Ronald Basso answers to WaccoBB Sebastopol City Council Questionnaire

[Barry]

9927Please tell us a little about your background and why you want to run for the Sebastopol City Council.


As a local businessman who has invested everything in the future of Sebastopol,
I have lived and worked here for over 40 years. I believe I bring not only over 25 years of local business experience to the position, but an objectivity and proven skills to further the best interests of our community.



When and why did you move to Sonoma County?



My family moved here in 1967 from San Francisco, where I was born, so that my Italian father, nearing retirement as a machinist, could have an extensive garden, make cheese and wine, and raise animals. My parents then opened Freestone Corner, which they ran together until my father’s passing.



How have you have been involved in the Sebastopol community?


Currently serving my 4th term on the Sebastopol Design Review Board and a member of the Sebastopol Business Incubator and successfully operated R S Basso locally for 25 years, employing over 60 people at any one time.


What experience and values do you bring to the table?


I believe I bring not only over 25 years of local business experience to the position, but an objectivity and proven skills to further the best interests of our community--to preserve its vitality, to walk the middle line of serving the interests of the people without extremism toward either side.


What important decisions of the Sebastopol City Council from the last 4 years, including the Northeast Plan, do you particularly agree or disagree with?

The North East Plan is dead and buried-- to continue discussing issues that are not relevant is counter productive. I disagree with the decision to turn down the offer of free WIFI for the community. 



Would you vote to spend $20,000 for a study of the feasibility of eliminating one or more city parking lots? 


Absolutely Not 



Would you support a free wi-fi system for Downtown Sebastopol at no cost to the city?


Yes



How would you support our local economy?


We are in a service area of over 40,000 possible shoppers driving through our town--we need to emphasize core, local-serving retail businesses, for we are missing a tremendous opportunity to generate tax dollars that are going to surrounding communities.
I am also working on Sebastopol Entrepreneurs Project to establish a co-work space and future incubator for local entrepreneurs to start, grow, and keep their business in Sebastopol.


What do you see as the most pressing current problems in Sebastopol, and what would you do about them?


Local economy, lack of median income price housing, senior housing, improving the downtown core, pedestrian and bike safety, traffic.



What is your vision of Sebastopol in 2030? And what's the most pressing long term issue?


I would like to see this well before 2030: A revitalized downtown with two way streets, wider sidewalks where activities and outdoor dining can take place, people living downtown, and promoting alternate routes like Occidental Road for commuters just driving through and disrupting the pace of our town.



What does "sustainability" mean to you? 


The use of methods, systems and materials that do not deplete resources or harm natural cycles.



What will you do to preserve, protect and enhance the environment? 


Conserve resources, plan projects that fit with the community and make the best use of existing resources: for example, 2nd story housing on downtown buildings.



Do you feel you have any inadequacies as a potential Council member? How would you address them?


Being a council member is a 24/7 learning process-- my biggest inadequacy is becoming comfortable with the amount of speechmaking and self-promotion necessary to run a campaign, since this is my first.



Who has endorsed you?


Bob Anderson
Mark Inman
Kathleen Shaffer
Larry Robinson
Colin Doyle
Silas Edmund
Rick Taylor
Sierra Hart
North Coast Citizens for a Better Economy
North Bay Association of Realtors

Sonoma County Alliance
and many more.



Do you think it is appropriate for the city to take official stands on national issues, and if so, what stands would you like to see taken? 


I feel that the most important emphasis must be on taking care of our own community first, resolving the mountain of local concerns that will ensure the economic survival and quality of life for everyone who lives here. National issues, in my opinion, are a personal matter, for each citizen to conscientiously determine: if a stand were unanimous and reflected every person in our community, it would probably be unnecessary to record; the more likely scenario is that an ‘official stand’ would not reflect every resident’s opinion, and as such, would be inappropriate for the city to presume to do so.




Do you support CA Proposition 19 to legalize marijuana? And if it passes, what taxes or regulations would you want to see applied?


Yes, and I support local taxation of its sale that will add to the city's bottom line.

[GetReal145]

Some of candidate Basso's no-nonsense responses here are interesting. I am impressed that he favors Prop 19 and wants to tax marijuana. I am concerned that his "local issues only" answer clouds a disdain for the pro-peace and justice sentiment that compelled Sarah Gurney to name our city 'Peace Town USA," a worthwhile (in my view) proclamation which, given Mr. Basso's answer to that question, he seems to have opposed.

I am especially concerned by candidate Basso's lack of transparency when he proposes his "green" solution of re-zoning second story retail to allow for residential. I am not suggesting it is a bad idea; I'd like to hear more about it and it is certainly worth exploring. But in the pamphlet which Mr. Basso's campaign staffer left at our door, his second sentence was that he was "now in my retirement" so he can "give back" to our community. I notice that in answers to Wacco's questions he now says he is a businessman, which is more transparent than him suggesting he is retired, as he did in the pamphlet. But businessman Basso seems to own more second story retail in downtown than all other landlords put together--and it is all vacant (see the for lease signs on the second story of the cavernous Basso Building). Council Member Basso would earn hundreds of thousands of dollars a year extra if he won this re-zoning. Would he recuse himself?

Candidate Basso, PLEASE RESPOND to this follow up question: would you recuse yourself from City Council votes that impacted your business interests? Have you recused yourself on Design Review Board votes in the past?

Your lack on transparency on this issue so far is alarming, and a core reason why this Sebastopol voter will not be voting for you.

[Robert Green]

I usually do not respond to postings on WACCO, but since there was a second post concerning Ron Basso’s approach to adding residential to downtown by building or utilizing second story housing, I feel it is necessary to correct a misunderstanding about zoning. Mr. GetReal145 seems to think that if Mr. Basso was elected to the city council he would benefit greatly if the zoning was changed to allow second story housing downtown. The downtown area is currently zoned CD-Downtown Core District. The CD district already permits residential use when part of a “Mixed Use” development. It specifically allows residential use that complies with RM-H Zoning, which is a high density multiple residential district (Maximum one dwelling unit per 2000 sq. ft of lot area).
Yes Mr. Basso does own second floor property downtown and he also practices what he preaches by living there as well. The statement that he would earn “hundreds of thousands dollars a year extra if he won this re-zoning” is a gross exaggeration and untruth of the type that we often see during an election campaign. There is no rezoning required to develop residential in the downtown core and in fact, it would meet “Smart Growth Principles” if that was done. Downtown residential reduces the dependence on cars by placing people close to the services they need.
Also there was a comment about if Mr. Basso was retired or was still a businessman. He did close his retail stores and is no longer in the retail furnishing business, so he did, in fact, retire from the business that required most of his time. He does continue to manage his commercial properties. I am not sure what difference it makes.


Some of candidate Basso's no-nonsense responses here are interesting. I am impressed that he favors Prop 19 and wants to tax marijuana. I am concerned that his "local issues only" answer clouds a disdain for the pro-peace and justice sentiment that compelled Sarah Gurney to name our city 'Peace Town USA," a worthwhile (in my view) proclamation which, given Mr. Basso's answer to that question, he seems to have opposed.

I am especially concerned by candidate Basso's lack of transparency when he proposes his "green" solution of re-zoning second story retail to allow for residential. I am not suggesting it is a bad idea; I'd like to hear more about it and it is certainly worth exploring. But in the pamphlet which Mr. Basso's campaign staffer left at our door, his second sentence was that he was "now in my retirement" so he can "give back" to our community. I notice that in answers to Wacco's questions he now says he is a businessman, which is more transparent than him suggesting he is retired, as he did in the pamphlet. But businessman Basso seems to own more second story retail in downtown than all other landlords put together--and it is all vacant (see the for lease signs on the second story of the cavernous Basso Building). Council Member Basso would earn hundreds of thousands of dollars a year extra if he won this re-zoning. Would he recuse himself?

Candidate Basso, PLEASE RESPOND to this follow up question: would you recuse yourself from City Council votes that impacted your business interests? Have you recused yourself on Design Review Board votes in the past?

Your lack on transparency on this issue so far is alarming, and a core reason why this Sebastopol voter will not be voting for you.

[GetReal145]

Thank you for your thoughtful and informative response, Robert Green. So what I hear you saying is that the district already allows 2nd story residential. But if that is the case, then why would candidate Basso write, ABOVE, in his response to the Wacco question,
What will you do to preserve, protect and enhance the environment? 


Conserve resources, plan projects that fit with the community and make the best use of existing resources: for example, 2nd story housing on downtown buildings.

A clear reading of his response is that AS A CITY COUNCIL MEMBER he would "plan projects" involving second story retail. If this is as of right, he would not need to make this part of his campaign. Yet he repeats this as a CITY COUNCIL SOLUTION in each and every response that I have seen him give.

So you cannot blame me for asking whether he would recuse himself from such planning, when he himself is suggesting that this new plan is something he would bring to the city government.

And while we have you here in this forum, Mr. Green, it would help readers of Wacco if you could answer my other question: HAS Mr. Basso in the past recused himself from votes on the Design Board if and when he has a financial interest in the outcome of a vote? I honestly do not know the answer to this, but if you do, it would be helpful if you shared it with us. Thank you for shedding some light into this.

Mr. Basso clearly has something to offer our community, but this question of self-interest is disconcerting to me and a number of people I have spoken with in Sebastopol.



I usually do not respond to postings on WACCO, but since there was a second post concerning Ron Basso’s approach to adding residential to downtown by building or utilizing second story housing, I feel it is necessary to correct a misunderstanding about zoning. Mr. GetReal145 seems to think that if Mr. Basso was elected to the city council he would benefit greatly if the zoning was changed to allow second story housing downtown. The downtown area is currently zoned CD-Downtown Core District. The CD district already permits residential use when part of a “Mixed Use” development. It specifically allows residential use that complies with RM-H Zoning, which is a high density multiple residential district (Maximum one dwelling unit per 2000 sq. ft of lot area).
Yes Mr. Basso does own second floor property downtown and he also practices what he preaches by living there as well. The statement that he would earn “hundreds of thousands dollars a year extra if he won this re-zoning” is a gross exaggeration and untruth of the type that we often see during an election campaign. There is no rezoning required to develop residential in the downtown core and in fact, it would meet “Smart Growth Principles” if that was done. Downtown residential reduces the dependence on cars by placing people close to the services they need.
Also there was a comment about if Mr. Basso was retired or was still a businessman. He did close his retail stores and is no longer in the retail furnishing business, so he did, in fact, retire from the business that required most of his time. He does continue to manage his commercial properties. I am not sure what difference it makes.