With a hat tip to Yogi Berra
Sunday mornings after a city council meeting I like to sit with my coffee, sometimes not so quietly, at my computer and watch the video recording. I want to thank Mr. Verrilli for speaking on behalf of the many Martinez voters who have had their votes suppressed – no – stolen and reminding those present in council chambers, viewing on Martinez Rants and Raves or like myself from the comfort of my desktop, just how the city of Martinez got to this point. A frivolous lawsuit was filed for no other reason than to nullify the clear will of the people at the ballot box and effectively unseat the majority’s representatives.
Public comments ranged from demands to olive branches; calls for fair play and the protection of voting rights. All the while hoping the collective memory of the majority of Martinez voters has sufficiently dimmed.
For those lamenting the lack of representation for the Virginia Hills neighborhood (one example cited) where were you when Janet Kennedy was in office? Clearly she lived in what would now be considered a community of interest. Yet searches of the public records and citizen comments would show just how disparaged she was by many who spoke on Wednesday leading this 1000 Friends group.
This isn’t about communities of interest, communities of color, neighborhood cohesion, but the inability of the 1000 Friends groups to effectively mount (legally binding) political campaigns and their inability to get their preferred candidates elected.
I am heartened to hear the city will not merely capitulate; I and many of those I know are still feeling the sting of having our votes stolen and our voices dismissed out of hand. Yes, it is like deja vu all over again.
– Linda Meza