Opinion

Elected Officials Vote 10-0,

How Are Residents Going To Vote?

The recent 10-0 vote by the City/Schools Committee to move the Center of Community Life forward with a $95 million November bond initiative is an indication that the expensive school rebuild project is either the greatest thing since sliced bread or that dissenters have been silenced.

The City of Emeryville used taxpayer dollars and hired Oakland based political consultancy firm The Lew Edwards Group to make sure the November 2nd initiative passes. At an earlier City/Schools meeting President and CEO Catherine Lew told city officials that there must not be even a single dissenter among their ranks or else voters might get spooked about the project. In what may be a coincidence, the remaining straggler committee member critics of the Center of Community Life, fell into line shortly after the warning by Ms Lew.

This latest anti-democratic action adds to what has become a low water mark in Emeryville politics. Emeryville residents should be allowed to hear real objective analysis about this, the largest public construction project in our history especially since the resident's money is being used for it.

We are reminded of the words of former School District Supervisor and champion of the Center of Community Life Tony Smith who said the Center needs to be "kicked by critics and dissenters and kicked hard" if it is to succeed. Mr Smith thought that critical and even dissenting views would only strengthen the Center of Community Life, a view current city officials no doubt consider quaint.

As if consciously turning a page, shortly after Mr Smith left Emeryville to head up the schools in San Francisco, an Emeryville committee he formed, open to all residents called the 'Partners for Community Life' became an exclusive club, open only to supporters of the City of Emeryville's vision of the incipient project. The idea of the committee is to help shape the Center of Community Life. It is ironic indeed since the Partners Committee helped produce a video last summer (again at taxpayers expense) to sell the Center of Community Life staring none other than Tony Smith.

The City likes to point out that they've hosted forums where people can say what they wish about the Center of Community Life. They say they're writing down everything the public says at these meetings. This has been the sum total of public participation so far. We say this isn't good enough. We expect better transparency and a real debate with a taxpayer funded project such as this. So far, we've gotten neither.