Last night's City Council meeting was long and entertaining. The final vote was 4-1 to approve the development. Votes were cast down party lines though the issue transcended local party politics.
Proving that point, Democrat Council Member Sharon Quirk-Silva did offer up an alternative motion which would have allowed the development to move forward but with some land swapping from Downtown Fullerton. She didn't get a second so the proposal was dropped.
After each council member commented and the vote was taken, Quirk-Silva asked those opposing the development to move forward and find common ground.
There were numerous outbursts by those opposing the development which lead to Mayor Jones repeatedly striking his gavel and even taking some verbal liberties upon those making public comments.
It was disappointing to hear the name calling and heckling from those who want the private property to remain without houses. There was a significant lack of civil discourse but I can, to some degree, understand why.
Sometimes when a crowd gathers at City Hall, city leaders give in to the crowds request. Sometimes they don't. It is frustrating to be on the side which the Council does not agree with.
In the 2010 municipal elections, voters had ample opportunity to know exactly where candidates stood on the issue of West Coyote Hills. With that knowledge out there, three council members were elected to represent voters. The top two vote receivers were Whitaker and Bankhead, both of which being strong public supporters of the development.
The only race that was close was between McKinley and Chaffee who also let there opinions be known. McKinley, a supporter of the development and property rights, won by a few hundred votes.
It will be interesting to see how the 2012 election shapes up with Coyote Hills presumably a done deal. In the interim, I would hope that both sides do come together to find sound solutions to their compromise.
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