Letter to the Editor: Orinda City Council Candidate Comparison

It appears that the candidate postings for Orinda City Council has run its course with 25 comments on Smith's post (none by Smith), 108 for Glazer (25 responses by Glazer), and 179 for Delehunt (32 responses by Delehunt).  On a scale of "being willing to be up front with the voters" Delehunt and Glazer are pretty much tied while Smith is a distant last. 

Being selfish and limited in words here, I am only going to comment on the topics I posed questions to which include (1) Roads (Smith and Glazers main concern when they ran in 2008 both claiming "roads, roads, roads.") and (2) Emergency Services which consume more of Orinda taxpayer dollars than the entire City budget.

I asked the candidates what they thought of the City's Ten-Year Road Plan starting with the Measure L sales tax and continuing in a few years with two $20 million bond measures.

Glazer responded that he hoped the Measure L funds would be used in accordance with the current City policy of focusing on major roads that the great majority of driving is done on however actual allocation would be based on recommendations by the CIOC and discussed publicly.  As for the probability of the bond measures ever passing, he stated "opinion is always changing".

Delehunt said that Measure L will not address the road problem but that the City is suggesting that it will.  That Measure L does not even cover the cost to maintain roads in their current condition.  She further believes that the Ten Year Plan's two bond measures will not pass and thus "there is really NO plan in place to take care of the roads."

I have attended numerous CIOC and other City road meetings over the years and have spent countless hours acquiring and analyzing road data.  Delehunt has it right.  Our City Council (the effort on roads led by Glazer and endorsed by Smith) has failed us.  A fuller discussion on the Ten Year Plan can be found atwww.RoadToNowhere.info.

I also asked all candidates about the recently released Emergency Services Task Force report (www.OrindTaskForce.org) and the City's involvement or lack thereof.

Glazer said "the voters of Orinda created the MOFD. The City Council did not do this" as his way of saying this is the resident's problem, not the City's.  Smith said essentially the same in the press.  He did say "I will closely monitor the direction of the (MOFD) Board."

Delehunt responded " I believe an official Task Force should be appointed by the City Council that would focus on how to better understand how Orinda residents' emergency services needs are being met so that the Council can appropriately represent its residents in this important discussion."

Glazer is wrong: in 1997 the City went to the County and asked permission to form MOFD.  It did take voter approval to actually form MOFD.  On this issue I like Delehunt's willingness to represent Orinda’s emergency services needs.