Balboa Park Conservancy Board of Director members Judy Swink and Vicki Granowitz recently issued a joint press release in which they announced their resignations from the board. Both of their resignations were precipitated by the board’s June 1 majority endorsement of politically powerful San Diego philanthropist Irwin Jacobs’ controversial Plaza de Panama plan. According to the press release, prior to June 1 the Balboa Park Conservancy had maintained a neutral role with no direct involvement in the creation or implementation of this plan. It now not only supports the plan, it will actively lobby for it.
That board endorsement came a few weeks after both the San Diego’s Historical Resources Board and the Park and Recreation Board voted against the Plaza de Panama project. Swink and Granowitz criticize the Conservancy Board action for its support of “a project that is both divisive and controversial.” They maintain that it “will reinforce public fears that the Conservancy will not, in fact, be independent of political considerations or the desires of individuals with power and means.
Their press release portrays a politically charged environment in which the Conservancy Board members were pressured to abandon their position of inclusiveness and transparency. Swink and Granowitz express their concern about the inherent power of wealthy and influential individuals and entities which are capable of submitting fully developed plans that circumvent public involvement and input from elected officials.
The San Diego City Council is expected to vote on the plan on July 9.
For more information on the controversy go here and here and here.
Anna Daniels
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Kudos to Vicki and Judy for taking a principled stand. The conservancy was created to move away from politically motivated decisions re: Balboa Park and put more control in the hands of citizen activists. These two board members fit that description and their action should be heeded by the public.
I commend Vicki and Judy for their integrity. It is a sad day when someone who has the means to be so philanthropic, such as Dr. Irwin Jacobs, uses his prestige to influence the outcome of such an important issue in San Diego. I am very disappointed in the conservancy. Elimination of parking from Plaza de Panama is not what is wrong with the Jacobs plan, the manner in which that goal would be achieved is what is wrong with that plan. Numerous viable alternatives have been presented and summarily dismissed by Dr. Jacobs as being inferior to his plan. What is inferior is Dr. Jacobs seeming unwillingness to acknowledge that other proposed plans may actual be worthy of his attention and support.
So, I congratulate them on making taking a ‘principled stand’ — but I don’t see how their resignation will help Balboa Park. Isn’t resignation as effective as rolling over- saying effectively removing themselves from a situation that only THEY had the power to influence in another direction?
Brittany, I was unable to provide a link to the complete press release, which provides much more context. It can be tough sitting on boards when there are external pressures to subvert an organization’s stated purpose. I have personally known Judy Swink for decades, and she is not one to roll over. Her well informed comments show up in all of the OBRag links which I provided.
The Conservancy went over to the dark side when it jettisoned its neutrality, access to citizen/outside participation and transparency.
I am certain that neither Judy nor Vicki have ceded the fight. They will no doubt carry it out on different terrain.
Stay tuned Brittany. This one isn’t over yet.
I know Judy particularly well and I am saddened that the Conservancy Board has abandoned its mission for Balboa Park. I don’t insist on being addressed as Dr. Trowbridge nor should the obstinate overbearing engineer who lacks historical perspective and esthetic vision.
I will continue to say that as chairman of the Salk Institute Board of Trustees he is destroying all that The Institute stood for since Jonas founded it in 1962 and during the 32 years I was a professor. His arrogance is palpable.
Balboa Park and the Salk are just an exercise in power as a faux philanthropist.