Articles

WLHS: The City Creates Confusion on the Referendum

- A vote of Yes on the repeal of Ordinance 439 will return the city to the original zoning code as of April 2024. The zoning code we have had for decades. - The ballot language was written and approved by the City Council on August 5 in a closed session. It should have been discussed in open session. - In the Oct 1 City Newsletter, the City Manager inferred that a vote Yes would leave the City with no zoning code. This is nonsense. ***- - - The City Managers’ actions within 60 days of an election are worrisome. State and City law forbids City employees from electioneering on ballot initiatives with City resources. It is easy to conclude the City Manager’s words were carefully crafted to skirt the law, intending to create confusion, given….. - Simultaneously with the release of the City Newsletter, the VoteNo campaign asserted that VoteYes would leave the city with no zoning code. - The timing of the City Newsletter and No campaign messaging appear coordinated. - The VoteNo website is registered to a business called Burns & McDonnell. Developers use firms like Burns & McDonnell to plan construction projects. - In a FOIA, we discovered that on August 9th, the City Manager and City Clerk provided John Lio and Bill Mulder electronic copies of the 350 signatures from the ballot initiative. - We have had at least one complaint from someone who signed the referendum initiative and was harassed by someone opposed to VoteYes. If you are being harassed for signing the referendum, let us know.