OPINION: CITY COUNCIL MAKING DECISIONS.

Thomas A Benigno
Resident and long time Tracy business person.
 Former 11th district candidate

At a recent Tracy City council meeting, Bob Elliott one of the new council members, suggested that the city council put on the next  meeting agenda to speak about the redistricting issue. I had written a article about it a few weeks ago regarding the new redistricting that is about to take place this year for the up coming 2012 election. I have been reading some of the blogs on the issue and I see that most people think as I do, it’s not the place for the council to go. The council’s job is to stay focused on trying to make the city a better place to live.  In the past, the local farmers markets and the bean festival have brought people to the down town area, but lately due to the job losses and the slow down in the economy along with high gas prices, the need to go down town has diminished. The slow down has hurt other businesses out side of the down town, as in the mall and other shopping centers.
There are other reason that the city has fallen on bad times, such as the poor leadership of the local government, and those who have supported the agenda of the special interest who drive the council to do things for them.  Leadership is very simple to acquire, just listen to the people who are hurting, not those who are getting richer every day by some of the decisions that are being made for those who prosper.  As we have just experienced a few months ago, the city pushed a new special interest tax that has been imposed on the tax payers of the city, who are already on bad times. We also see other bad times for large companies such as car dealers and even Macy’s and the downturn in real- property and especially homes. People are unsure whether to stay or walk away from their homes due to the downturn, and lack of jobs.
Most say that this is just a temporary situation and that it will turn around real soon. Well, many don’t think it will. Back to the meat of the story, the council and Mr. Elliott had better think of a fast way to turn the bad economy around instead of worrying about redistricting.