With the next mayoral election less than a year away, the question needs to be asked: "Are the people of Livermore going to let the current mayor run unopposed YET AGAIN? Yep! Livermore continues to vote in incompetent folks because of APATHY! You deserve the government you get.
The mayor has been rumored to have said something to the effect that she didn't think the Rodeo "image" was a good one for Livermore. With that in mind one needs to question just what the mayor's "image" idea IS. To be another Pleasanton? It has been noted that Livermore is now starting to mark off "bike paths" on streets the width of a regular automobile, just like Pleasanton. They are rarely used much and impede traffic. But they look great!
Perhaps it is time we offer an alternative voice and agenda or watch Livermore slide into the yuppified abyss that is Pleasanton. Evidently the mayor has never heard the phrase "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."
Part of what is needed is to become a "business friendly" town so we can attract more JOBS instead of building $3-400,000.00 homes that do not meet the needs of Livermore and push it more into the "bedroom community" profile. Our ever omnipotent and oppressive Building Department does more to DIScourage business from building here and spends a lot of time over-regulating the businesses which are here causing much undo financial burden to them. There is no concise plan for downtown that makes any sense. We need more than a gazebo, a pond and twenty more restaurants. Downtown COULD be a destination point with the proper handling, planning and management. Don't count on the do-nothing Chamber of Commerce for that!
The fact is that the "rodeo image" coupled with the wine, high-tech, agrarian nature of Livermore COULD be exploited to attract business and tourists and provide a wonderful ambiance for those of us who live here. Instead of spurning the image, it could be capitalized upon. But not with THIS mayor.
They say we deserve the government we get. WELL?! It needs change and we need to stop voting for status quo. There need to be fresh voices, ideas and actions. PLANNED growth rarely fails unless it is planned by non-creative imbecils who are more concerned with their little appointed commissions and positions than with reality. Perhaps a REALITY CHECK is in order. (June 98)

Life is always fascinating! Scuttlebut has it that there are a large number of small businesses in Livermore highly dissatisfied with how they have been and are being treated by a city they support with lots of TAX money. Seems they aim to do something constructive to change that and realize that they must organize in numbers to have any clout presenting their "concerns" to the powers that be.
New homes produce little income to the city. There aren't a huge amount of large businesses here paying the taxes so it must be that the real tax base is the small business community. There aren't enough businesses here to support all of the new housing going up like weeds, so it would seem that the new dwellers will commute to spend their money. Small businesses might want to expand to meet the needs of new residents, but then they have to fight city hall to do so. New business wanting to come into Livermore gets stonewalled at the building department and in many cases just builds elsewhere. Somehow, this doesn't add up. (25 July 98)
Now there are rumblings that Queen Cathy and the Clowns on the Council are considering passing something to outlaw smokers "loitering" outside of the bars and restaurants etc. in town. We all know that looks bad for Livermore. Those nasty smokers are unsightly. And with the CC's willingness to be smoke Nazis they have almost put the bar business in Livermore OUT of business. But then, who needs bars anyway? The politically correct thing to do is sip Chardonnay while figuring out how to relieve the unwashed masses of their rights. This curent CC is succeeding at dessimating the small businesses in Livermore with their over-regulation, oppression and dictation. Look for this soon. Or don't. It's YOUR freedom at stake. (5 September 98)
Well. I have moved from Livermore. However, I may return! I am sorry that I cannot be there to participate in the politics of Livermore. Probably makes Cathy real happy that I am not there. The Livermore City Council, two-faced as they are, cannot stand any rabble cluttering there pre-conceived ideas of yuppifying Livermore. Well, you never know. I just may return to spite them! I just hope that in my absence the Livermorons will have enough backbone to stand up to the milk toasts would would be their "representatives". Representative my ass! There is no person on that city council who truly represents Livermore. They represent themselves and there own selfish best interests. I have refelected on this and find that to be an unrelenting thought that was learned, not imposed. (24 April 1999)