DREAMS CAN COME TRUE

It appears my major civic troubles are over.  I’ll get my park, now in the capable hands of Mayor Davis’s Ad-Hoc Committee, which will manage to deal with Mr. Chiodo without me – please don’t ask why.  I’m confident PB will look after the interests of those of us who actually use the park.

And, it’s looking very much like we’ve toppled Goliath with our mighty slingshot.  The cement factory story should be made into a movie.  I’ve already proposed to depict this historic event in pictures on the walls of the city, just as the ancient Egyptians related their great battles on the walls of tombs.  It’s a story that needs to be told, and passed down through the generations.

I also think that million dollars dangled in front of us by the port and factory folks should be contributed to the south Vallejo neighborhood anyway.  For nothing.  Just because we worked so hard to defeat them. And reimburse our costs too. 

While I’m asking, put an upscale health-spa on that beautiful southern waterfront, and a sports/concert stadium, and a ferry stop and a private boat dock so Zuckerberg and his wife can use their speed boat when they come to Vallejo for mud masks and massages. And a five-star lunch.

Dreaming of Vallejo of the future, inspired by the new General Plan I’m proud to say I worked on ever since I moved to Vallejo two years ago.  The best thing democracy has to offer is the opportunity to participate, which I can do here in Vallejo, and is one of the things I love best about living in this city. 

Now I can dream of Farraday Future spending hundreds of millions here, and think about the prospect of fresh blood and intelligence in local government, and enjoy that feeling of hope I sense in the air while watching the river flow beside Independence Park.  It gives me courage to think about what else I want.

 

Here it comes: Not only do I want a peaceful, beautiful family park across the way from where I live, I want to re-route all busses and trucks from Mare Island Way to another street, Sonoma Blvd. for example.  Put a roundabout in the place where Curtola Parkway meets Sonoma Boulevard to divert heavy traffic to Sonoma, already a commercial thoroughfare. 

Mare Island Way needs to be quieted down so we can hear sea lions honk around the boats near the old shipyards, watch flocks of seagulls cawing into the wind, notice migrating geese fly in formation overhead, and wonder about the whacked-out drummer-boy who tap-tap-taps his day away as though heralding in some great event that’s sure to come.

Consider the well-being of present residents as well as future buyers and renters of the luxury apartments, condos, and homes guaranteed to appear on the waterfront, sooner or later. 

And, wouldn’t it be nice to have gondolas carry us over to Mare Island?

I said I was dreaming.

P.S. If you don’t know the drummer-boy I’m talking about you don’t know my park.

SHOW ME THE MONEY!

Ha ha ha!  I’m glad to see I’m not the only one worried about the outcome of the vote when the Orcem/VMT project comes before our city council in a couple of months.  Two others are also worried, as we can see from the report on the front page of today’s paper.  Orcem’s president & VMT’s owner are so worried they’re willing to pay the city a million bucks to vote for them.

But I'm not worried any more.  It’s nice to know they’re not as sure of themselves as we think they are; it’s not the “done deal” rumors would have us believe.  If it was a sure thing we wouldn’t see a nickel more than what they have to pay.  After all, it’s business.

The part of this story that makes me most happy is, by making this offer, VMT/Orcem have shot themselves in the foot – royally!  How can our venerable Mayor or any City Councilor vote for them and accept the money?  Think about it. 

By going public with their bribe, VMT/Orcem have ruined their chances of getting the deal.  If our city leaders accept the money and then vote for them for all the world to see, what does that say about our leaders?  Even the wise men of Chelm would know better than to do that.

(And, doesn’t this make the nature of their business even more suspect?)

And yet, it seems to me there’s a price for everything in this material world; business is business after all.  Everyone knows a measly million dollars doesn’t go very far these days.  This is the era of The Billions.  I say, show us a Few Billion and at least give us something to think about.