Voice of the People: Dear Editor by Gary W. Laesser - City News Group, Inc.

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Voice of the People: Dear Editor

By Gary W. Laesser, 30 Year Grand Terrace Home Owner
October 15, 2014 at 02:37pm. Views: 47

Dear Editor, I would like to correct the record to a letter from Herman Hilkey in the October 8 edition of your paper. That letter is full of untruths, half truths and innuendo. Walt Stankiewitz destroyed the redevelopment agency. Herman, maybe you have not heard of California law AB-26. That law dissolved all redevelopment agencies in the state of California. Last time I checked, Walt is not in the state of California legislature. Our mayor jumped the gun on putting up re-election signs. Not one sign was put up on public property or private property without the owner's consent prior to any city ordinance. Herman, there's a little thing called the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. The Supreme Court of the United States settled this a long time ago. Nobody, and that includes the City of Grand Terrace, can stop me from putting up a political sign anytime I want on my personal property. I believe that the city sign ordnance on political signs was updated to take this into account. Utility tax. That was put on the ballot by a unanimous vote of the city council. Repeat: a unanimous vote by the city council. Walt placed nothing on the ballot, he doesn't have the power to do that and you know it. Neon billboards. Those were put up under a previous mayor and while Walt was on the council at that time the vote was unanimous, I repeat: the vote was unanimous. It was also was payed for with redevelopment funds and did not come out of the general fund budget. Mysterious city funds found after the election. The mayor hid nothing, absolutely nothing; he found out about the funds the same time as the rest of the city council, maybe about six minutes earlier. Mr. Hilkey, with all your experience in city government why are you resorting to this political hackery? Methinks you got your marching orders from the elite cabal in this town. What say you Herman!

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