Voice of the People: RE: MEASURE “C”—WHO ARE YOU GOING TO BELIEVE?

Election campaigns should be about issues unless, of course, individuals, by their words or actions, make themselves an integral part of the campaign. Grand Terrace resident, business owner and Ad Hoc Budget Advisory Committee member, Earl Fraser, penned a recent letter to CNG entitled “Fact or Fiction—You Decide.” This letter could be considered Chapter 2 of that missive. Former Ad Hoc Budget Advisory Committee Vice-Chairman Jeffrey McConnell has tortured logic, truth and common sense in failed attempts to rationalize his about face on Measure “C.” For the uninformed, Mr. McConnell adroitly positioned himself to make the motion leading to the Committee’s recommendation of a Utility Users’ Tax to the Grand Terrace City Council. The Committee’s vote for the UUT was unanimous. Due to a family reunion, Mr. McConnell was absent when I formally presented the Committee’s report to Council. As a result, Mr. McConnell asked me, and City Manager Betsy Adams I learned later, to emphasize to the City Council that he was the maker of the motion to recommend a UUT and that his only difference with the Committee recommendation was the dollar amount associated with the Committee’s recommendation (Mr. McConnell preferred $1 million rather than $1.5 million). As we have learned since then, Mr. McConnell signed the ballot argument opposing Measure “C.” So, who are you going to believe: Mr. McConnell or the public record of Council and Committee meetings? Mr. Doug Wilson’s letters opposing the Committee’s work began before the Committee’s recommendation to Council was finalized, replete with sarcasm, name-calling and bad arithmetic. Given his absence at affected Committee meetings, I wondered at the time how he had come to know the Committee’s business before such business was finalized. Well, that question has certainly been answered by Mr. McConnell. You do not have to take my word for any of this. Ask any of the Committee members, members of the public in attendance or staff about these events. Better yet, review the public record, form your own conclusions and vote “Yes” on Measure “C.”