Letters to the Editor 1-7-16

Ned Thomas
Editor: “The Planning Director’s termination surprised me. It was totally unexpected. After considerable thought, I have concluded it was the wrong decision made for the wrong reasons.”
When considering making such a public statement, the League of California Cities’ policy suggests the statement should only be made if it would not make the author uncomfortable if seen on the front page of a local newspaper. I have decided I am not uncomfortable about this statement but I am uncomfortable having lost our planning director in the midst of both the General Plan process and the continuing pressure from the Bell Village residential development. I am uncomfortable with the explanation provided for Ned Thomas’ termination and what appears to me to have been a lack of support during this time of increasing workload in the Planning Department.
As you read this letter you may question my motives, the letter’s appropriateness and my opinion. Mr. Thomas was the Town’s front person for our General Plan. As a councilmember I have continuously questioned the direction of the General Plan, the consultants and Mr. Thomas. Mr. Thomas was the go between.  Mr. Thomas did his job. The consultants responded. Many of my questions were answered and my concerns addressed appropriately. I felt a level of comfort with the ongoing process. The General Plan is a big job with long-range consequences; good ones if done right, bad ones if done wrong.
This letter questions the timing of the termination. The General Plan is in full swing. Development applications before the Town are increasing with the rising economy. The Bell Village residential development bring its full weight forward to push the timelines and process. Planning staff continue to spend long hours on this project even with the fact that the Town hired a separate and independent planner paid for by the Bell Village residential developer to work on the Town’s role in the project. While the Town Council recognizes how important the Bell Village residential project is to our downtown, the conflict between the need to streamline and prioritize the project with the need to thoroughly plan and review the project, sits with the Planning Department. The Town Council’s decision to move the project forward outside of the normal Town Planning Commission process appears to have played a part in this termination if only from the added pressure to get it done.
It is time for us all to weigh in on where Windsor is going. Some of you may question why I comment on Ned Thomas’s termination. Yours would be a valid question, hard to answer, but this letter is from my gut, not my head or my heart. Some of you may know that gut feeling when something must be said. It is as though I can’t walk on or walk away without saying what I feel. I feel the decision was wrong, the timing was wrong, and I can’t fix it; that’s the Town Council’s job. I’m but one of five. The fix may be to put me in my appropriate place. Your comments could be helpful to the Town.
Sam Salmon
Windsor
Sam Salmon is a Councilmember for the Town of Windsor. He can be reached at ssalmon@townofwindsor or 707-542-2310.
Thank you
Editor: Thank you to People 4 Parks for all their work in making our annual Christmas display so wonderful this year. I encourage you to recruit help from our regular participants next year, to make your workload easier. We really appreciate the lovely job you did in your first year and want to let you know how truly grateful we all are.
Alyn May
Windsor