The Revolutionary Pen - beta

By Frank Schiavone

Congressman Gary Miller and Rancho Cucamonga Mayor Don Kurth must be longtime pals. Otherwise, why would Congressman Gary Miller be so supportive of my mayor?

Recently, I read an invitation to purchase tickets to “Mayor Don Kurth’s Annual Luncheon”. Listed in the invite are the names of people on a “Host Committee”. You have to come up with at least $ 5,000.00 to be listed as a host committee member. Guess whose name is listed first on that host committee? Congressman Gary Miller!

Now $5,000 is a lot of money to hand over to a political candidate, let alone a local politician. The Congressman doesn’t live in Rancho and we’re not his constituents. What would motivate a US Congressman to be so generous towards the mayor of Rancho Cucamonga? It has to be a deep and abiding friendship.

Or could it be that Congressman Miller has a pending application to build a highly destructive, multi-million project development in our foothills and needs several concessions from our City in order to make it happen? You see, Congressman Miller needs to move heaven and earth - a lot of it.

Now, any implication that there’s some influence peddling going on here will be met by righteous indignation by both gentlemen. Being a trusting person, you won’t hear that from me. But one simply has to wonder where this newfound kinship and affinity comes from.

It is no secret that Save Our Mountains Alliance, a community group formed in response to a growing concern over what is happening in our foothills, is in opposition to Congressman Miller’s project. In our view, the facts and existing ordinances are stacked against the Congressman. According to our planning department, in fact, there are only nine to seventeen buildable acres on his property, not enough to squeeze the 110 McMansions he wants to put up there.

Currently, there are very few (less than 20) homes built on our foothills. Large numbers are precluded by our Hillside Ordinance, slope requirements, and our General Plan.

In order for Congressman Miller to make his project work, he needs friends who will look more favorably upon his massive hillside development. And what better way to make friends - hand someone a big fat wad of cash.

We are talking about a mayoral race here. Rancho Cucamonga is a medium-sized city of roughly 147,000. I would remind anyone who is willing to listen that the maximum contribution one can make to a presidential candidate (running for the most powerful office in the world) is $2300 per election. The maximum anyone can give is $4600 - $2300 for the primary election and $2300 for the general election. Again, we are talking about presidential candidates.

That Mayor Kurth would accept $5000 from anyone is stunning. Will Mayor Kurth recuse himself when he is asked to consider Congressman Miller’s project development? I honestly doubt it.

No one is suggesting that either politician is breaking the law. They are not. PACs, Host Committees, and 527 groups are creative ways to channel money to political candidates’ war chests.

Congressman Miller and Mayor Kurth would say they are simply exercising their freedom of expression guaranteed under the First Amendment. The current Pay-to-Play system is a time-honored tradition.

I would argue that there is no fairness or honor in such a system and that it deprives the community of its rightful say. Mayor Kurth knows that accepting a large pot of cash from Congressman Miller and his surrogates creates an appearance problem for him. One can only conclude that he’s made a calculated decision and that Miller’s friendship is more important than the votes he’ll lose.

Theodore Roosevelt once said, “Every man holds his property subject to the general right of the community to regulate its use to whatever degree the public welfare may require it.” Save our Mountains Alliance agrees wholeheartedly.

There is much at stake. Developers are watching this project very closely. If Congressman Miller gets what he wants, they will quickly follow with large projects of their own. There are numerous foothill parcels above our community that can be carved up and developed. It won’t be very long before things get really ugly - both literally and figuratively.

Corruption, unethical and boorish behavior, and just plain selfishness have become so rife in our society that it’s hardly recognizable anymore. We are like fish that can’t see the water they are swimming in.

If you feel as we do, I’d like to here from you.

Copyright © 2008 Frank Schiavone

Frank Schiavone
fschiavone@verizon.net
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