SOUNDING OFF:Smoke and mirrors in Measure T letter

The Sounding Off article in the Nov. 16 edition by Jan Vandersloot is short but should be examined closely.

First, he cries sour grapes by stating, “only 50.8% of the voters approved Measure T, and opposition was growing before the vote.”

The voters have spoken, and as more ballots are counted support for Measure T is growing. As of Nov. 16, it has increased to 5l.2% and is still growing daily.

I have a flash for him: Support — not opposition — was growing mainly by the vandalism of the “Yes on T” signs and the very fact that he, Vandersloot of Newport Beach, and his clique of naysayers used tactics they have used in the past to mislead the voters.

He even staged a picnic on the barren spot of land intended for the senior center. It was attended by approximately 30 people recruited for the purpose so he could mislead the viewers of the council meeting the day before voting date. He used pictures taken by his staged picnic for a PowerPoint presentation. He has used questionable tactics before, but this was a new low.

Then he goes on to say we must thoroughly explore the issue so the center can be located elsewhere. The people have spoken.

What part of the voting process used in a democracy does he not understand? Not only have the people spoken, but the City Council has allocated and committed funds, at no cost to the taxpayers, to build the center.

Now comes his thinly veiled threat to the people of Hunt-ington Beach. He states that, “this has happened in the past with the Bolsa Chica groups, and I fully expect the Save Central Park group to follow in this time-honored tradition.” Sounds lofty doesn’t it?

He ignores the fact that some of the most respected members of “the Bolsa Chica groups” spearheaded and avidly urged the voters to approve the location that had been recommended by an experienced consulting firm that had searched the city for a suitable location before their conclusion that was presented as Measure T.

It is about time this out-of-town individual, who seems to be bent on preventing any project in our city that will improve its image, examines his actions. If they were mine, I would bury them in the Newport Beach Back Bay sludge.