DEAR EDITOR:
This letter addresses the editorial published in last Friday’s
Dispatch,
”
Build
– and staff – the Sunrise Fire Station.
”
DEAR EDITOR:
This letter addresses the editorial published in last Friday’s Dispatch, “Build – and staff – the Sunrise Fire Station.”
Remain calm, citizens. Sunrise will be built and staffed. While the information and quotes contained in the editorial were accurate, the most important factor affecting Fire Chief Jeff Clet’s remarks were not given, much to the detriment of the piece.
Prior to the budget workshop session after which Chief Clet’s remarks were made, each council member submitted a worksheet entitled “general fund priority analysis,” in which each of we seven listed our own priorities in order of preference.
These priorities are our instructions to the city administrator as to the order in which, in the likely event that “Governor Liar” steals our vehicle license backfill fees (which of course he swore he would never do) budget cuts will happen.
In each case among the seven council member’s priorities, public safety, i.e., police and fire, were very near the top, and in four cases, were one, two, and three for police patrol, fire suppression, and paramedic services.
As the list contained 23 different departments, the astute citizen can readily discern that, just as previous councils have in the past, we consider public safety to be our very first priority, bar none. If budget cuts come, we may not have the museum open, we may not have much in the way of a parks and recs program, parks and landscape maintenance may be deferred, but by God, if someone calls for police, fire, or paramedics, they will be there.
In closing, I must say I am disappointed in this editorial. It has either a deliberate muckraking theme or a shallow understanding of the facts. I do not think the quality of thought or research reflects the usual competence in journalism we Gilroyans have come to expect from our award-winning newspaper of record.
Robert T. Dillon, Councilmember, Gilroy
Submitted Monday, March 10 to ed****@ga****.com
EDITOR’S NOTE: Perhaps Councilman Dillon would offer Gilroy citizens – particularly those in the Northwest Quad – specifics instead of sweeping generalizations. We haven’t met a Gilroy politician who’s not “for public safety.” That said, when specifically will the Sunrise Fire Station be completed? Specifically, what firefighter/paramedic personnel and equipment will be housed there on the date when the Sunrise Fire Station opens?
