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Rohnert Park Ripples by Jud Snyder - October 2017

Why do newspaper pages cling together?

City Council forced to buy the Roseland District, an oil-soaked and greasy-soiled section of Santa Rosa the city comfortably ignored for more than a few decades.

But that’s not all. During discussions on why the city could easily be sued by any citizen, lawyer or not and probably lose in this potential case, researchers found out that all seven council members came from the same northeast section of the city. Horror piled on horror.

What can be done? People talk about election reform a lot. Politicians tend to shrug it off because it would allow complete strangers to affect their own political futures. Some might say, “Well, what’s wrong with that?”

It’s difficult to explain. A job as a lowly intern in city hall or part time assistant to an office holder, to a council member to state assembly member, or state senator, then the rarefied air of national politics as a House representative or genuine Senator, all have an individual cachet, a flavor that carries weight wherever he or she goes.

It can subtly change into the dark skill of gerrymandering voting districts into crazy lines to aid a political party or an individual. But let’s not go down that dismal and dank channel now. Gerrymandering does not even have a pleasant sound.

Let’s talk elections of the near future. Next year, 2018, is an off-year presidential election which means no White House incumbent on the ballot but we have two RP City Council members will be on the November 2018 one – Amy Anahotu and Pam Stafford. Neither one is toting a scandal from their last term and from this point, 13 months in advance, they’re natural picks to run again. But I’m not that far in the print-punditry realm at this instance.

The other three city council members, Jake Mackenzie, Gina Belforte andJoe Callinan aren’t due for the ballot until 2020. Scotch tape this reminder to your refrigerator and remember you read it here first.

I wish someone would solve the puzzle of newspaper pages clinging together in blissful togetherness while I try to separate them. My fingers are too big I was unformed by a lady friend who easily peeled the pages apart.

But getting back to our city council members all coming from north of RP Expressway, I expected a bigger clamor from the public over this small factoid. Five or six days later it’s been practically silence.

Reasons for this are many. The easiest one is variations of 2018 is too far away, ask me some time next year. Or, RP residents don’t care enough about politics or the city’s “podunkville,” or “What will SMART trains do next and what’s happened to our Quiet Zones?”

They are all likely subjects for editorial punditry in the months ahead. But those darn newspaper pages still cling together, Good thing I have feminine friends nearby.

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