Honorable City Council Members,
I had hoped to attend tonight's council meeting, but due to a last minute conflict, it now looks like I will not be able to be
there. My apologies for the lateness of this email, but if you do see it before any decisions are made, I'd like to share my two
cents on two issues:
1. I've had a chance to look into the "New Guild" proposal, and it looks like a win-win opportunity. As always, "the devil's in
the details," but subject to some negotiations on the part of the City (e.g. to ensure available and economical community usage),
I think it looks like a great project that will help bring vibrancy to our downtown. The usual issues of funding and traffic seem
to be addressed pretty well. From what I've heard, the non-profit group has lined up private financing and will not require a
taxpayer subsidy in any form. And since the usage of this property will primarily fall on weekends and evenings, it should
minimize traffic and parking issues. Neighborhood "cut-through" traffic may still be an issue, but hopefully something can be
worked out to address that concern.
2. Although I am normally very reluctant to embrace an overly broad "solution" to an issue, I think that our current situation
(being forced to adopt a rigid district-by-district council election format) in-and-of-itself warrants making the change to
becoming a Charter City. As noted by the City Attorney, the flexibility inherent in being a Charter City can present some
problems, but as he also noted, it DOES ultimately still rest with the electorate to address any future impacts. We should trust
ourselves (as voters and elected officials) to use the flexibility afforded as a Charter City to react to future needs ... and
hopefully to come up with a better solution to the "district elections" mandate now being forced upon us.
Sincerely,
John Boyle
