#105, November 27, 2002
It’s about the basics. So say some of those
whose writings recently appeared on this page. Incumbent environmentalist
council members were defeated because they were too busy trying to save the
world to pay attention to City basics. But… but… these two candidates were
leading in the Press Democrat Poll less than a week before the awful hit pieces
hit! Well, I want to talk about the basics, so let’s assume that was the swing
issue.
Before we get down to basics, I should also
point out how swing-voter perception of this “basics” issue would have been
skewed not only by these hit pieces, but also by the news-grabbing stories like
Lafferty and the Campaign Finance Reform Ordinance. I know from experience with
the Council and City Commissions that these sensational issues consume a pretty
small fraction of members’ mindshare. But in the voting booth, image often
overcomes substance.
One more thing: before I start in on the
basics, take a deep breath and hold it, until I give the signal. Got it? Good.
Movie theaters are pretty important. It
doesn’t make sense that we should spend time and gas, and pay into another
city’s sales tax kitty, to get this most basic form of entertainment. Streets,
too, are basic, how else would we get around? Fire and police protection are
basic protections against accidental and intentional injuries to our families
and property.
Jobs are even more basic, providing the means
to pay for movies, car expenses, health care, clothing, and shelter. Of course,
there’s food, water, and air, and the benevolence of climate and earth. Still
holding? Hang on.
The last time I checked, we hadn’t found
substitutes for the earth and climate, and the food, water and air that depends
upon the health of the earth and her climate. In fact, Americans’ demands on
the earth, generated by our work, leisure, and family needs, if followed by the
rest of the world, would require three earths to sustain. With only one earth,
we’ll eventually run out of food, water, and air.
Okay, take a breath now. Ask yourself, what’s
*really* important? That concludes my lesson in basics.
Some of you (and thanks for reading this with
an open mind) will say it’s not the City’s business to be concerned about
*those* basics. Cities aren’t responsible for oxygen production. Leave it to
businesses, to families, to the State or Federal Government. To that, I say
when the City stops collecting my money for projects, and stops exercising the
legitimate police power over development; I’ll relax my requirement that they
be governed by principles that ensure the sustainability of our economy and our
planet. As a citizen of this local and global community, I can’t stand by and
let my money and authority be used in an ecologically uninformed manner,
however basically sensible that ideology may have seemed in the past.
If we focus on the basics without questioning
the assumptions underlying how we do them, we are like Garrison Keilor’s
blizzard-bound motorist, who opens his door to follow the tracks of the car
ahead of him, not realizing until he runs into a ditch that those tracks were
from his own front tires.
Citizens need to question this
“sustainability”. Is it socialism? Is it living in caves and eating grubs?
Here’s a simple answer: sustainability is *affordability* over the long term,
living on our income, not our capital. How is sustainability reflected in the
day-to-day operation of the City? Answering that is an evolutionary process.
And that evolution will require the attention and commitment of our City
leaders.
What does this mean to the new City Council?
To not abandon the sustainability focus adopted by past Councils and the
Petaluma Chamber of Commerce. To keep sustainability at the foundation of the
new General Plan. To study how cities (not to mention major corporations)
around the world are weaving ecological sustainability into the business of
municipal governance. At first this will seem strange and take extra effort.
But it’s lot easier than holding our breath.