Council Seats as Political Prizes

* It’s no surprise that candidates fronting for monied developers are so numerous now, while there is a dearth of environmental candidates for the Ventura City Council. The last several municipal elections show that as developer-financed candidates get big-dollar contributors (or family “loans”) to pay for their high-cost campaigns, they can buy seats on the City Council. (Minuscule voter turnouts also help these developer-bought candidates immensely.)

This unfortunate trend is slightly countered by the community activists-sponsored Save Our Agricultural Resources (SOAR) initiatives and by the campaign spending-limits initiative put on the ballot by a reluctant City Council, responding to council member Steve Bennett and the need for reasonable campaign-funding limits. Are there any candidates who will voluntarily comply with these campaign-funding limits in the upcoming election?

Tight city finances and the lack of the usual municipal subsidies for developers also are forcing developers to spend more of their own money politically to bring their farmland-gobbling, sprawl-causing projects to fruition. Beware, though, of proposals to create a “redevelopment area” around the Auto Mall Drive car dealers to siphon away already scarce city retail tax revenues to finance the “Suckerplex” on more developer-owned farmland.

Too bad City Council seats still remain political “prizes” to be bought, rather than selfless opportunities for community service. The single terms of council members Tom Buford, Greg Carson and former council members Richard Francis and Cathy Bean are bold and shining examples of how politics need not be the purpose of public service, something a few current council members and aspiring candidates thoughtfully should consider.

NEIL A. MOYER

Ventura