I was disappointed but not surprised to find a letter in my mailbox signed by John Snowling, president of the Ventura Police Officers Association, bad-mouthing incumbent Councilman Neal Andrews.
According to the VPOA, Neal is Public Enemy No. 1. Ask yourself why the VPOA is so afraid he will be re-elected. Why is the VPOA so desperate that they must perpetuate the smear campaign that started with a distasteful push poll in September?
All this name-calling is not really about Neal's out-of-state travel. As the only council member to serve on a national policy committee, Neal's travel expenses of approximately $8,000 a year are a pittance. Neal's participation in the National League of Cities has resulted in hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars in direct benefits to our city, the most recent being a doubling of the Community Development Block Grant funds available for local projects.
We all know that the VPOA's argument against Neal is motivated by their resentment of his vote against their 17 percent pay raise at a time when we were spiraling into a deep recession. Neal has repeatedly asked our police and other public safety personnel to come to the bargaining table to work constructively to modify the system so it could become sustainable. He has not asked any police officer to give up one dime of the benefits they have previously been awarded. He has simply asked them to recognize that it is a system that cannot be continued without significant modification as new employees are added to the police force.
Despite what the VPOA wants you to believe, Neal Andrews is most definitely a conservative taxpayer watchdog, and we need him, more than ever, to guarantee common sense and fiscal integrity to council decisions. Please vote for Neal Andrews on Tuesday.
-- Diane de Mailly, Ventura