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  1. TopTop #1
    Magick's Avatar
    Magick
     

    Want to run for City Council?

    DEAR COMMUNITY,
    Right now the only candidates running for City Council are incumbents. It would make for a lively and exciting debate on important issues if more people throw their hat into the ring.
    If you have ever considered running for office please do so now. If you are concerned about local issues such as the environment, housing, water supply, traffic, and development, all these issues will be dealt with by the council in the coming years.
    I attend nearly all of the Council Meetings and I believe there is a strong disconnect between the public's perception of our Green majority Council with two Democrats and the reality of their actions. They are great at passing resolutions to oppose the war and to impeach, but they could really have an effect if they stood up to the corporate interests that affect us locally.
    Most people I speak to that do not attend the meetings assume that since they elected such a progressive council that "green" concerns will be defended.
    Sadly, that has not been the case.
    All three Green members have now advocated for the use of chemicals in the Laguna even though we are a Pesticide Free Zone and they ran on a platform that states the intention to rid the environment of harmful chemicals.
    The proposed Laguna Vista Housing project which has been opposed by the Laguna Preservation Council, SWIG, and almost everyone else for over 5 years is still in front of the Council. Over and over again the public has presented strong evidence clearly articulated to defeat this project but the Council has not held one healthy debate about the issue and has refused to represent the strong concerns of the people.
    1500 people signed a petition in opposition to this project, still the Council is avoiding a vote on the extremely flawed Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and refusing to support the CEQA process.
    There are wells on private property running dry and more being reported all the time, but the city has yet to do a ground water study even after numerous requests.
    The Council is pushing for a large development of commercial and residential, (up to 3and 4 stories high) in the Northeast Area that flooded New Year's even though traffic is already a mess, water supply and wastewater allotments are limited and public transportation is pathetic.
    This plan has cost the City over 300,000 for a contract with a non-local consultant and it was not put out to bid for local firms. The City has also spent more money on branding and marketing to a total of over 40,000 dollars.
    All of this goes against the General Plan's intent to maintain a small country town and make sure our Level of Service is maintained and our Laguna enhanced instead of further stressed and polluted. The General Plan took 3 years of intense citizen participation and review, it is well thought out, clearly articulated and puts in place strong guidelines for the integrity of Sebastopol to be protected. It is really our town "Constitution".
    If these issues are important to you please consider running for office, there are many people who would help you if you find the above issues crucial to our future.
    You can file until August 11th. Just call City Hall and then call a meeting!
    Best of Luck! Magick

    want to run for City Council?
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  2. TopTop #2
    markwjam's Avatar
    markwjam
     

    Re: Want to run for City Council?

    would you care to inform us which City Council you are talking about?
    what City?
    ok, I deduce it is Sebastopol, as those of us living in Santa Rosa and other local cities know there is not likely to be a Green majority...
    Just wondered, as I have seen this kind of local parochialism before from Sebastopol residents on Wacco, if you realize there are actually people living in other cities in this area, not just Sebastopol?
    Last edited by Barry; 07-24-2006 at 04:17 PM.
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  3. TopTop #3
    Magick's Avatar
    Magick
     

    Re: Want to run for City Council?

    Dear Community, I apologize for forgetting to designate that the City Council I was referring to is Sebastopol. I beleive it pays a stipend of $300 and you must be a resident to run. Regards, Magick
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  4. TopTop #4
    Barry's Avatar
    Barry
    Founder & Moderator

    Re: Want to run for City Council?

    Quote Posted in reply to the post by tacitus:
    Mark, the "W" in Wacco, I believe, stands for West. As in west county. The genesis of the list is out here, in the west, west of Sebastopol. History, no matter how small, the past, is always important. Barry, maybe you'd like to place something in the intro (oops, is it already there?) about how it all started.

    Dian
    You are correct, Dian. WaccoBB stands for West (a) County Community Online Bulletin Board. West County is generally understood to include everything west of Santa Rosa. However WaccoBB.net now serves all of Sonoma county.

    A new Marin County category has been created and there are many people joining from Marin now too! So all you folk from Marin who joined before the Marin Category was established should subscribe to that category and post Marin things there.

    As for the history of WaccoBB: WaCCO was created in 2000 (?) by Denise Meier as a YahooGroup as a way for people who came together for a Sweat Your Prayers dance in Pam LaCoe's yurt on Wagnon Rd, just west of Sebastopol (Pam now goes by Pamela Astarte and no longer owns the yurt).

    About a year later (when there were about 200 members), Denise turned over the list to me as she was leaving on a around the world trip with her family. At that time we also changed the name to WaccoBB to distinguish it from other WaCCO yahoogroups that were created as an early attempt at implementing categories.

    I moderated the group until the summer of 2005 when it was shut down by Yahoo. There were 3,000 member at that point. I then launched this site to takes its place and provide a more suitable and flexible home for our growing community.

    I will be implementing a major upgrade to this site in the fall, that will include a page about what WaccoBB.net is and how it got started.
    Last edited by Barry; 07-24-2006 at 04:57 PM.
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  5. TopTop #5
    Barry's Avatar
    Barry
    Founder & Moderator

    Re: Want to run for City Council?

    Quote Posted in reply to the post by Magick:
    Dear Community, I apologize for forgetting to designate that the City Council I was referring to is Sebastopol. I beleive it pays a stipend of $300 and you must be a resident to run. Regards, Magick
    I believe there is some form of health insurance included too.

    And to be more precise, you need to live inside the city limits in order to run. Which is a major bummer for me since while it appears I live in the city, I am actually outside the city limits by about 300 ft because my street runs down hill from the main sewar line!

    Oh well. I'm happy to be the Mayor of Waccoville instead!

    And while I support the current incumbents, Magick raises good points. I think it would be good to see a challenger or two! Anybody from the WaccoBB party want to give it a shot??

    Any local political issue, including campaigning for local office, is welcome on WaccoBB.net!
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