Now to Don the Engineer’s Hat Again

So much for the binary hard-over polarized approach to the political situation. Now comes the engineer.

Do I think Longmont can instantaneously slam the door on the land-leeches? Of course not. But I am certainly willing to listen to the screeching of the solid-axle wheels as Train-Longmont works its way around the curve to a new direction.

First, it must be stipulated that Council is elected to serve the public at large, not just special interests. (Christensen was clear that those interests continue to have large influence.)

Next, Council should immediately set up a program to ascertain where, in this regard, the informed population wish to go. My thesis is that an informed populace will coalesce around a no-more-growth standard. Supposing that to eventuate, then any City planning that is not consonant with zero growth must be justified on a case-by-case, closely examined, basis. And preferably contemporaneously, but else surely later, be compensated with another action that gets back to zero net growth.

The process of city management then comes down to trade-offs under the caps, which progress toward zero growth per an agreed schedule. I wouldn’t mind a change to the City Charter to reflect a zero-growth policy, but I think that even here in Boulder County, that’s not going to happen.

Nevertheless, there is no time better than right now to begin the examination.