Public Comment – City Council meeting 2/6/19
Introduction of ordinance #2 of20019 – Amending Dune Maintenance Ordinance
I have two problems with the dune maintenance ordinance.
#1. It exists which it should not. The granting by the City of the physical alteration of dunes, which are public property and contiguous to private land, by the owners of that private property for their convenience and wishes, irrespective of any public interest or purpose or any consistent public program of dune protection and management, shouldn’t be taking place.
#2 The original ordinance places responsibility and accountability for such private- interest alteration on individual council members. If a private property owner is given an advantage over someone else’s private property by changes in public property, for instance changes enhancing or increasing an ocean view, the public and neighbors have a right to know who voted for it. It’s called transparency.
Transferring accountability to the municipal engineer or his/her designee is very convenient for a council member. It can also look suspicious. If these alterations to public property are to be unwisely permitted, council members should not be shy and duck their roles in advancing this program. It also means checking each application before voting. Avoiding and removing that vote is a good example of buck-passing.
In response to Annes Philips letter regarding the election.First,Congress does not have the final word. The Electoral College does.2nd, 5 million more people voted for Biden than the other candidate and it increases daily as the count goes on. The New York Times went to every state and found no voter fraud. Mail in ballots ,according to the head of the Cybersecurity Dept of Homeland Security appointed by you know who,said they are the safest form of voting because there is a paper trail. The federal prosecutors under the Attorney General Barr,appointed by guess who, found no voter fraud. Democracy is best when more people vote,not less. The republican party has been stifling voter turnout for years through gerrymandering,closing poll places in democratic precincts and draconian ID laws. The country will become great again once he is out of office.