Small town democracy at its best and at its worst was on display in Winters and in Davis last week, as recounted by The Bee’s Hudson Sangree. Davis offers a glimpse of the bad and Winters, the good.
Winters, a city of 7,000, sits at the southwestern edge of Yolo and has transformed itself from a sleepy little farming town to a semi-hip destination, home to unique restaurants, antique shops, art galleries and the Palms, a popular live music venue.
A passionate crowd showed up for a city planning commission meeting called to air a developer’s plan to build the first fast-food restaurant in Winters. Some residents complained the proposed fast food/gas station off Interstate 505 would steer business from the city’s beautifully restored historic downtown.
Others argued that too many motorists skip Winters because it doesn’t offer the usual mix of fast food joints that beckon tourists to stop elsewhere along I-505, and that the city needs the tax revenue the proposed freeway development would bring.
Whatever the right answer to the issue is, everyone at the Winters meeting got a chance to make their point. Speakers stayed within the allotted time period. They did not repeat each other. No one was rude. There were no personal attacks. How refreshing.
By disappointing contrast, two days later, bickering at a City Council meeting down the road in Davis sent that city’s mayor to the emergency room.
It began when Davis council member Sue Greenwald said she’d made a motion during a closed door session on labor negotiations. Mayor Ruth Asmundson said she hadn’t.
Greenwald accused the mayor of lying. Then the mayor said “Sue, stop calling me a liar.” The bickering continued. Asmundson tried to cut off discussion. Greenwald said she couldn’t, at which point the mayor announced to all assembled that Greenwald’s behavior had sent her to the emergency room four times in the past and that she was having an anxiety attack.
Greenwald shot back: “Ruth, not everyone is cut out for public office.” In the end Mayor Asmundson left the dais and went to the hospital. She then took off on vacation a week earlier than planned.
Local politics are often contentious. But Davis has had a long history of particularly toxic relationships on its City Council. Frankly, it’s getting tiresome. Council members, and Greenwald in particular, need to take a hard look at themselves and ask what kind of example they are setting – particularly for young people in their community who might be considering public service.
Leaders and many activists in the university town of Davis could learn about civility from Winters, and about how to disagree without being disagreeable.