Citizens aren’t stupid, B will win

Editor, Index-Tribune:

Steve Page thinks that Measure B “subverts” the design review process of Sonoma (Op-Ed, “Measure B robs our community’s voice,” Nov. 1), when all it does is add a stipulation about the size of hotels, one of many regulations that the Planning Commission, Design Review Board and City Council must adhere to by law. Many of these regulations did not exist at one time, and have come into effect as conditions change, such as the recent ban on large chain stores.

Page’s cynical attempt to dismiss the measure as merely “promoted” as a peoples’ initiative, despite the significant number of citizens who signed the petition and will vote for Measure B, would be laughable were it not for the further insult to the people by his implication that the review process is so “tremendously complex” that only government officials are capable or trustworthy of making informed decisions.

He objects to the very existence of initiatives, citing some negative effects of Proposition 13 as proof that the whole legal structure that allows the people to speak is too prone to the voters’ stupidity, then claims that it is Measure B proponents who think the people of Sonoma “aren’t smart enough to look after their own best interests.” Wow, that is some convoluted logic.

Mr. Page, the voters know what Measure B says and that’s why it will win at the ballot box despite your view that the citizens are just too stupid to get it.

Michael Lockert

Four Corners