Letter: Council Should Vote to Oppose Plant

Dear Editor,

I don't understand both Councilmen Steve Aspel and Pat Aust's statement last Tuesday night that they will only support a resolution opposing AES' plan to repower its if residents stop taking a parallel path via initiative. Gentlemen, if this is your attempt to show leadership, you are making us very nervous! In California, this is our right as citizens when government fails to represent constituents. I'm extremely uncomfortable with what he is asking of Building a Better Redondo. BBR is assisting NoPowerPlant, which is a resident group with thousands of local voices. This is a very manipulative and unethical stunt.

As Ronald Reagan famously stated, "Trust but verify." What right will residents then have should the council pull a repeat of Heart of the City or some other shady negotiation with AES? Residents have a lot at stake on this issue, and AES is about to file for their permit.

Councilman Aspel's demand now makes me even more uncomfortable trusting him to have the character to do the right thing for our city. Who blindly trusts elected officials who display this sort of questionable behavior?  

The solution is quite simple and reasonable. There would be no justification for the residents to complete the initiative process if Council is acting on our behalf honestly and demonstrating vision and leadership. Ultimately, that is how you win residents’ trust!

Grant Patterson
Redondo Beach

Letters to the editor do not necessarily reflect the views of Redondo Beach Patch. Letters must be less than 500 words and are subject to editing for space, spelling, punctuation and grammar. Also, anonymous letters will not be published, so remember to include your real name. You can email your letter to Redondo Beach Patch editor Nicole Mooradian at nicole.mooradian@patch.com.