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Mystery ‘Citizens’ make a mockery of democratic process

Posted on March 28, 2019 by Sonoma Valley Sun

The two large “Paid Political Advertising” ads in the Index-Tribune not only got my attention, but made me angry for the lack of transparency. Whoever paid for these ads appear frustrated about the changes in our town’s city council. If that is the case, I suggest it is better for them to be direct and let us know who they are. Otherwise people make up all kinds of theories about who would wish to be so secretive about their desire to change our plaza (which they refer to as “Sonoma Square”).

This advertisement reads like a nightmare written by greedy developers with no interest in protecting our historic traditions, often the very reasons so many of us chose to live in Sonoma. Perhaps our new city council is interested in all the people and more urgent needs.

The so-called “Citizens for Sonoma Renewal” perhaps have no knowledge of what many of us value in Sonoma, which definitely is not more tourism and more wineries. Many of us would like to see affordable housing, diversity in our population, our agriculture, and other industries, reduced dependency on cars, and an end to the use of toxic pesticides and herbicides (which are still being used with the knowledge of some of our supervisors, the County Agriculture Commission and the County Farm Bureau) along the Highway 37 bay lands. Does the Chamber of Commerce support this bizarre ad as well?

Whoever sponsored these ads makes a mockery of the democratic process, and the values it seems to espouse I find both grievous and devious.

— Marilyn Goode, Sonoma




Sonoma Sun | Sonoma, CA