July 16, 1999

The rabbit hole looms! Mad Hatters are throwing themselves into rings all over our county. And so begins the pandering of office-seekers. Why do they want to lead us?

Forget liberals vs. conservatives, candidates are either controllers or liberators. The first group is made up of those who would extend their spheres of power over whomever and whatever it takes to effect their visions of suburban bliss. The second group encompasses those who want to remove restrictions on choice, whether it be a way of life (like gay marriage), a consumer issue (like blue laws), or an occupational consideration (like labor and business regulations).

So far, the one definite non-incumbent candidate for Fairfield City Council is decidedly from the controllers group. Jack Batson teaches at Armijo High School and his main objective is to promote "smart" growth, which is code for only what pleases him and his supporters' aesthetics. That's the flip-side of the ever-meddling redevelopment directors who are one with the council and have manipulated our town's retail composition into the dysfunction we now have.

If he decides to run, the other possible non-incumbent, Dave Bayley, represents the liberator category. Noreen O'Regan is a hybrid type: She's mostly in favor of free market forces, but she has a pronounced tendency to promote esoteric social programs that give away taxpayers' money, plus she used to work at Solano Garbage Company, which brings us back to Mr. Bayley.

A few years ago, Dave Bayley had an independent garbage collection business that picked up construction site trash at a discount rate, but he was stopped by Fairfield's all-exclusive business agreement with Solano Garbage Company. Recently he's been collecting signatures on a petition to require the city to use a competitive bidding process for garbage contracts.

With politicians campaigning on what they'll do for us (with our own money), we need more candidates who aspire not to do, but to undo government actions. Naturally Mr. Bayley would not be allowed to participate in opening up the garbage service debate. But he could work to decapitate the imperious Red Queen of government, who believes up to "six impossible things before breakfast," including that sales tax is the best source of local revenue, despite saturated markets and on-line shopping. To save our economy, vote for liberators; vote for uncandidates!

© 1999 Cynthia Hahn