Posted by Video Tape, a resident of the Atherton: West Atherton neighborhood, on Jun 7, 2012 at 9:37 am

Editor,

You and your reporter have it right. There is a video tape of the council meeting. You probably watched it. It supports your editorial.

Council Member McKeithen does much of the talking. CouncilMember Dobbie is heard saying Shut down the web site, after council member McKeithen is critical of the web siite.

I went to the website today and did not see the statements council member McKeithen claims are posted. I do not see a message "Individuals can send messages quickly and easily to the community".

With over 1500 users and on the recent survey, there are different opions on any topic. 25% of the members responding to a survey favor the library in the park idea. But 75% do not.

Why does a slim council majority move forward with a project the majority of the community does not support?

Posted by T&A Transparency & Accountibility, a resident of the Atherton: Lloyden Park neighborhood, on Jun 7, 2012 at 10:29 am

Atherton’s Political history has repeated

From the April Almanac: "Let's go ahead and get started in shutting it down," Councilman Jim Dobbie said at the council's April 18 meeting. "It's high time we do something."

How can Council member McKeithen write: "Censorship of the Athertonians site or shutting down what was determined to be a private site was never considered. The issue was always about a name." a month later.

The ACIL was formed fifty years ago to oppose the Council on a land use decision, it continued to exist as a council watchdog and worked have its members elected to council. McKeithen ran in 2000 with the backing of the ACIL and with an ACIL Director as her running mate. They campaigned on Term Limits, Transparency, Accountability, and Responsive Stewardship to town Government.

She has since abandoned Term Limits and will be seeking her fourth term in a couple of months.

Eight years ago the council started passing illegal taxes on construction with the leadership of McKeithen, who was on the Finance Committee. The Town reserves grew quickly and the ACIL did not challenge her. However a new group of residents organized and three times illegal taxes or tax increases were refunded to the residents.

Around that time someone or a group realized it would be great to have an email list and blog to advise residents of Council Agenda items; so residents would know when there were important council votes, attend meetings and express their objections to council actions. Athertonians@yahoogroups was formed.

Against what appears to be 75% of the town’s wishes McKeithen has pushed for a library in the park. On November 16, 2011 after a council agenda was posted on the Athertonian’s website advising of a library agenda item and the process not being transparent, McKeithen sent an email to the city attorney which read: “It has been now been over a week since I put you and John Danielson on notice that the EPC was illegally operating its Town website and its part “Ownership” of the Athertonians’ e-mail list….I am letting you know that I intend to go to the Grand Jury next week to investigate these matters.”

Efforts to “Shut Down” the Athertonians’ email are not promoting Transparency , Accountability, and Responsible Stewardship from the Atherton Council has.

The Athertonians web site has become popular, just the way the ACIL became popular fifty years ago. The Atherton Council needs to be held accountible.

Posted by Shut Down, a resident of the Atherton: Lloyden Park neighborhood, on Jun 7, 2012 at 2:11 pm

Here is the tape of the April 18th council meeting.

Web Link

32 minutes to the tape- McKeithen, Dobbie, and Connors discuss shutting down Athertonians