Santa Maria Mayor

As one of the other members of the Santa Maria City Council, I read your article about Mayor George Hobbs with great interest (Part A, Aug. 5).

It may well be that those of us who do not run expensive campaigns but rely on personal contact with our neighbors and constituents could not long survive in “communities with highly educated residents.” In my own case, while often disagreeing with Hobbs, I defend his right to express his opinions. In a time when many politicians, with the help of advisers, try to be all things to all people, Hobbs is forthright. He certainly gets the attention of the public and has an appeal to voters. Maybe it is because we have enough confidence in the strength of our multicultural city that we welcome all opinions.

Concerning the code violations, city policy is clear. Basically, most code enforcement is done on a complaint basis. If there is more enforcement in Latino neighborhoods, it is probably because we are active in responding to complaints from our Latino constituents.

Santa Maria is a family- and work-oriented community. We argue a lot, work as volunteers to fund our kids’ activities, complain a lot about being restricted by an educated bureaucracy and don’t wear our feelings on our uneducated sleeves.

THOMAS B. URBANSKE, Mayor Pro Tempore, Santa Maria