Sarah Gurney and her dislike of CVS

Issues have been rather 'blah' on WACCO recently. Perhaps this will liven things up:wink:

For those of you who don't read the Press Democrat, there is a letter in today's paper that makes a valid point: to what end Mayor Sarah Gurney's remarks about the forthcoming CVS store? Fitting for a mayor? What is she trying to accomplish?

Not discussed in the letter is the $350,000 of taxpayer money spent on legal fees, largely because of the poorly timed City drive-through prohibition aimed directly at CVS.

[Original PD article with the quote is here - Barry:waccosun:]

Sebastopol and CVS

EDITOR:I don’t know which is worse — the mayor of Sebastopol hopes that a business will fail or her statement about the reason the CVS site wasn’t improved earlier: “They’ve owned this property for 3½years, and we’ve suffered their chain-link fence and their boarded-up windows and the weeds.” Then she says fewer people are shopping at CVS and implies she believes the store will fail (“Making way for CVS store,” Friday).

CVS wanted to move to the corner of Petaluma Avenue and Highway 12 and adda drive-thru prescription pick-up window. Is it a store I care about?No. Do I wish we could still shop at Pease Pharmacy and that Sebastopol was like it was before the mayor moved here? Yes. Will CVS worsen already bad traffic? Maybe. But so will the hotel and spa the city wants a block away. Would a drive-thru window benefit the elderly and moms with sick kids? Absolutely.But the City Council, together with a group of citizens, managed to delay the project and extort $150,000 and many design concessions from the builder.

So, after the city caused delays, the permits were issued this month and construction began.
The mayor may not like CVS, but it is a business in her town, and she should hope for its success.
LEW LARSON
Sebastopol