Pacific Grove Council Candidate 

Frequently Asked Questions

There are three Council seats available for four years terms. The Chamber of Commerce has put up three candidates and the Residents have 3 candidates. One further fellow is running, but is not well known for participation in Pacific Grove civic affairs.

I highly recommend you also vote for --

to uphold the Mission of Pacific Grove Neighbors.

I want to leave a better community than what I was given. I want to leave a set of laws and civic habits in place to sever money from politics and political decisions; to eliminate the political gap – that far too often huge gulf between what the public wants and the electeds decide; and to leave a sustainable community which has achieved its pursuit of happiness.

I chose this time because at present we have a very good council, but that could reverse on Election day. If elected I believe we will have a majority of council people who want can help put Pacific Grove on a track for a sustainable and happy community.

I opposed the golf course clubhouse for process and financial reasons.

I respectfully requested the Planning Commission require an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) because of the traffic impacts, but they did not.

Later, I requested the Council conduct a Needs Assessment (do we need a new golf course clubhouse) and prepare a Financial Impact Report, but neither report was done.

Any one of these three studies would have shown the boondoggle - before it began.

When all that was ignored, I supported the petition process to put the issues on the ballot. The Morrie Fisher Council rushing the final contract approval to beat the ballot initiative was an anti-democracy outrage.

Now that the new Council has this $4.1 million albatross around their neck, they have tried to lessen the financial damage it does in the future.

The West Point Honor Code says that a cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do. The Honor Code expresses four succinct prohibitions. On a behavioral level, the Code represents a simple standard for all cadets. On a developmental plane, West Point expects that all cadets will strive to live far above the minimum standard of behavior and develop a commitment to ethical principles guiding moral actions.

1. "No intentional dishonesty is excusable, and under no circumstances will it be condoned."

2. "Everyone is honor bound to report any breach of honor which comes to their attention."

3. "Offenders of the Code of Honor are never granted immunity."

4. "Quibbling, evasive statements or technicalities in order to shield guilt or defeat the ends of justice, will not be tolerated."

5. "The Code demands courageous and fearless honesty in setting forth the truth, regardless of consequences."

1. I first determine if voting for one side of the issue gives a financial benefit to one person or a small group of people. If so, the side wanting a financial benefit has the burden of making their case – the burden is not on the public.

 

2. If the issue only involves conflicting public interests and no financial benefits, determine which public interests exist and what possible irreversible harms would occur to any.

Q: Will you oppose the four-laning of Holman Highway?

(Candidates Schenk, Cohen and Stillwell refused to answer any questions from Pacific Grove Neighbors. Lisa Bennett, Sally Aberg and I all answered their questions.)

Q: Are you satisfied with the level of public services that the City is providing? What are the greatest needs and your ideas for improvement?

A: We need to hire a forest ecologist to care for our forest - instead of an arborist. An ecologist is someone trained in the health of all the plants living in our urban ecosystem - not merely familiar with the health of a single tree.

Q: Do you support waiving City fees to attract new businesses to Pacific Grove?

A: Having spoken to many who wanted to open or move businesses to Pacific Grove - city fees have never been mentioned as even a mild concern to opening a business here. Speaking as someone who has owned and operated Pacific Grove businesses, (I opened my first Pacific Grove downtown business in 1983) with the information I have now, I do not support waiving City fees.

There are many, many things that can be done to attract new businesses to Pacific Grove, but lowering City fees in a time if fiscal crisis is that last thing to try. To change my mind I would need to see a list of those things that can be done, what has been done, how it has been done, and the results.

Q: What is your plan to enhance business conditions in Pacific Grove?

A: Speaking as someone who has owned and operated Pacific Grove businesses, I believe the City can provide many information services the Chamber has failed to provide:

1. Incubator services for our business community.
2. Business Plan resources to greatly ease and speed bank loan applications.
3. A Directory of vital business services including local payroll firms and legal assistance.

On a larger scale, for those who have forgotten, the microcomputer industry really started in Pacific Grove with the Kildall's Digital Research. Every copy of Windows and MS-DOS still contain parts of the products originally created right here. Now that web commerce is common, my decades in the computer industry tells me we can easily attract clean, intelligence based information, software and internet, businesses here.

Q: Do you support full funding of the City’s Economic Advisory Committee’s budget in the amount of $115,000 per year?

A: The city should be defining what they want and holding public requests for grants or loan requests. Because the Economic Advisory Committee’s money is essentially all earmarked for the Chamber of Commerce and the Chamber has a history of serious ethical failures and blunders I do not support it because --

1. The Chamber has used some of the previous $115,000 to interfere in City candidate and issues campaigns. That is an outrage. It is a colossal conflict of financial interest outrage for which the Chamber has offered no apologies.
2. The Chamber did have to apologize to the Council for telling whoppers on a vital issue (Chamber's July 1995 bogus petition to oppose a proposed Smoking Ban). Falsifying information to the city on vital issues should have a serious penalty - not a reward.
3. The PG Chamber has supported Sand City big box stores along with every other development here including the Pebble Beach forest destruction project and probably cost other PG businesses some sales.
4. The Chamber has never adequately justified getting such a huge gift / grant. What does the city get for its gift?

Q: Do you support Transportation Agency of Monterey County’s effort to increase sales tax to fund highway improvements and safety plan?

A: I support genuine highway safety improvements and a significantly increased budget for alternative transportation.

A: You Can't Pave Your Way Out of Congestion. Once Gridlock begins, you can no longer solve congestion with roads and we have daily gridlock in many areas around our peninsula. You must stop making more subdivisions, mansions and golf courses. AND convert wholesale to alternative transportation - mass transit, bikeways etc.

Q: What are your top three priorities for Pacific Grove?

Q: Do you support waiving City fees for special events such as Feast of Lanterns, Good Old Days, etc.?

Q: What specific ways would you increase revenue for the City?

A: Even if we weren't facing a $700,000 deficit next year, I'll always insist on a balanced budget and avoiding increased taxes, unless the residents overwhelmingly want otherwise.

Q: What specific ways would you cut spending by the City?

A: I oppose Library or Museum budget cuts !

In business I learned downsizing means first examining our largest expenses. While I appreciate the hard work our city employees do and I realize that we must analyze their compensation with other cities on an apples to apples basis, staff salaries is our largest expense - by far. If we do not reduce staff or compensation then taxes must be raised.

Which do you prefer?

Q: In light of the current financial difficulties that the City is experiencing would you be willing to give-up your salary if you are elected to the Council?

A: Elected officials should never have the authority to vote for their own benefits, especially their own salaries.

While I've opposed council salaries for more than a decade, the Council recently rejected that again. In times of a budget crisis, genuine leadership demands that if employee salaries are cut, Council salaries must be cut by an even larger percentage.

Since I am on a limited income I would like to be reimbursed for my expenses on behalf of official business as Councilman.

Whatever remains, I'd happily donate to charity and will continue to support council reimbursement only - not salaries.

* While other candidates did get questionnaires, I did not get a questionnaire from the Real Estate PAC or from the Republican Party. I answered every question from every person and organization who has asked.

For Questions, Suggestions, Enthusiastic Support, to Volunteer or to Donate – call or write me at -

831 / 624-6500 -- 166 17 Mile Dr. , Pacific Grove, CA 93950

Search whole Web

Home

www.Dilworth2Lead.com