Letter to the Editor: Questions about Clayton’s proposed parcel tax

CLAYTON, CA (Mar. 15, 2022) — As a new resident of Clayton, I read with great interest the February Pioneer front-page piece about a possible parcel tax to “…stave off a looming $1 million budget deficit predicted by Fiscal Year 2030-31.”

To ensure the success of the necessary ballot measure, several council members said Clayton could “…benefit from the expertise of communications consultants” to clarify and deliver to residents a unified message about the need for a parcel tax.

And yet council member Jeff Wan categorically stated that he “wouldn’t listen to a consultant’s advice.”

Really? How can an elected official reject advice from a subject matter expert he hasn’t even heard?

Does council member Wan want to take the chance that the parcel tax might fail and that city leaders might have to go back to the voters again (and again?) in order to continue to balance the budget? Approaching the voters once is a significant challenge; repeating the process is not something municipalities relish.

Is taking such a negative position the responsible thing for an elected official to do?

Lorne Evje [EV-yuh]
Clayton resident