Below is a letter I sent to the Independent last week.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
Rich Grogan
Burlingame, CA
Re: Boston Tea Party
Dear Editor
I would like to address the April 17th article Safeway backers regroup.? Almost every time the Safeway issue is brought up it is implied that those residents opposing the Safeway project were against Safeway building a new store. Well, that is anything but the truth! In fact, if those individuals who are making that argument were to do their homework they would have seen that residents opposed the proposed Safeway project were supportive of a new store, just not that particular proposal.
The individuals attempting to diminish the Opposition to the proposed Safeway store by addressing them as a small minority should rethink their position. The Opposition was your neighbor and your neighbor's neighbor, who were concerned about the UNSMART construction of an eye sore in the middle of Burlingame. The opposition was a grass roots effort formed by the citizens of Burlingame, who were willing to stand up for what they thought right.
The Opposition held public meetings (open to all the residents of Burlingame) seeking input and direction. Mayor O'Mahoney held focus groups to discuss the proposed Safeway plan. In all of the public meetings the vast majority of the residents present did not approve of the proposed Safeway plan. The Opposition engaged in arbitration hearings with Safeway, in an effort to resolve some of the pressing issues. It is not the Opposition's fault Safeway did not want to listen and make reasonable compromises. Safeway's idea of a compromise was to place lipstick on a pig and call it beautiful. When the Safeway issue was brought before the various city bodies, the residents of Burlingame stepped forward and let their position be known. The residents of Burlingame packed the City Council Chambers, Planning Commission Meeting, and filled the High School Gymnasium and let their feeling be known. The vast majority of those residents expressing their feeling were against the proposed Safeway store. There were countless articles in various local newspapers and the vast majority of the articles from the residents of Burlingame were against the proposed Safeway store. The proposed Safeway issue was so noteworthy that it made it's way onto the local TV news.
For Mary Janney and Jon Rubin to say the individuals in favor to the proposed Safeway store did not have an opportunity to express their views is disingenuous!
It is criminal for Mary Janney and Jon Rubin to attempt to diminish the value of citizen involvement. Might I remind them this is the corner stone of our society? For those bureaucrats who have forgotten, does the Boston Tea Party mean anything to you?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
Rich Grogan
Burlingame, CA
Re: Boston Tea Party
Dear Editor
I would like to address the April 17th article Safeway backers regroup.? Almost every time the Safeway issue is brought up it is implied that those residents opposing the Safeway project were against Safeway building a new store. Well, that is anything but the truth! In fact, if those individuals who are making that argument were to do their homework they would have seen that residents opposed the proposed Safeway project were supportive of a new store, just not that particular proposal.
The individuals attempting to diminish the Opposition to the proposed Safeway store by addressing them as a small minority should rethink their position. The Opposition was your neighbor and your neighbor's neighbor, who were concerned about the UNSMART construction of an eye sore in the middle of Burlingame. The opposition was a grass roots effort formed by the citizens of Burlingame, who were willing to stand up for what they thought right.
The Opposition held public meetings (open to all the residents of Burlingame) seeking input and direction. Mayor O'Mahoney held focus groups to discuss the proposed Safeway plan. In all of the public meetings the vast majority of the residents present did not approve of the proposed Safeway plan. The Opposition engaged in arbitration hearings with Safeway, in an effort to resolve some of the pressing issues. It is not the Opposition's fault Safeway did not want to listen and make reasonable compromises. Safeway's idea of a compromise was to place lipstick on a pig and call it beautiful. When the Safeway issue was brought before the various city bodies, the residents of Burlingame stepped forward and let their position be known. The residents of Burlingame packed the City Council Chambers, Planning Commission Meeting, and filled the High School Gymnasium and let their feeling be known. The vast majority of those residents expressing their feeling were against the proposed Safeway store. There were countless articles in various local newspapers and the vast majority of the articles from the residents of Burlingame were against the proposed Safeway store. The proposed Safeway issue was so noteworthy that it made it's way onto the local TV news.
For Mary Janney and Jon Rubin to say the individuals in favor to the proposed Safeway store did not have an opportunity to express their views is disingenuous!
It is criminal for Mary Janney and Jon Rubin to attempt to diminish the value of citizen involvement. Might I remind them this is the corner stone of our society? For those bureaucrats who have forgotten, does the Boston Tea Party mean anything to you?
- Written by rich grogan
I agree. Anyone who bothered to do any homework on that project over the past eight years, knew that it was truly a poor fit for this town.
Rather than rehash the same old material, it would be great if Mary would use her business savy and connections to attract new businesses to areas like Rollins, and old Bayshore, where we seem to have lost several valuable businesses over the past few years. These are areas that truly need to be nutured in order to again produce healthy revenues for this town. I believe many larger buildings and light factories remain empty. These are lost opportunities.
Posted by: Jenn | April 21, 2004 at 02:05 AM