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Peter Gibson wants to oust District 1 County Supervisor Manu Koenig (and presumably District 5 Supervisor Bruce McPherson as well) for “not honor[ing] the will of the people” in refusing to approve 4.5 miles of rail-trail plan costs that have ballooned from an initial estimate of $18 million to $111 million, with overruns at $28 million before it’s even begun. This works out to $25 million per mile of trail. For comparison, the additional lane for Highway 1 is only $14 million per mile.
The majority of those who voted for Manu for a second term were probably more concerned with the more substantial aspects of his supervisory responsibilities like increasing housing, homelessness solutions, road repairs, mental health facilities, climate resilience and the like – all critical county issues he’s made notable strides in addressing. In a democracy, we expect our leaders to make decisions based on the greatest good for the greatest number of people and to spend our tax dollars wisely. Just because some voters want a thing doesn’t make it a mandate if it’s not feasible or affordable. Everyone doesn’t get everything they want every time.
Nadene Thorne
Santa Cruz