SOAR and Conflicts of Interest

In answer to all the opponents of the Messenger project in Moorpark and proponents of Save Open Space and Agricultural Resources, including all the county supervisors and city council members who would like to place SOAR on the ballot:

All elected officials who oppose growth should disqualify themselves from voting since it is to their financial benefit to retard or eliminate growth.

The economic result of slow or no growth is to drive up the cost of existing housing. This would put money in the pocket of every elected property owner. Therefore, according to the logic of the complainers saying that any elected officials who are personally active in, or know someone in, real estate should recuse themselves because of economic conflict (they might benefit from new home sales), any elected official has a conflict if they own property. They would benefit by slowing growth and inflating their property values. Although all county property owners will benefit, the elected officials have the appearance of conflict.

To stop growth in our towns would preclude our children and their children from buying homes where they grew up. For them a SOAR author suggested “building up,” meaning crowded high-rises throughout our valleys. Only the very wealthy would be able to afford single-family homes.

HUGH M. FLYNN, Simi Valley