Ross Valley Reporter
The Fairfax Town Council certified the Environmental Impact Report and adopted the 2023-2031 Housing Element at its meeting last week, Dec. 13. The vote was unanimous.
The Council heard a presentation from Planning Director Jeff Beiswenger and the town’s consultant Dyett and Batia consultant.
The meeting – the first under new Mayor Barbara Coler – featured a long festering issue with the amount of time members of the public are allowed to speak on issues. The norm for 2023 had been 2 minutes under Mayor Chance Cutrano. Several citizens say they need 3 minutes.
After the presentation on the EIR and Housing Element, Mayor Coler said speakers may have only 2 minutes to speak. The first speaker approached the podium and said:
“I may need 3 minutes.”
Coler snapped: “Well, you’ll have 2 minutes.”
When the bell rang for the speaker to stop, the speaker said “I got more.”
“I’m cutting you off. Thank you.” The mayor then cut off the speaker, but the citizen stood silently at the podium. The mayor said: “Sir, please sit down. Sit down. Please, please sit down.”
The next speaker also went over his allotted 2-minutes. He also stood at the podium silently and the mayor said: “Please sit down. Please sit down. Please sit down. Please sit down, you are disrupting the meeting. Please sit down. Please sit down.
Eventually he sat down.
The next speaker called the Fairfax Town Council meeting “a sham” and read his statement so fast it sounded like a disclaimer note on a radio ad. He slowed down after the bell rang and said: “Give us more time, please. This is so inconsiderate.”
One speaker told the Council that “I don’t feel represented by any of you. We don’t have to beg you to represent us and listen to us. You are not representatives for us.”
In all, about 20 people spoke, in person or on Zoom. All but two made critical reference to the 2-minute rule.
A recall movement is percolating in Fairfax, stemming from a number of issues. The biggest is rent control. After the Council enacted it, citizens successfully got it eligible for a vote, but the Council put the vote off until the last opportunity, which is November 2024.
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