Council Extends Phony Moratorium

A year ago, Councilwoman Trish Kelley announced she was protecting the Casta golf course by introducing a moratorium to delay housing development. The moratorium wouldn’t stop a developer because, by law, it must include a loophole to the developer’s advantage. It prevents nothing. As additional proof the moratorium is meaningless, the council can lift it at any time with three votes. During the Feb. 2 meeting, the council extended the interim ordinance for a year. Why would anyone trust council members who pretend they’re protecting residents with such a sham?

What residents really need is protection from the council. Kelley made a big production of initiating the moratorium a year ago. She then made a big mistake of talking with two people she didn’t realize were key supporters of the Right-To-Vote initiative. How could Kelley simultaneously protect the golf course and relish the developer having to give the city $1 million dollars to build housing on it? Occasionally, the truth slips out. Councilmen Frank Ury and Lance MacLean have made clear that they would vote to put housing on the golf course. MacLean, Ury and Kelley (MUK) have voted in favor of every rezoning issue that’s come before them.

If neighbors of the golf course aren’t scared of these three pro-developer council members, they’re not paying attention. The audience had cleared out by the time the council discussed the moratorium on Feb. 2. After Kelley again patted herself on the back for the meaningless moratorium, Ury made a remark so outrageous it should anger the entire city: “The moratorium has been wildly successful, and it is toning down the hysteria” about the golf course.

Is anyone listening to this? Residents should be on high alert, as the only thing stopping this council majority from rezoning the golf course and numerous other parcels is the economy. Sunrise “withdrew its plan” primarily because of its own financial fix. The housing slump may have compounded things, but Sunrise was going nowhere by August 2008. Sunrise might have been slowed down by three HOAs and passel of activists, but its creditors brought everything to a halt.

The Right-to-Vote Initiative is now in the hands of the Registrar of Voters. Nearly 11,000 signatures are being counted, and residents should get an opportunity to vote on this one.

The initiative should end threats of rezoning, but city officials clearly don’t want voters messing up their plans. City Attorney Bill Curley said on Feb. 2, “I think there are some serious legal problems with the initiative.”

Supporters of the initiative did everything possible to ensure its success. They’ll now proceed to remove MacLean from the council. One way or another, residents should have the right to choose between those who should run their city or those who are running it into the ground.