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May 31, 2006
Bertagna VS Kirk - June 6th
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| On June 6th many of us have the opportunity
to vote for a 3rd District Supervisor, and the choices are Bertagna,
Kutz, or Kirk. If you can read yard signs, you probably already know
the choice is Bertagna or Kirk. I think people should vote for Bertagna. The Chico ER did a good thing this weekend and endorsed Steve Bertagna for 3rd District Supervisor. In doing so they pointed out some of the methods the Kirk supporters have used to imply shortcomings of Bertagna. One of my favorites has been the "in the pocket of developers" "your money is tainted" accusations against Bertagna. This class-warfare and innuendo seems more appropriate for the national stage. It's exactly the same claim Westly has begun making against Angelides in their slow slide into a bloodbath. I wonder where locals are getting their messages? |
| I should apologize for hacking Bertagna's photo. The big "S" on Superman's photo seemed so appropriate since Bertagna is now a local crime stopper. However I made his neck look like play-dough. But I think it's funny so I'm sticking with it. If the contest were actually Superman VS. Captain Kirk, I'd put my money on the Captain. Scotty would have a kryptonite phase 7 plasmodic disruptor incorporated into the Enterprise sensor array in about 30 minutes. That would be a greenline of condensed energy that would cause some serious electoral damage. |
| The Good: Steve Bertagna recently helped the Chico Police apprehend an alleged hit-and-run driver. This didn't make the headlines as did the "County Seal" ordeal. It should have. Putting yourself at risk as a middle aged City Councilman with a family is not a requirement for 3rd District Supervisor. This shows a depth of character that actually does matter. Bertagna has been up-front on the greenline non-issue. I've heard him say the same thing quoted in the ER to local builders. The basic comment was that small lengths of the greenline don't make a lot of sense and it might be better if it were adjusted to match major terrain features instead of zig-zagging around. When I heard him say this he suggested that the line could even be moved East to match a land feature (like a highway). Supporters of the greenline would applaud this thinking if they bothered to listen. It shows an openness of thought that seems to have been lost to others who have formed rigid conclusions about the greenline. Bertagna has not said he will quit his job if elected. I would rather have a working person as an active County Supervisor. As a retailer Bertagna will come into contact with a greater cross section of the community during his business day. People may think Bertagna and I know each other. That's not the case. The longest conversation I've had with Steve was when I was buying speakers from him at his business. We talked about speakers, Ford cars, disc golf, iPODs, and the downtown park. That's pretty much the conversation I have with everyone. |
| The Bad: Bertagna and Kirk have raised similar amounts of money, and even though Bertagna is the only one who publishes his donor list, I'm not going to assume Kirk is corrupt. The Chico ER correctly chastised Kirk supporters for making these accusations. The endorsement of Kirk by the Butte County Farm Bureau was hailed as a success. The ER has reported that Bertagna has raised ~$22,000 from agricultural interests to Kirk's ~$2,400. I think farmers support Bertagna. So who has been Kirk's main financial donor? The Chico Greenline Coalition to a tune of $~9.700. I'm in agreement with the Chico ER that the greenline is a manufactured issue for this election. And I have no idea who these folks are except that they designed Kirk's web site for her. There is some additional evidence as to who they might be. Mary Anne Houx (Supervisor), Jim Morgan, Tod Kimmelshue(Farm Bureau), and Susan Mason(Friends of Bidwell Park) have all signed letters-to-the-editor in support of the group. Lately there was even a suggestion that Bertagna running for Supervisor conflicts with previous statements that doing so might not be good for his family. I think it's sad when people start making those kinds of pointless connections. |
| The Ugly: Bertagna was not my friend, and I had never donated to a local politician in my 17 years in Chico. When he brought the nasty emails I received from a Park Commissioner to the City Council he took some pretty nasty shots from the other council members and a mean crowd. He did not have to go out on that limb for an unknown member of the public. I appreciate that he did. Kirk didn't read the emails before the Council meeting. That was disappointing. |
Posted by Lon at May 31, 2006 09:50 AM
Comments
You may have noticed Kirk’s “developer’s pocket� signs off Bruce Road on the rock wall. That is the property of New Urban Development and soon to be the site of the ultra high-dencity Meriam Park development. They are going to build 3,500 units on just part of that land. Heck, they are cramming in a town the size of Corning there! NUD has Kirk and the rest of the Council liberals square in their pocket. Their project is such a slam-dunk that NUD is being allowed to rewrite the Chico development codes tailored to their wishes. In case you were wondering why a developer would let Kirk post “If you build it they will come� and “in developers pocket� signs on their property? Now you know.
Posted by: pypr at May 31, 2006 12:10 PM
I like Steve for a similar reason. I was a supporter of liberals, but the conservatives won a majority. A bureaucrat was obstructing a volunteer trail maintenance project already properly approved by the Park Commission. ALthough, I had never previously supported Bertagna, he came out and walked through poison oak and helped get our volunteer project going. He's the only Councilor who got results (as opposed to just saying nice things, which they all do pretty well)
Posted by: Michael Jones at May 31, 2006 12:50 PM
So, is this another example of Bertagna using a symbol he doesn't have permission to use?
Posted by: Tasker at May 31, 2006 03:15 PM
Shhhhh...
Nobody is supposed to realize there's a giant conspiracy to use symbols without permission. Afterall, using symbols without permission is why the roads aren't getting built, as well as the greatest threat to farmland in the region.
Pretty funny comment though.
Posted by: Lon at May 31, 2006 03:45 PM
Nice of tasker to bring up that phony bit about Steve using the “County Seal�. The County logo like the city logo is not the same as the seal the Clerks affix to documents. Only use of the seal is prohibited, which makes sence. The logo or graphic is what you see on the website at http://buttecounty.net/ and is what was once on the Bertagna web page not the Butte County Official Seal. It kind of makes a person wonder why the Recorder didn’t point out the difference instead of implying an illegal use? Danny “bullfight� N-T could explain the finer points as his campaign for the Chico Council used the City’s “tree logo� on everything but not the City Seal.
Posted by: pypr at June 1, 2006 07:33 AM
The Butte Seal was actually available as clip art from a company called Fotosearch and you can see it here:
http://www.fotosearch.com/OMU116/15p0024/
They have a "royalty free" lo-res version and a $39 hi-res version you can buy.
Funny thing is that county administration weren't aware this had happened until I notifeid them that their seal had been co-opted by a company selling it. They are in the process of putting an end to that now.
The problem started with county not policing their own seal on the Internet.
Posted by: Anthony Watts at June 2, 2006 07:15 AM