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Sunday, January 21, 2007

Lafayette Annexation Issue Accusations

Today's Daily Camera has an article regarding information on the city's website that appears to be de facto pro-annexation propaganda - an assertion made by anti-annexation members of Preserve Lafayette's Eastern Edge (PLEE).

News stories put out by the city staff highlighting the amount of open space already owned by Lafayette have made PLEE wonder what gives. The info wasn't posted by the Parks, Open Space and Golf staff, but by city administrators. The implication is that connections between the city's economic development arm and the nebulous forces of development are conspiring to influence the election. Check some of the quotes in the article.

I don't know how info is chosen for the city's website, however the bottom line is that the info is correct, and anti-annexation forces should righteously rebut with their own solid rationale as to why that information doesn't matter, if that is their assertion.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dude, I was all thinking about how I'm so sick of snow. Then I started thinking about the green. Then I was like, wait, this is probably all a big government conspiracy. Then I was like... zzzzzzz.

Anonymous said...

City planners updated a map and then put it on their website. And that's news? Well yesterday a snowplow pushed new snow into big mounds of old snow all over town. Can I get a Daily Camera reporter out here to cover the story?

Dan Powers said...

I like it - it forces more of a discussion on the whole open space protection angle annexation opponents have raised. They are concerned about information being presented that could hurt their argument, otherwise they wouldn't have contacted the paper. So it makes you ask what they're worried about, which leads to the collusion between city staff and developers assertion.

More information (facts, not assertions) is always a good thing. It makes for better decisions.

Anonymous said...

The thing is, I don't think annexation opponents have said that open space information doesn't matter. The quote is that the open space map is "almost making the case" in favor of annexation.

Were you unable to provide a link to the Lafayette News article on the same issue? That provides some additional perspective.

I do have to say that if the updated open space map is worthy of the label "propaganda," it is most well-shrouded as fact, in a form the city has produced many times before.

Anonymous said...

When the new map came out, I sent it to my little Lafayette listserv and responses were invariably, "Oh that's so cool." "Look, we almost have a ring around the City." "Yay, Lafayette" and "Yay, green." When I sent along the Daily Camera article about Karen's concerns, responses were more along the lines of, "What, Karen doesn't want pertinent information shared with the public?" "Stridency never sways me to any argument" and "Paranoia is the sign of a weak platform."