Carlsbad Leaders Hear from Referendum Winners
By Richard Riehl / The Riehl World
“Okay, ladies and gentlemen, we’re off to a good start,” said Carlsbad Mayor Matt Hall, after Councilmember Mark Packard’s opening prayer spurred murmurs from the audience, one member declaring, “Separation of church and state, Dr. Packard!” That led to Dr. Packard’s stern reproach from the dais, “Do not take offense when none is intended.”
The closing words of Packard’s prayer, “We pray for these things in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” were what stoked up the crowd. Mayor Hall, realizing his rosy greeting was premature, wisely called for a ten-minute break.
Twenty Carlsbad residents lined up to speak about the city council’s receipt of the report by the San Diego County Registrar of Voters of a sufficient number of signatures on the referendum to overturn the Carlsbad city council’s August 25 approval of the 85/15 Agua Hedionda South Shore Specific Plan for 85% Open Space and 15% Retail Initiative.
Only two speakers were supportive of the council’s rubber stamp of the shopping center on the lagoon. Here’s an edited sample of comments from Carlsbad residents who supported, and one of the two who opposed, the referendum for a vote by the people as promised by the initiative.
Roseanne Bentley
Gathering signatures for the referendum was one of the scariest times in my 30 years of living in Carlsbad. I was followed by Caruso employees. I was yelled at, I was afraid. Put the referendum on the 2016 ballot. Don’t make the taxpayers pay for a special election and then blame us.
Vickie Syage
I’ve lived in Carlsbad for 24 years. I am also a very prolific Nordstrom shopper. You said you couldn’t justify a half million dollars for a special election. The only beneficiary of a special election now is the developer.
Ronald Peterson
How could so many citizens want to block this outstanding project if they really studied the specifics of it? I attended your Citizens Academy. That project would create 175 acres of open space. And none of this is open to the public now and won’t be in the future if we don’t go forward with the project.
Linda Breen
Each of us paid for our own petitions. To raise money we organized garage sales and fundraisers. We had to listen to two lies in one sentence, “Outside interests are trying to destroy my strawberry business.” Operatives from outside Carlsbad circulated fake petitions to get people to think they had already signed our referendum.
De’Ann Weimer
President of Citizens for North County
The city should spend the $500,000 for a special election on something else, like trail access now to the Agua Hedionda Lagoon. (Quoting a previous speaker to the council on Innovate 78) “Without the quality of life in Carlsbad we are a very expensive place to live and we are less competitive.” How will this project affect the quality of life in Carlsbad, and how much of a disadvantage will be to our competitive position in the county?
Cori Schumacher
Quoted the City Charter, approved 1/9/2008
The intent of this Charter is to allow the City Council and the voters to exercise the maximum degree of control over land use matters within the City of Carlsbad.
Fred Sandquist
President, Batiquitos Lagoon Foundation
The voters have spoken. Either suspend the plan or put it on the ballot in the 2016 General Election.
Susan Cratty
You agreed with the developer that he knows how to preserve open space the right way. But if it was the right way, a bait and switch initiative would not have been necessary. We were caught sleeping. We have been empowered by your refusal to acknowledge our concerns. We encourage you to listen to our voice because Carlsbad votes.
Kerry Siekmann
I’m here as a resident of Carlsbad and also as an environmentalist. (She fails to mention she’s also a member of the Planning Commission and voted to approve the city’s General Plan Update). I have been an environmentalist for the city of Carlsbad since 2007. I support this project. I am thrilled to get an endowment for this land that we haven’t been able to use. It’s a mess. Something is going to be built there. And we couldn’t be more lucky than to have this project, rather than a Walmart, or Target or a strip mall, because this place has been zoned commercial, so something is going to go in there. I think we should get this election done as soon as possible.
The city council meets next to address this issue on November 17. At that time they will decide whether to reject the developer’s plan, hold a special election within 90 days, or put it on the 2016 General Election ballot. Word on the street is that Caruso is developing his marketing spin for the special election. We’ll see what influence that has on the council’s decision.
The audience reaction to the meeting’s opening prayer and the failure of Mayor Hall and Councilmember Packard to understand why some were offended it may be a clue to why the Council’s credibility has been questioned by their unanimous approval of a deceptive developer’s attempt to bypass voters.
Dr. Packard is free to pray in any way he wishes, of course. But when he does so aloud, as a representative of the city, he needs to be aware of the diversity of those listening. He was, after all, identified as the leader of a group prayer. He did not say, “I pray for these things in the name of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” It may be legal to profess your faith publicly in the way he did, but it’s both bad manners and even worse politics.
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I don’t think ending the prayer the way he did should get people’s panties all in a wad. They have the right to deliver a prayer according to their religion and end it any way that they want. Perhaps there should have been a general announcement before the prayer began to the effect that this guy is a Christian and he’s going to deliver a Christian prayer. Anyone that wanted to deliver a Jewish or Hindu or Muslim or secular humanist prayer should have been invited to add their prayers as well. We need to have religious tolerance not unisex prayers devoid of any religious connotations.
Why are there prayers at all? We have a separation of church and state for very good reasons.
I agree entirely with your last sentence, John. Prayers are meaningless if they’re divisive. Why not a minute of silence for all to pray or not pray according to their own beliefs. The founders made it quite clear we are not a nation founded on religious beliefs.
The irony here is that if ever anyone needed to pray, it’s US. We need to pray for a new mayor and city council. Of course, THEY need to pray as well. These sanctimonious hypocrites routinely lie and make false accusations (Westfield is backing CNC!). No laws were broken since the Supreme Court ruled that this is permissible, but how about exercising some good judgment. Oh, right, I forgot. We’re talking about the same people who want to give Caruso a green light on his mall and fell all over themselves to do it. They also proclaimed spending $500,000 of OUR tax dollars on an election was a waste of money, but NOW they are all for it. Someone please pray for us, but do it in the privacy of your own home or place of worship or, if you choose to do it in a public forum, use your inner voice.
I feel the same way about the ending whenever I go to holiday meals at my friend’s house who is Southern Baptist. He gives a wonderful all-encompassing invocation before the meal that even I, as a Jewish-born currently spiritual agnathiest, can embrace. Then spoils it all with that divisive L&SJC ending.
Of course, as a guest in their house I don’t make a fuss or even mention it. But, in a city council meeting Mr. Packard shoulda just omitted that ending and he’s have been OK.
small oops: that should’ve been “he’d have been OK.”
(I’d sure love an edit function on these comments)
Honest to gods, prayer at government meetings is offensive. Knock it off already!
Oh, a “liberal” dictator.
Maybe someday we’ll reach a point where city council members pray to the gods of evidence-based policy, rational thought, and unbiased decision making. I wouldn’t bet on it, though.