Here's a tip for Fulton and the others on the City Council that are pushing for a sales tax increase -- start leading by example.

Apparently, Mayor Weir and Councilman Andrews will be going on a week long junket to Washington, D.C. in mid-March, at a cost of $5,000 - $6,000. At the same time you're talking about laying off police officers and firefighters? Bad timing, guys.

This trip is being touted as an opportunity for City officials to make a pitch for more money from the federal economic stimulus plan for the City. However, the guidelines for how the stimulus money is to be distributed to the states, counties, and cities have already been formulated, so this "pitch" will be of little or no value to the City.

This trip should be canceled, if, for no other reason, than to show good faith on the part of the City Council for cutting unnecessary expenses, however small a piece of the budget pie they may be, especially if they are asking for such major sacrifices from City employees.

Here's a tip for Fulton and the others on the City Council that are pushing for a sales tax increase -- start leading by example.

Apparently, Mayor Weir and Councilman Andrews will be going on a week long junket to Washington, D.C. in mid-March, at a cost of $5,000 - $6,000. At the same time you're talking about laying off police officers and firefighters? Bad timing, guys.

This trip is being touted as an opportunity for City officials to make a pitch for more money from the federal economic stimulus plan for the City. However, the guidelines for how the stimulus money is to be distributed to the states, counties, and cities have already been formulated, so this "pitch" will be of little or no value to the City.

This trip should be canceled, if, for no other reason, than to show good faith on the part of the City Council for cutting unnecessary expenses, however small a piece of the budget pie they may be, especially if they are asking for such major sacrifices from City employees.

Your figures are wildly inflated.

http://www.ci.ventura.ca.us/newsmanager/articlefiles/4591-item%2010.pdf

Our mayor is attending the National League of Cities Congressional City Conference and while there will be lobbying for federal funds for some critical infrastructure projects which could employ as many as 1,300 people. She has promised to minimize expenses and this is within her allowable travel budget.

Didn't you just put up a post identical to this a few weeks ago, Brian?

I might add that at the retailer's conference she attended last year in Las Vegas she succeeded in getting Hyatt Place to agree to build a new hotel here. So she is using her travel dollars wisely.

To answer your question about blogs: both Bill and Rick are writers, so blogging comes naturally to them. I was asked by the Star to start a blog on Ventura and I also like to write about state politics occasionally, too. The Star is actively looking for bloggers to write on politics in other ciities, if anyone is interested.

Marie,

I posted this because Bill Fulton sent out an email that he updated his blog. Thanks for your input.

Here's a letter I authored that was published in the Star on Friday (March 6th) on this subject.

Sorry, the link didn't work, but it's in the March 6th Letters to the Editor. Check it out.

As I was watching the budget discussions at the March 2 Ventura City Council meeting, I found Councilman Bill Fulton's comments a bit hard to stomach. This guy is complaining about the problems he is having with his businesses and the losses he is experiencing with his 401(k) retirement plan when the City Council is considering laying off police officers, firefighters and park maintenance workers?
The other startling revelation was Mayor Christy Weir and Councilman Neal Andrews' plans to attend a weeklong National League of Cities conference (read: junket) in Washington, D.C., in mid-March at the same time they're about to ask city residents to approve a half-cent sales tax.
I'm sorry, but these guys just don't seem to get it. I hope you'll join with me in making some much-needed changes in the makeup of our City Council in November. This ship has drifted way off course.
-- Mike Gibson, Ventura

That's so awesome! About time someone held these turkey's feet to the fire.

Mike,

I didn't watch the meeting but it would seem that if Bill Fulton was discussing the impact of the economy on his business he was trying to connect it to the larger economic issues of job losses, investment losses, and the inability for businesses to make up for lost tax revenue by charing them higher taxes when those same businesses are already losing money.

Bill Fulton seems to understand the interconnections between businesses, the economy, and government spending.

And the Star's editors printed a disclaimer with the letter saying Gibson ran for Council once and lost. Nothing wrong with Fulton talking about his own business troubles in the context of the conversation. Gibson needs to get a grip. Not everybody's sitting pretty in a new hilltop home like he is and asking daddy to fund his $50,000 Council campaign.

As a long-time city employee, I think there's something very wrong with a City Council member sitting up there holier than thou claiming he's suffering just as bad financially as the City workers in the audience, many of whom are making $40,000, or less, a year. Especially, when the crux of the discussion is about how many city employees are going to be layed off. I'm sorry, but it was way out of context.

It was the wrong time for that kind of self-serving rhetoric and Gibson is right for calling him out on it. Council Member Monahan called him out on it too and those of us in the audience appreciated his comments too.

As a washed up Council candidate now pretending to be a city employee on a blog, you are pathetic Gibson. You've used that 'folly' pseudonym before when referring to other politicians. What a frickin loser.