An open letter to the Chair of the Castro Valley MAC originally published as a letter to the editor of the Castro Valley Forum:

There have been times when I have supported you, and times when I’ve disagreed with you. During the March 17 Castro Valley MAC meeting, I was disappointed, embarrassed, and ashamed about how you portrayed Castro Valley.

I ask that you review the proceedings and evaluate whether you overstepped your position and acted inappropriately. Personally, I found that you bullied and shamed people into arguments that served no purpose.

When you insulted Senator Corbett’s staff member by stating that you had no faith in the Senator’s bill (no faith in her effort? ability? intention?), I apologized to her aide on behalf of Castro Valley, and said that you did not represent all of Castro Valley. Indeed, since you are not elected, you represent only yourself. After you reflect on your words, perhaps you will apologize to Senator Corbett as well.

When you got red-faced and yelled at the man in the audience, threatening to call the Sheriff and have him removed for talking out of turn, did you not think that a more measured response would have handled the situation with dignity and respect?

There is an old adage: “Lead, follow, or get out of the way.” Marc, ask yourself why you are blocking at every instance an effort by a wide-ranging group of citizens to create what a clear majority of the people thinks is a good idea: a Town Square. Why don’t you let this community-driven effort succeed or fail on its own merits? During the EALI process, Supervisor Miley asked us to dream and create a future, yet you insist on saying no and living in the past.

You have no authority over the Town Square project, yet you insist on requiring ordinary citizens to have knowledge expected of engineers. At most, you might have asked County Public Works staff to develop cost estimates for this project, but to demand that citizens fight with you over your figures—which are just as invalid as anyone else’s—is to create a paper tiger that wastes everyone’s time. Lead, follow, or get out of the way.

This grass roots effort will go forward—to either success or failure—whether you like it or not. You insist on treating this project as if it were a developer’s proposal that has personal benefit (for which you would have oversight). It’s not! It’s simply citizens wanting a better future for all of us (a public project). If a public agency creates an engineered design for a Town Square, you might wish to review it. Until then, it is a conceptual project for which you should lead, follow, or get out of the way. But, do not require citizens to jump through hoops just to satisfy what seems to be some underlying need you may have.