As I sent to the City Council:

Dear Council Members,

It certainly appears to me that a clear conflict of interest exists with council members Duboc and Winkler, who with their third political member Mr. Boyle, are taking rather LARGE campaign contributions from two developers with proposals before the city.

I am referring to Sunday’s Almanac story that says that the three have taken some $12,000 from the developer who wants to develop the old Cadillac site on El Camino Real. The Almanac also reported that the three also accepted ANOTHER $3000 from the owner of the Park Theater who already donated $3000 to the group previously and that person has a proposal in front of the city to turn the theater into an office complex.

So that’s some $18,000 from developers with proposals pending. That is a HUGE number! Comparing it to other numbers in the Almanac story, it is almost as much as their leading opponent, Mr. Heywood, has been able to raise entirely from everyone out there and much more than either Mr. Cline or Mr. Bressler has raised.

I now think I understand why it is that I seem to be getting a flyer in the mail virtually every day from some combination of council members Duboc and Winkler and Mr. Boyle.

I also want to raise two other issues with this story, both related to the council-approved Derry project that would take place by the old Cadillac property and the Park Theater.

Number 1, it was reported by the Almanac that the approval of Derry also automatically gave some concessions to the developers of Cadillac because it is located next door to the property, so the city now has to give them the same “good deal.”

Number 2, the flyer from the Derry Referendum people says that as part of the deal, the city gets $100,000 to “study how to turn the Park Theater into an office building.” If that is true, then in my mind Mr. Crittenden the Theater Owner is really getting a free study courtesy of the city. I now understand just why he has plastered campaign signs for “Boyle, Duboc, Winkler” on his boarded up theater and posted threatening notices warning all others not to post there.

Quite frankly, this whole thing stinks to high heaven. I don’t see how anyone in good conscious could vote for either of you at this point, council members Winkler and Duboc. I agree whole-heartedly with the OTHER flyer I received in the mail this weekend, the one that says,

IT’S TIME TO FIRE DUBOC AND WINKLER!

Thank You.

Mary Ellen Patrick