In the mid-1980s, some ordinary folks in Carlsbad thought there was too much development going on. They went to city hall to see what was planned, and they didn't like what they found out. So they wrote a ballot proposition, successfully so. The elected city council, plus highly paid city bureaucrats didn't like it.
Although Nancy Reagan occupied the White House at that time, and was famous for her "Just Say No" Campaign against drugs, the Carlsbad City Council just had to do more than simply encourage voters to say no...."because we know better, of course." Instead, the council wrote a competing and confusing ballot proposition called the Growth Management Plan....and then spent Tax Money on mailers to convince voters of their alleged superiority at writing ballot proposals.
Since the mailers came from those swell folks inside city hall, always friendly and unbiased, voters crumpled and complied. Somehow, those mailers worked. Who were the council members at that time? You will find their names on the $35,000 bronze vanity plaque embedded on the sea wall.
HISTORY REPEATED ITSELF IN 2005/6. The public learned that city hall had lured a prominent developer to engage in some secret meetings concerning city hall's desire to replace the strawberry fields with condos. As occurred 20 years prior, some People wrote a ballot proposition to honestly "Preserve" the flower fields (Prop E). City hall again responded with a deceptively titled competing proposition (F)....."Save the Flower Fields." City Hall again paid for the printing and mailing "education materials" to convince voters to vote no on The Peoples' E...and , of course, Yes on City Hall's hastily prepared F. Somehow, city hall prevailed again. Who was on the city council? Go to the $100 million golf course that is city -owned, and find the $35,000 bronze vanity plaque as you enter the clubhouse; their names are on it.
If any reader knows of any other city hall that has ever created dueling ballot propositions, like Carlsbad has "successfully" done twice, please email us the information. (Moscow is ineligible in this competition)
Comments