th Chamber of Commerce meeting, Mark Manoff, DNS's North County Service Area Manager, was cautioned that it would be inappropriate to deny the first applicants, who after all followed all of the rules, an equal opportunity to be heard at a subsequent "Town Hall Meeting", if one was to be held. Manoff agreed to take the concern to Dickinson. The concern fell on deaf ears.
A second meeting was held. However, the first round of five applicants was specifically not invited to answer questions at the second meeting. Only the new applicants, those who filed after the first deadline expired, were showcased to an audience of 25 at the second "Town Hall Meeting", held September 1st at the Community Center. The new applicants are Robert G. Andrade Jr., Bob Bastian, Robert A. Blanchard, and Mary R. Harris. Harris, however, did not attend the second "Town Hall Meeting".
The three new candidates who did attend provided similar answers to the questions posed by the moderator and the audience, with few exceptions; Robert Andrade differed from the others on several issues, instead supporting Supervisor Dickinson's known positions. On the closure of East Levee Road, Andrade said, "they had 8000 people going through there a day, that's why they closed the East Levee" and, on approval of the Florida Power and Light (FPL) power plant, he said, "I think the power plant would be a good thing for our community." Andrade also said, "so we can control our own power", ignoring the fact that we are SMUD customers, not FPL customers.
Bastian, a retired educator, serves on the Rio Linda School Board and served on the Parks and Recreation Board. Blanchard, retired after 25 years in the military and 15 years of civil service for the military, served on the Rio Linda/Elverta Community Water District Board. Andrade is an elected member of the Northern California Regional Council of the Carpenter's Union. All candidates except Andrade provided biographies that were distributed at the meeting in a pamphlet published by the County.
Cheryl Creson, Sacramento County's Municipal Services Agency (MSA) Director, thanked the participants and called attention to the fact that some of the first set of applicants were also present, showing their support of the community.
Craig Moyle, MSA's Communication & Media Officer, moderated the "Town Hall Meeting". According to Moyle, the Board of Supervisors will nominate the Council members September 7th; a week later the Board will hear public comments and finalize their appointments.
Neither Supervisor Dickinson nor his Chief-Of-Staff attended the September meeting. Instead, Dickinson's Secretary, Susan Culver, was present. No announcement was made explaining Dickinson's absence, and his opening statement from the July meeting was not repeated.
The following comments express community reactions to the extension of the application deadline and to the second "Town Hall Meeting".
Armand Nadeau, a former Rio Linda & Elverta Parks and Recreation Board member and a member of the Incorporation Committee, said, "I'm not holding a lot of stock in this council setup. I think it's real clear that the supervisor wants to maintain control over the local body. And further, I think it's an attempt to stave off incorporation."
Rio Lindan Mike Lynch commented on the need for a second Town Hall Meeting, "Why in the devil are we spending extra money when you already have five candidates out there that all have good planning background behind them, they've all served the community. I think the voters in Rio Linda Elverta got shafted and the taxpayers are paying for it." Lynch wrapped it up, "Was this a Town Hall Meeting, or a back-door politician meeting? It's the same old B.S. that's been going on for years. If they don't like what's going on with the people that are out here, then they try to get around it by doing what they did here."
Chuck Gordon from Rio Linda, when asked why he thought more candidates were recruited, said, referring to Dickinson, "I believe he felt he cannot control the ones that put in for it on the first round. I don't think he has confidence he can control them. If the county was serious, we would have an election for these people. They would not be appointed by Dickinson. They are a day late, a dollar short on trying to pacify the citizens of Rio Linda by giving us a little bit of local control." Asked for his opinion of the second "Town Hall Meeting", Gordon said "It was uncalled for, it accomplished nothing... I think it was --- it's just a big sham."