A vote on approval of the power plant was delayed one week by council member Bill Ward, even though all the other council members and the Mayor appeared ready to vote on the issue immediately. Mr. Ward did not make his reasons for asking for a postponement clear, and it is surprising given that there is a good chance that he, and council member Olden Henson, will be out of town for the meeting next week. Does Mr. Ward not want to vote on this personally? What is going to occur in this one week time period that will suddenly allow him to vote?
In any case, ALL members of the council present (Bill Quirk was not present), including Mr. Ward, made it clear that they have serious concerns about the placement of this power plant, for the numerous reasons stated at the meeting. Most of the council, including Mayor Sweeney, indicated that when they vote, they will uphold City staff’s recommendation and vote against the power plant. This is a great turn of events for those of us opposed to the power plant and we hope that the one week delay will not unduly influence anyone’s vote.
Council members Barbara Halliday, Kevin Dowling, Doris Rodriguez, Olden Henson, and Mayor Michael Sweeney all spoke out strongly against placement of this plant in our community and did an admirable job of not letting Tierra, PG&E, and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District dodge tough questions regarding health, safety, and standard of living issues that have been raised regarding this plant. They made it clear that they took seriously the concerns voiced by hundreds of residents in letters, emails, and public comments at the meeting.
This is not over! The vote is now scheduled for the next City Council meeting, which will take place on Tuesday, March 13 at 8:00 pm in Council Chambers, 2nd floor, City Hall, 777 B Street. The meeting on 3/6 was filled with concerned residents who took time out of their busy lives to attend the meeting. It is unfortunate that a vote could not be reached that night and the issue put to rest immediately. But we will continue to attend City Council meetings until there is a vote and we need your help. Please make an effort to attend the next meeting, and keep the pressure up in the from of your letters, emails, and phone calls to the Mayor, City Council and the CEC. Your voice does count!
For those of you who attended the meeting, THANK YOU. Your presence showed the City Council loud and clear that the community feels strongly about this issue and that we are watching how they vote. I was so impressed with the intelligent, informed, and heartfelt comments made by residents. Let’s keep up the good work!
0 Responses to “No vote taken at the City Council Meeting 3/6/07”