Arcata at a crossroads

By Gregory P. Allen

The politics of participation, not delegation, will empower voters to make the decisions affecting their economy, environment, personal freedoms and democratic institutions. Please join this effort to build common-ground solutions.

- John F. Kennedy, Profiles in Courage

The City of Arcata is at a crossroads with this election. With the recent resignation of one council member under alarming circumstances, with Mr. Ornelas and Mr. Meserve seemingly unwilling to allow the people of Arcata to select her replacement, the people of Arcata again are being told yet again they do not have the wisdom to make their own political decisions.

I believe in the politics of participation, not delegation. I believe that power does in fact reside the people who have the right and the obligation to select the type of government we have by the electoral process. There are other candidates that believe the voters delegate power to their elected officials to put them in office so they can decide what's best. With their approach, that's the only decision the voter would make until campaign time when they again approach the voters.

Certainly there is nothing illegal with this tactic. What it does show is a fundamental lack of belief in the people making their own decisions.

I believe that the people of Arcata need to take control of our council back from those who have grown isolated and aloof from the voters. There will be a minimum of three and possibly four new city council members taking their seats in a matter of weeks, and the direction of city government will be determined for years to come by the result.

The present council and some candidates look with incredulity at the notion that there are presently serious challenges in Arcata to the civil liberties we hold dear. The belief in "it can't happen here" seems to be almost a rallying cry for these folks.

Unfortunately, it can happen here, or anywhere else. The ruling clique and some of the candidates do not understand that in evaluating a threat to civil liberties the issue is possibility, not probability. If it can happen, then somewhere, it will happen.

Some candidates have also engaged in attacks upon not only the three specific initiatives I wrote on protecting patients, removing the requirement of permits for dances and establishing police review, but have dismissed the entire initiative process as "superfluous." Since power as a matter of definition rest in the people, how could the initiative process, the direct participation of the voter to enact legislation, be superfluous? Apparently this is so for those who believe that all political power is merely delegation, not participation.

I stand for the proposition that the duty of the Council is to be responsive to the wishes of the people…all of the people.

Why then would I take the huge political risk of speaking up for the human rights of people like the homeless? Because they're people, and to deal with them in an inhumane manner is at the cost of our own humanity. Whether these folks are welcome here or not does not diminish by one iota they're humanity or value because they are people.

Because I'm not easily intimidated, I personally have never felt that my passage on the sidewalks or my entry into shops or restaurants was impeded. I'm also aware some people do feel that way. Clearly, we need a balance between everyone's rights and responsibilities. Creating opportunities for all persons in this community to be productive and feel valued will attract people to not repel them from Arcata. Instead of relying on police power to provide a sanitized atmosphere, let's revitalize our street life and nightlife with positive, revenue-generating activities. The peer pressure of an active and present community will accomplish more than the enforcement of petty, victimless crimes, and at lower cost both fiscal and social.

Sales tax revenue to shore up the City's shortfalls can be generated, not only by removing antiquated policies that drive away live music, but also by providing more space for more small businesses and doing so at a lower cost. Commercial rental rates in Arcata are pricing working-class firms out of this market just as brutally as young families are being driven out of Arcata's residential market.

With the protection of our forest and greenbelt of paramount concern, the way for Arcata to go is not out, but up. I strongly advocate the establishment of a zoning area downtown to ensure four story structures in the core of Arcata, with at least half the space dedicated to residences. We must stabilize the skyrocketing business and habitation prices in Arcata to prevent further gentrification and constriction of our culture and economy, and increasing the breathing space in an ecologically friendly manner is the only way to do so.

Arcata can also do more to encourage economic development while at the same time promoting sustainability. The people of Arcata desperately need jobs. Moreover, we need jobs which can pay living wages. Unfortunately, too much emphasis has been placed on tourism as our economic salvation when it simply cannot be so. Although I'm in favor of increasing tourism and the sales tax revenue and jobs it brings, the jobs created are almost exclusively service sector minimum wage jobs. With the increasing cost of local real estate, our working poor are being forced away from Arcata at the cost of our economic and social diversity.

Arcata needs to concentrate on attracting employers in the development and light manufacturing sectors. I personally favor focusing on development industries like software, scientific testing labs, and development of sustainable energy technology. Arcata's workforce, the proximity of HSU and especially the Schatz lab make Arcata a viable location for clean tech industries. Employees in these industries are paid salaries far higher than those in the service sector. It is only by creating more higher paying jobs can we actually have meaningful economic development in Arcata. I'm presently looking into the feasibility of establishing a wireless Internet system (Wi-Fi) for the city of Arcata. Cities such as Urbana, Illinois, a college town, have set up Wi-Fi systems to promote interconnectedness and economic renewal. I believe it is economically feasible for the entire city of Arcata to have wireless Internet service.

By looking toward the future while protecting what we have, Arcata can move forward towards saving our personal freedoms, economic prosperity and environmental sustainability. I stand fast for these things, and I humbly ask for your vote to stand together.

To protect and promote Arcata's future, vote Gregory Allen on November 2nd. To find out more about my platform and endorsements, or to join this effort to build common-ground solutions, visit http://www.gregoryallen.net.