Richard Nixon and Jerry Brown have shown that while politicians don’t have nine lives, they often have at least more than one. The thought must be comforting to Modesto Mayor Garrad Marsh, because since taking office he’s seemed intent on political suicide.
Almost simultaneously with being sworn in, he announced he was going annex Salida. There were only two things wrong with the proposal, both of which were toxic: (1) He never offered a good explanation of his reasoning and (2) he didn’t bother to poll the people of Salida, who seemed almost to the person vehemently against the idea.
Marsh’s next move was brave, much needed, and had little chance for success. The proposal for a one percent sales tax was one of the best ideas anyone’s had in years to remedy our problems with public safety and maintenance. Unfortunately, Modesto and Stanislaus County are hot zones of anti-tax hysteria.
It didn’t help when the Modesto Bee, which prefers a growth-inducing road tax, pumped the mistrust for government meme into what amounted to character assassination of a mayor and city council the Bee had endorsed almost all across the board. Even so, the tax proposal lost by only a narrow margin. Credit Marsh for almost pulling it off.
Nonetheless, the loss made Marsh 0 for two. It also made many of his supporters wonder what had happened to the man who had campaigned on smart growth and farmland preservation.
Marsh’s supporters have been even more puzzled by his behavior during the Wood Colony controversy. Instead of taking a strong stand in opposition to including Wood Colony in Modesto’s general plan, Marsh has at times seemed to support the idea.
He’s shown little sympathy for Wood Colony landowners and their way of life, and seems not to recognize the value of the soil under the feet of the people who farm the land their forefathers found and helped turn into one of the best agricultural regions in the world.
During his campaign against Brad Hawn and Bill Zoslocki, Marsh said he believed in “building up, not out.” When Zoslocki, now a member of the City Council, said our greatest need was for “shovel-ready” land, Marsh replied that we already had plenty of “shovel-ready land.”
Based on his campaign promises, Marsh’s supporters had every reason to believe he would be at the forefront of efforts to preserve prime farmland. Wood Colony is a watershed issue and comes at a point in Marsh’s term in office when he urgently needs to rally his base.
Garrad Marsh still has time to take a strong stand in favor of leaving Wood Colony alone. Inclusion of Wood Colony in Modesto’s General Plan is such a bad idea even the Modesto Bee, which ordinarily favors any Chamber of Commerce proposal, has come out against it.
If Mayor Marsh doesn’t take the lead in protecting Wood Colony, he can count on losing a large portion of his political base. He will also increase the likelihood that Modesto’s next mayor will be yet another in a long line of candidates dedicated to growth at any cost.
It’s time for Modesto’s Mayor to make good on his campaign promises and stand up for Wood Colony.
Nice work. Love the phrase, “anti-tax hysteria”
Bruce Jones couldn’t make it past the “comment” filter, but did offer the following comment. Here’s Bruce:
The Mayor surprised many of us with his pattern of supporting the Chamber of Commerce on issues, big and small, and of supporting developers. But I repeat myself. He has missed opportunities to show leadership on creative ideas for improving this town and his administration seems to be a function of maintaining the status quo. We were looking for a new style of advocacy from his office. We await some indicators of progressive leadership.
Eric,
What is supposed to be the mission of a Chamber of Commerce? Seems they ought to be focusing on those businesses and jobs that are currently inside of Modesto. Downtown is half empty. It appears to me the Modesto Chamber of Commerce has been taken over by a few well heeled local development interests. Why does a Chamber of Commerce have a land use function?
What also boggles my mind is why the City Council even considered the Chamber’s ridiculous map in the first place. My question would be, who is the chamber in the first place that they should get such special consideration? They created their ” Pathway to Sprawl ” behind closed doors. The public wasn’t invited to review and provide input. If the Chamber is given this type of consideration, then the American Farmland Trust, League of Women Voters, and a number of other groups should be allowed to present and submit their own maps. Ridiculous.
Hello West Sider,
You’re right that the Chamber has too much influence, as do business interests nationwide. They lobby, they donate to campaigns, they hire people whose only job is to influence legislation, they promote, advertise, and schmooze. The rest of us are usually working and trying to keep up.
The Chambers role should be to advocate for or against City Council proposals that would have a beneficial or negative impact on their membership. Modesto Chamber of Commerce is now Modesto’s planning authority. Many major metropolitan cities have Chambers that actively weigh in on a General Plan update. In Modesto’s case, the Chamber is the lead agency and the City Council takes direction from them on how to proceed. Perhaps this is a new form of Membership Drive being launched by the Chamber? If you want a say in how the city is governed, get your membership now. There is probably a discount too.
Hey there City Council & Chamber, you will NOT have voter approval of your “road tax” while land-grabbing Wood Colony