Published
4 years agoon
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gvwireIt has been said, “Two men look through the same jail cell walls, one sees mud and one sees stars.” Certainly, this is the way that I see the Fresno parks sales tax initiative.
First, I think some background is in order.
It goes without saying that the parks department wasn’t remotely close to the highest priority. Budget figures from 2009 through today are evidence of the department’s decimation. For the layman, the brown lawns at Fresno’s parks served as the obvious sign.
As the then-president of the Fresno Police Officers Association, Parks brokered a deal to take the brunt of the fiscal fallout.
Officers elected to forego raises and other incentives, and the department phased out positions to ease payroll and benefits costs — all to help the city get back on its feet.
Meanwhile, Fresno’s municipal government pension system is nationally recognized for its financial health.
Now we focus on today, where a concerted push — sponsored by nonprofits and donors — funds an initiative to revitalize, maintain, and build parks. The effort has been nothing short of impressive: polls funded, thousands of signatures gathered.
But a fundamental question must be asked: Who will go to parks if they are not safe?
This fight has pitted Mayor Lee Brand against former Mayor Ashley Swearengin over the city’s priorities.
In the movie “Matilda,” the child asked her father, a seller of shabby used cars, “Can’t we just sell good cars, Dad? Don’t people want to buy good?”
Which begs the question, “Can’t we just split it 50/50. Don’t people like both colors, green and blue?”
Businessman Brooke Ashjian represents Area 7 (Bullard High district) on the Fresno Unified School District Board of Trustees.
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