I have been a business owner in Santa Paula for more than 46 years. I have served as mayor and as a council member for eight years. I have been a member of the Chamber of Commerce for more than 40 years, served on the Board of Directors for 12 years and president for two years. I have served on the board of the Boys and Girls Club, president of the Santa Paula Optimist Club and Santa Paula Shriners and more committees that I can remember.
I am extremely disappointed with the Santa Paula Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors' decision not to support the Adams Preserve. The most important goal of the chamber is to promote commerce and business. When they take a negative stand against a project that would provide the community millions of dollars in increased tax revenue, provide improved services to the residents of Santa Paula with very little impact on our schools or the community, and create more than 1,000 new jobs, they are going against the oath they took when they were sworn in as board members.
I am not concerned for my own business, because I will be retired in the next couple of years. My decision to support Measure Y is to provide better police and fire protection for the residents of our community in the future and to help our city workers receive wages and benefits that are comparable to those in the rest of the county.
The question is not whether the project will be built. The question is: Who will receive the benefits, Santa Paula or the county?
Once again, I am reading about a proposed new utility tax to fund city services. I say no to new taxes. If Measure Y passes, there will be no need to have a utility tax increase or any increase to our taxes.
Join me in supporting this outstanding opportunity by voting yes on Measure Y for a better Santa Paula.
- Jim McCoy, Santa Paula
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