Letters to the editor

Editor,

I want to compliment both Mayor Jack Matthews and Councilman John Lee for their leadership and accomplishments in making San Mateo a better place to live, shop and work.

Our downtown is vibrant. The opponents of the project predicted doom and gloom, but instead we have an attractive, thriving downtown that contributes positively to our local economy.

Our new library is award-winning and terrific. It was the leadership of John Lee and Jack Matthews along with others that made this dream a reality. For those readers who have yet to be to the new library, I encourage you to do so. Get a card.

And finally, our new state-of-the-art police station is under construction. This will allow our outstanding police department to better protect and serve the residents and businesses in our community.

Great job John Lee and Jack Matthews. I urge all San Mateans to re-elect these two caring and effective leaders.

Gene Klein

Hillsborough

The letter writer is a

San Mateo business owner.

Bay Meadows vote thwarted

Editor,

To all of you 7,000-plus San Mateo residents who signed the petition to democratically vote on the future of San Mateo and the Bay Meadows 20-year construction project, now is your time. Time to vote out San Mateo City Council incumbents Jack Matthews and John Lee who were responsible for thwarting your democratic vote on the project. Their campaign "literature” doesn’t dare mention "Bay Meadows” or their actions regarding this project. Wonder why? They continue to pooh-pooh the legitimate traffic and quality of life concerns of actual residents in favor of out-of-state land owner/developer/leasing company interests. The incumbent city council held "public” study sessions with these same stakeholders at night in remote locations. The San Mateo residents were kept in the dark about his money-grab development. They continue to force "high-density” developments on residents, increasing congestion, traffic and greenhouse gases, in addition to their overall stated goal of "lowering property values” in San Mateo. They refuse to listen to residents and supported the goons who harassed residents collecting signatures for the Bay Meadows vote. Well, people are responsible for their actions, so let’s vote in Anne Arnold and Bertha Sanchez (who oppose "high-density” developments) and vote out Matthews and Lee. Their actions speak louder than their rhetoric. Let your voice be heard on Nov. 6, the same voice that was denied a democratic vote on the Bay Meadows construction project.

Let’s get some real representation on the council and stop this over-development of San Mateo now, before it’s too late.

Michael Boone

San Mateo

Make your vote matter

Editor,

It’s time San Mateans realize that the individuals they elect for City Council are not simply figureheads, but people who make very real decisions about the day-to-day quality of life for every resident in this city.

Incumbents Jack Matthews and John Lee like to flash the concepts of "affordable housing” as they pursue campaigns that emphasize significant increases in high-density residential "transit-oriented” development (TOD). Mr. Matthews has stated that "growth will happen anyway,” and TOD will "preserve the character of our community by keeping development from our single-family residential neighborhoods.” Mr. Lee blusters blithely about increasing the percentage of below-market rate housing without acknowledging that this would be feasible only by allowing developers even greater density latitude.

How very nice for the people (like Matthews and Lee) who live in San Mateo single-family neighborhoods, most of which are not even remotely "affordable?”

It’s time to consider some important questions and use your vote to make some of your own decisions about the quality of life in San Mateo. Is all this envisioned growth sustainable? Will there be enough water for everyone? Will high density development really significantly decrease traffic? How "green” is it when you squeeze a few small "designer” trees and a bit of decorative "hardscape” around a huge multi-story building? Are the sewers adequate to accommodate all this growth?

Just remember this: No matter how luxurious or humbly affordable your home is, if you can’t flush the toilet, you’re in deep ... trouble.

Mary Christensson

San Mateo

Sanchez ducked the vote

Editor,

I don’t quite understand why Bertha Sanchez is going around claiming she’s "the people’s candidate,” especially on the issue of Bay Meadows. For seven years, the city of San Mateo has been debating the future of the track. Hundreds of hours of community input, public hearings and public meetings have taken place. Three people on the ballot for City Council: Mayor Jack Matthews, Councilman John Lee and former Planning Commissioner Bertha Sanchez were all part of those hearings and meetings. When it came time to vote on the project, Jack Matthews and John Lee, agree with them or not, cast their vote in support. But Bertha Sanchez ducked the vote. The most important issue she ever faced as a planning commissioner, and Bertha Sanchez abstained. Now she tells people she opposes the project and will be the voice of the people if elected. I’m not sure that will really happen. After all, abstaining isn’t exactly using your voice.

Edward Evans

San Mateo

Bring the

imagination downtown

Editor,

A city’s downtown is its vanity.

The Economic Research Associates has some good ideas ("Marketing a downtown” in the Oct. 19 edition of the Daily Journal). Clustering of specialty retail is good for all the retailers. But how do you get there? If you let San Mateo legislate that; it will be screwed up.

Clustering high-density housing adjacent to downtown is also good. But it hasn’t worked for the Metropolitan apartments on East Third Avenue. They suffer high vacancy rates.

There is no there, there — in San Mateo (to paraphrase). The downtown is boring. It is the result of a mediocre administration that lacks creativity and resolve.

The city should encourage quality annual events that will attract people from outside the area. Once the crowds are established retailers will follow.

The recent past we have seen the Wine Walk overly regulated and the Italian festival overly taxed to where it barely makes sense to have it.

Why must we have an expensive outside consultant tell us what is wrong, when the city hires people at great expense who are supposed to know what is wrong and try to fix it?

What is the job description of the Business Development Director? Why has it taken so long to see the obvious? Let’s hope something will get done this time.

Dion Heffran

San Mateo