SLO City Council needs more diverse viewpoints, former councilman says

Our current City Council should be an environmental and community dream team come true. Unfortunately, it is not.

During my eight years on the council, I had the honor to serve with Allen Settle, Dave Romero, Ken Schwartz, Jan Marx, Christine Mulholland and Paul Brown.

These council members brought a history of civic engagement, institutional knowledge, planning experience and diverse viewpoints to council. We didn’t always agree on how to achieve our city’s goals and priorities, yet we were all committed to serving the citizens of SLO.

While I agree with the goals of our city, I believe implementation of those goals is ignoring and threatening many aspects of our community, in particular our neighborhoods. This can be blamed on many factors — the council’s lack of planning experience and institutional knowledge are significant. But, most importantly, the lack of opposing viewpoints being represented on the council, and the great melding of ideas that is brought about by those opposing views, is dumbing down the actions of this council.

Keith Gurnee brings a long history of civic engagement, institutional knowledge, planning experience and diverse viewpoints. Adding a new voice to council membership will provide opportunity for diverse opinion and the shaping of policy that is creative and inclusive, rather than exclusive.

Vote Keith Gurnee for mayor.

No protest, please

Cayucos voters and property owners are receiving a postcard from LAFCO about the dissolution of the Cayucos Fire Department due to funding and staffing problems. The county has made Cayucos an incredible offer to add us to their countywide contract with CalFire, at no cost to Cayucos beyond the fire tax we currently pay!

The fire truck will be staffed by CalFire 24/7 from our existing downtown fire station, and the County will pay to upgrade the fire station and to maintain the equipment. Also, some of our Cayucos firefighters will likely be asked to join CalFire’s reserve program, which many of us hope will happen.

The postcard will ask if you want to protest the dissolution, but please do not. Cayucos Fire’s funding and staffing problems will not go away, but the county’s offer will, if we don’t take advantage of it.

Thanks for your attention, Mayor Martin

Although Paso Robles Mayor Steve Martin and I disagree on many issues facing Paso Robles, I would like to thank and commend him for his dedication to his position.

I emailed him while he was conducting the City Council meeting on a recent Tuesday evening to express some concerns with a road renovation project that is underway and to reinforce a comment by a member of the audience and to disagree with a statement by one of the city officials. Mayor Martin responded to my email late that evening after the conclusion of the meeting and again on Wednesday morning after he had issued instructions to resolve the issues with the road work. Thank you, Mayor Martin!