Comments on: Thompson warns council to remove banner coverings

By: David Smith

David Smith — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 20:23:54 +0000

Mr Ian Thompson

I would like to personally and publicly thank you for your very eloquent and informative presentation. Although I didn’t always agree with Maggie’s perspective. it was abundantly clear that her actions and efforts were performed on behalf of the constituency she represented, and we are blessed because our city is a much a better place because of this.

I sincerely support your efforts to allow our city at large to properly celebrate her numerous contributions and accomplishments and allow us all to come to a proper closure with her untimely passing.

I offer you this quote to aid you in your efforts.

“In reality, there is no death because you are not the body. Let the body be there or not be there, your existence is always there; it is eternal…”
Nisargadatta

By: Julie Graboi

Julie Graboi — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 17:19:20 +0000

I was the 5th speaker during the Oral Communications segment of the March 28 Council meeting. After Mr. Thompson’s presentation and it was noted that the 6th speaker was Livia Borak, representing Coast Law Group, I thought it important for Mr. Thompson’s lawyer to have the opportunity to comment. I went to the City Clerk and asked if I could offer my spot to Ms. Borak, and was told that this was not allowed.

I am deeply offended that this decision deprived Mr. Thompson of an opportunity to have more discussion about an issue that is so personal to him, and which is equally important to many others in Encinitas. Moreover, I find it disrespectful to Livia Borak, who in addition to representing Coast Law Group, is also an Encinitas citizen.

Couldn’t there have been a better option than making her wait 4 ½ hours to do a 3 minute oral presentation?

By: Really

Really — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 13:52:15 +0000

Barth is vina’s boss too, and they all voted to hire him and rehire him. It would be against the law for vina to take direction from the council majority without a public vote. Vina would not do that and if he did Barth would never vote to rehire someone who participates in unethical and unlawful practices. Don’t blame the council, including Barth. Vina had the responsibility and power over this situation.

By: Lynn Marr

Lynn Marr — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 08:12:36 +0000

In addition to Coast Law Group and the ACLU, I would recommend that Ian Thompson might contact the First Amendment Coalition of California. I feel certain they also would be supportive of the fact that Maggie Houlihan’s image on the back of the banners does not violate Encinitas Code or any specific policy. On the contrary, banning Maggie’s printed image violates the First Amendment, as any citizen, or first year law student can clearly understand. More and more voters in Encinitas are becoming aware of the petty politics being played by Jerome Stocks and his seeming puppet, Kristin Gaspar.

The City Manager did not make his decision, in a vacuum, determining that the banners could not be permitted to be displayed with Maggie’s likeness on the back, as a tribute. Apparently, he got his direction from Jerome Stocks, our current mayor.

However, we continue to hope that our new city manager will learn to be more thoughtful and to think independently, to be so bold as to suggest, WITHOUT OUR HAVING TO RESORT TO THREATS OF LAWSUITS, that our city code does NOT refer, anywhere, to banning images on “political grounds,” and that our city’s doing would serve to further alienate the public by denying us our freedom of expression, when that expression clearly causes no harm. This is another example of Jerome’s arrogant, insulting behavior. From our perspective, he dishonors himself, and cannot touch Maggie Houlihan, who is beyond his petty, small mindedness.

By: Olivier

Olivier — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 06:01:52 +0000

Petty politics at its best. Shame on our city leaders for their smallness

By: Cyrus Kamada

Cyrus Kamada — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 22:38:24 +0000

The more I think about this, the more I see a fundamental connection between the covering of Maggie’s image on the arts banners, and the passing over of Teresa Barth in the mayoral rotation. In both cases, it is an unwillingness on the part of those in power, to allow their principle opponents to receive any positive public attention. In Maggie’s case, this unwillingness persists even beyond her time on earth, an incredible testimony to the level of insecurity involved.