We are all ONE city!

By Debra H. Lewis

Let's not fall into the "us" and "them" trap. That same type of thinking has needlessly divided our county. An experienced team comprised of Rancho and Plano Trabuco community residents can and will successfully meld all the communities into one cohesive city.

Now, after 4 years and on the eve of the November 2nd election at long last, I have heard the grumblings of division. I have heard words such as "exclusion", "snob", "them" and "us". We cannot and must not begin our journey into cityhood by pitting communities against one another. We must stay on the high road. We will all live in one city.

For the past 4 years, I have worked with a coalition of individuals who collectively have built relationships with County officials such as Supervisors Wilson and Spitzer. Far from being "political" in any negative sense, these relationships will enable the new city to smoothly and efficiently transfer the reins of government from the county to the city council. These two Supervisors have always been good friends to all our communities and have been an integral part of the cityhood process. Their ongoing involvement in our city's future can only be positive!

Experience in any job is always a plus. Between November 3rd and January 1, 2000, when the new city officially incorporates, a great deal of work must be accomplished within an incredibly short time frame. Speed is essential but quality must not be sacrificed. Assembling a team of individuals who communicate, work together and understand the enormous tasks ahead can only benefit the new city. It means little if any time wasted getting up to speed or learning how to function as a group. It means efficiently and effectively organizing a city.

People who have voluntarily taken up the laboring oar for cityhood for the past 4 years have only the best interests of the entire community at heart. And the best interests of the community has always been driven by one thing --fiscal responsibility. Only recently was the County willing to negotiate the budget deal which finally allowed the boundaries to include the Plano Trabuco communities without bankrupting the city. Once the city's future fiscal integrity was assured, all communities were willingly embraced.

If cityhood passes, we will all be citizens of one city. Let's embrace one another and work together for the first city of the millennium!