Dumb or Devious? 

Editor:

Friday's blog item on the GPU process (also in Blog Jammin, Sept. 20), with Burn's concluding question in response to Virginia Bass' comment: "Could these be marching orders? Or is it coincidence that Sundberg and Bohn's confusion and concerns led them to this very same idea?" pretty much sums up what some have long speculated: that Rob Arkley front group HELP, promoting the interest  of developers, speculators, realtors and large landowners, funded this new majority's campaigns to carry out their agenda. ?I'd like to give Sundberg and Bohn the benefit of the doubt and believe that they are just not capable of comprehending the policy document which they were elected to vote on. However, the cynic in me suspects they are only claiming to be this dumb in order to fulfill the agenda they were sent to carry out.

We all make mistakes; the trick is to learn from them. Will the voters of Humboldt County learn from theirs? The ultimate blame lies with us, the voters, but the media shares some blame too. 

Where was the vetting process during the elections? Why were these men -- now making statements like "It's super-overwhelming to me" and "I'd like to have some knowledge so maybe I'd have a bit of understanding" -- not quizzed on their grasp of the biggest issue that would be facing them during their term in office?

We now have folks in charge who either have ulterior motives for acting dumb or actually are dumb. I'm not sure which is worst, but if they intend to act so brazenly on behalf of their funders by discarding what has cost the taxpayers millions of dollars and the thousands of hours of staff (and Planning Commissioners) time, we should note that when these individuals run for re-election.

David Isley, Eureka
 
Editor:

During recent meetings, County Supervisors Ryan Sundberg and Rex Bohn expressed confusion and being overwhelmed about the draft General Plan Update (Blog Jammin, Sept. 13 and 20). As board members, both should have the intellectual capacity to comprehend this document, its history, and how it differs from the 1984 plan. Supervisor Virginia Bass bravely piped in that she'd never seen such a lengthy plan.

Supervisors Sundberg and Bass have had ample opportunities to ask staff for clarification. Before he retired, Supervisor Jimmy Smith provided an orientation to incoming Supervisor Bohn. Because the draft GPU is such a critical document, I assume an in-depth review was a training topic for Supervisor Bohn before he was sworn into office.

When Planning/Building Department staff is assigned extra work, such as on the draft GPU, as seemingly directed by Supervisors Sundberg and Bohn, it takes staff away from their usual work for the board members' constituents. When their constituents complain, who will they blame? Of course, it will be the Planning and Building Department administration and staff.

I urge voters to follow the money donated to the campaigns of Supervisors Bass, Sundberg, and Bohn to understand from where these new questions have arisen, and who is behind their attempts to change and/or postpone the approval of the new GPU. When Ms. Estelle Fennell is on the Board this January, I expect her to join the majority of supervisors in opposing the draft GPU, in accordance with her campaign's funding sources. Thank you to Supervisors Lovelace and Clendenen for explaining that a comparison of both plans is included in the current draft.  It has been previously reviewed and publicly vetted during innumerable meetings.

Teresa MacClelland, Eureka