Dear Editor:
Existing Fort Bragg City Councilmembers have for several years ignored downtown merchant pleas for essential things like proper directional signage, decorative lighting, landscaping, more public restrooms, legal and safety attention to abandoned buildings, and grants that should be pointed towards things that need doing now (instead of funding pet projects earmarked for ten years into the future).
The present sitting council has failed to even formally declare downtown to be an “Improvement District.” This shameless refusal to assist our core small business economy comes with a corresponding black eye. Tax revenue collected from these same businesses is being funneled by the millions into a detrimental lawsuit with the Skunk Train, while legally gag-ordering us local citizens 35 times over the last two years from learning the facts about the case. Not the democracy we were taught!
This is why the two available City Council seats should be filled with new faces, not the same old status quo. More than ever registering and voting is not only a right, but a necessity.
Bill Mann and Sue Rogers
Fort Bragg
Agree 100% Honesty is also a good policy!
Please show me exactly how the City of Fort Bragg has ignored downtown!?
For decades, the City has worked hard to bring tourists here and much was for downtown, including making it dog friendly!
These claims, with no specific information, are negative tactics designed to fool the voters! Fort Bragg will not be fooled!!
These new candidates have no political, government or leadership experience; all of which takes years to achieve!
The three current members also have bery few years of experience as well.
Lindy Peters has 22 years of government, Council and leadership experience!
Now, more than ever, we need Lindy Peters on the Firt Bragg City Council!
Marianne M McGee
Marianne, stop embarrassing yourself with these attacks on other people with different opinions than yours. Bill and Suzann moved to Fort Bragg to try to improve the downtown area and have been met with disinterest or outright hostility from City officials, particuarly Lindy. They were neighbors to a proposed cannabis dispensary with manufacturing and plant nursery on site that nearly all of the neighbors in the block were opposed to (some didn’t get involved so we don’t know their positions). Lindy tried to ram it through in what appeared to be a favor to the applicants, who were well-known as problematic neighbors in their other locations. Lindy even pushed through a change in the code to ALLOW people with criminal backgrounds to work with the dispensaries as their agents or employees because the main proponent was a known felon. This is the kind of treatment Lindy has provided to downtown property and business owners and residents. They all know what kind of councilmember Lindy is and want nothing to do with more of his nonsense and self-serving BS.
“Worked hard”?! Wow. Talk about out of touch what hard work looks like. The City is spending money on trying to develop “blue economy” while doing little for existing businesses in the downtown.
Inconsistent development policies. Favoritism.
Take a look at the 2 year process to move Bears pizza.
Dog friendly was created by Covid circumstances not by some proactive patio / dog policies.
Downtown maps that don’t mention the Skunk Train due to internal politics. Petty.
Spending TOT money intended for attracting visitors on events focused on locals.
Try doing more than having a council member mug for the camera on videos only watched by locals if you want to attract visitors.
Finally this is City Council. This is where local citizens can step up and get involved and make things happen. They don’t need 3 decades of history to make needed change happen.