WAVE GOODBYE TO THE WAIVER … in light of the League of Women Voters’ one-sided debate debacle, it’s time for the city of Davis to stop offering fee waivers to certain groups who choose to use city facilities … as Mayor Joe Krovoza said in explaining the city’s decision to grant a fee waiver for the LWV’s so-called “forum” on Measure A, “The city doesn’t charge the LWV to use the Chambers. It’s the one group we don’t charge based on the value to all of their forums.” …

To his credit, the mayor has said that if the facts support the charge that the league indeed refused to let the No on A folks have a seat at the table, the fee waiver will be rescinded and the league will be sent a bill for use of the Community Chambers … which is all well and good … but it’s now time to take things one step further and declare that from now on all groups will have to pay the same fee to rent city facilities, no matter their reputation … as this case so clearly proves, the city should not be in the business of deciding which groups are good guys — and thus deserving of a waiver — and which groups aren’t deserving of a waiver …

The best posture for the city as we move forward is one of complete neutrality … just charge them all … if the LWV wants to host a “forum” and pay the fee, turn on the microphones and let them have at it … if they want it to be a one-sided forum where only one point of view is represented, well, they paid for that right … on the flip side, if the No on A folks want to rent the Chambers and present their view, the same rules apply … no more playing footsie with supposedly “civic-minded” groups and granting them special privileges based on the assumption they’ll do the right thing …

DOUBLE STANDARD … it’s interesting that in the recent Measure A “forum,” which presented only the “yes” side of the issue, one of the speakers was school board trustee Sheila Allen, an elected official … this seems to contradict the very rules the LWV set forth in denying Sue Greenwald a spot on the dais for the debate the LWV sponsored on Measure P … the No on P folks wanted Greenwald to be part of their debate presentation, only to be told by the LWV in an email that no elected officials were allowed because an elected official “will be seen by the public as having inside knowledge and cachet not held by any of the other speakers on either the yes or no sides.” …

Apparently the LWV came up with a completely opposite set of rules for the participation of elected officials when it allowed Sheila Allen to be part of the official program for the Measure A forum … the league’s same email pointed out that “The League of Women Voters board is very careful to put together debates that are fair to both sides of an issue with people who are knowledgeable and well spoken.” … it seems that rule has gone by the boards as well …

SUPPOSE THEY HELD A FORUM AND NOBODY CAME … sources report that in addition to the LWV moderator and the two presenters in favor of Measure A, a whopping total of three (3) Davis citizens attended the Measure A forum in question … presumably, they didn’t run out of cookies and punch … all three attendees, as it turns out, were principal proponents of the Measure A campaign, though none were actually school principals … safe to say, no minds were changed in the making of this forum …

MAD AS HELL … George at yahoo.com, shaking his head at the recent happenings in his beloved hometown, says “30 seconds for those opposed to the coach’s firing. Zero seconds for those opposed to Measure A. What has happened in this town to the concept of a free marketplace of ideas?” … piling on, Bob at gmail.com, adds “It is tempting to keep the opposition quiet, but that is not the way it is supposed to work,” Glen at netscape.net states clearly that “Fair play and integrity are evidently out of style these days, even in the perfect little town of Davis,” and Steve and Mary combine to say that “The organization needs to apologize and ensure that future forums are indeed an opportunity for both sides to be heard.” …

Don’t hold your breath, folks … long before this forum was held, it was pointed out to the league that it was driving down a one-sided highway and yet the LWV attempted to justify its stance as right and proper and went ahead with the “forum” that has caused so much outrage among those who believe in the rules of fair play…

— Reach Bob Dunning at [email protected] Comment on this column at www.davisenterprise.com

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