John Gaccione

7/25/16

For Immediate Release

Update from Headquarters; New banner headline / Be Vigilant, Be Prepared, Put Kensington First!

Folks by this time you might have already seen our new banner tag line, “Put Kensington First”. Armed with this tag line we will be calling out to the faithful, circling the wagons, battening down the hatches and organizing nets for the forthcoming November board elections. We also need to be vigilant because volunteer Ad Hoc Committees are right now wrestling with major structural issues that could impact core community values in our quaint hillside village.

So lets not waste any time and start putting our new tag line to work. Here are five major timely issues that cry out for your attention:

1.) Support Dissolving the Kensington Fire District.

Why does the Kensington Fire District get so much more of your tax money then the KPPCSD? Just because the KFD pays off their debts and manages their funds better, does that preclude sharing their funds with KPPCSD? The KPPCSD has amassed high legal costs and expensive equipment needs that require much more money than they have managed to save. Once KPPCSD dissolves the KFD and gains access to their considerable funds everything will be far better. Keep in mind folks that it’s all our money.

2.) Back off on the calls to release of the IA Report.

As it turns out, one of our Kensington officers involved in the Berkeley stop affair has been linked to a “CLETS” offense. It now appears he was over zealous in his accessing of electronic/digital records and now faces disciplinary action. Mr. Hart will be deciding what level of discipline will be imposed on the officer. So the less said on the digital discussion groups, the better. They are trying to make a federal case out of it. There is just no pleasing some people.

3.) Don’t Separate the General Manager position from the Chief of Police.

Speaking of Mr. Hart, one of our volunteer Ad Hoc committees is charged with investigating the wisdom of separating the two positions. Now I don’t know about you folks, but since the combined position has worked for us for over 50 years, why change now? We just need to find and hire someone with the wisdom of Solomon and the patience of Job, and then both positions will be covered. Problem solved.

4.) No to Contracting out for Pubic Safety Services.

Yet another volunteer Ad Hoc committee has been given the task of weighing the benefits of contracting out for public safety services. This would mean putting control of our local police department in the hands of another town! Sure we have had some policing problems in the past, but obviously retaining local control trumps all transgressions. If this idea gains traction, can annexation by El Cerrito be far behind! This one is just plain non-negotiable out of the gate. Didn’t someone get an Initiative on the books to stop this kind of thing?

5.) The Echo Chamber charge and why it keeps reverberating.

Pubic discussion of issues on digital forums can result in heated editorial content. One of the most well used terms that can be heard is the “Echo Chamber” charge. Ignore them, instead repeat as many times as necessary your point of view and the moderator’s attempts to limit discussion to viewpoints that only support their opinions. Remember, your viewpoints are fact based, theirs are just mere speculation and groundless opinions.

We all need to be “hooked up to the load” with these issue positions, so if you have any questions contact your Message Control Manager.

Remember; Be Vigilant, Be Prepared and Put Kensington First!