Why I support Linda George for Paso Robles City Council

August 31, 2024

OPINION by GARY LEHRER

A lot of people ask me why I am supporting Linda George. A lot of it has to do with the fact that I was told that Sharon Roden would be a great choice for appointment to the Paso Robles City Council when the seat became available last year.

I am very involved politically and so many people were complaining that the City Council meetings were contentious, that we needed peace, cooperation and someone who would still be conservative but able to work cooperatively with the other members of the City Council.

This is exactly what did not happen and frankly I was bitterly disappointed. I was highly supportive of the appointment of Roden, thinking that when San Luis Obispo County Supervisors John Peschong retires, I would have a great candidate to promote.

However, when the parking vote came up and Roden voted for paid parking it was apparent that we had major problems. A lot of people told me they felt they had been deceived and that Roden represented herself differently before her appointment.

I was correct about my assessment that things were going in the wrong direction. I have seen Brown Act violations, agenda irregularities, bad advice from the city attorney and most alarming an alliance with a city manager who made bad policy decisions.

Not a word of protest, just going along with the status quo. I also saw that there was bashing going on, the mayor said not to come to him for help with parking anymore and lately a lot of mean behavior to the one Paso Robles City Council member who consistently stands up for the public interest.

The vote on the fixed base operator (FBO) contract for the airport was especially troubling. During the parking debacle, Roden claimed to be concerned about the budget and need for revenue but she accepted the inferior bid for the FBO contract.

The extra revenue that ACI Jet generated would have been a great benefit to the city. The other bidder needed a loan and asked for the city to make infrastructure changes. ACI Jet also brought in millions of dollars worth of sales to the city and that is now endangered. Vendors also note that although ACI Jet bent over backwards to accommodate the city they were treated poorly. When the city asks for bids this is going to dampen enthusiasm.

If Linda George had been appointed, she would have worked with Councilman Chris Bausch, voted against paid parking, for ACI Jet and to go after the city attorney for bad advice. She would not have been influenced by the city manager to make poor decisions and would not have tolerated bad legislative practices.

I’d rather have someone who is a non-conventional candidate than someone who just has an R after her name but votes wrongly. Please support Linda George for Paso Robles District 1 City Council. She is the true voice for her district.