Dear Editor:
When it comes to factual mistakes, Eric Leins (
”
Unions endorse candidates for city Council
”
– Aug. 25) didn’t make big ones – just
”
I missed a point
”
ones.
Dear Editor:
When it comes to factual mistakes, Eric Leins (“Unions endorse candidates for city Council” – Aug. 25) didn’t make big ones – just “I missed a point” ones.
1) He stated “As for the mayoral race. (Guadalupe) Arrellano, who is taking on City Councilman Al Pinheiro…” Mr. Leins, there are four candidates for mayor. You may feel the others have no chance but that’s your view. Don’t let it limit you reporting of facts!
2) You wrote: “A network of nearly 100 unions is endorsing…” Are you implying, Mr. Leins, that every insignificant union within the South Bay area knows and/or cares about Gilroy’s Council race? Get serious! The endorsements were given by the South Bay AFL-CIO. In doing so, they made both a big-time political error – and a stupid mistake.
The South Bay AFL-CIO claims “the candidates were endorsed based on their support for affordable housing issues and their ability to make their community a better quality place to work and live.” “…we endorse people who we believe will help working families,” union mouthpiece Phaedra Ellis-Lampkins piously intoned. Geee, Mrs. Ellis-Lampkins, is the South Bay AFL-CIO saying no other mayoral/council candidate “supports affordable housing issues”; none has the “ability to make their community a better quality place to work and live”; and none is interested in “helping working families?” That union “shuck-and-jive” reflects only the South Bay AFL-CIO’s contempt toward all Gilroy.
In arrogantly announcing its endorsements, South Bay AFL-CIO did Gilroy voters an unintended service – it highlighted their union drones who, in recent months, have whined/pouted/whimpered/cried/held their breath trying to intimidate Gilroy Council into considering their union-directed views as meaningful. Had the South Bay AFL-CIO not felt so righteous, voters might not have known the “force” behind these candidates. Now, when the glitzy brochures; the personalized letters; the “concerned citizen” visitor; the telephone “supporter”; the impressive-sounding “polls”; the newspaper/television/radio ads and the eyesore road signs begin blighting Gilroy promoting Guadalupe Arellano, her brother Peter, Mark Dover (whoever he is) and small Paul (Oh-I-so-want-to-be-a-council-member) Correa – voters will know the South Bay AFL-CIO is writing checks to buy City Council.
Why were these drones really chosen? One corporate name – WalMart!
The union wants its tentacles in WalMart. It’s made outrageous charges against WalMart in a desperate effort to intimidate/bully/coerce WalMart into submitting – into letting the union leech from its employees so the union can feed its insatiable hunger for power and money.
Electing these four union puppets onto City Council would put South Bay AFL-CIO in control of city government and personnel – and any non-union business (WalMart first) would find itself bullied/intimidated/threatened into accepting the union – or else!
The South Bay AFL-CIO made a serious tactical error announcing their drones. Now Gilroy voters are forewarned outside interest are working to manipulate Gilroy’s future. Fortunately, it will be the voters, not the South Bay AFL-CIO, who decide if Gilroy will remain a community “of the people, by the people, for the people” or one whose resources and citizens will be squandered and victimized by four drones serving unionized ignorance.
James Brescoll, Gilroy
Submitted Tuesday, Aug. 26
