SOUNDING OFF:

There have been a number of letters in opposition to the senior center that are misleading.

The vote on Measure T was only to authorize the use of five acres in Central Park for a senior center. The concept of using park fees to build the senior center came from the city staff and the City Council. The city charter does not require a citizen vote on financing of buildings like a senior center. Financing of such projects lies within the purview of the City Council.

In the upcoming City Council election, three candidates favor the proposed senior center and three oppose it. Those citizens who oppose the senior center should work to elect the opposition instead of writing scurrilous letters that attack supporters of the center. If the opposition candidates were elected, they, along with the remaining council member who opposes the project, will have a majority and can stop the proposed funding. Thus the City Council election can be viewed as a vote of confidence or lack thereof in the senior center.

With regards to informing the public on Measure T, every registered voter received the pro and con arguments about the issue including the financial support in the sample ballot. In addition, there were numerous news articles and letters that discussed the issue thoroughly. To say the voters were uninformed is poppycock. Perhaps the newspapers should reprint the ballot arguments to remind the opposition of what the voters knew when they voted.

In closing, there has been some discussion about naming the senior center. Naming it after any individual is a bad idea. Many people work on a project like this, and no one person is ever responsible for its success.

Perhaps a better idea would be to post a dedication on the building, which might read something like the following:

“A grateful community dedicates this center to all the senior citizens of Huntington Beach who have collectively spent a lifetime of hard work, saved their money, paid their taxes, raised their children to be productive citizens, practiced honorable family values, followed the law, served their country in time of war, and volunteered in their community. It is to them we owe our quality of life.”

It should not be forgotten that a majority of voters, no matter the plurality, voted for the senior center. The opposition to the center has forgotten that a vote is the foundation of democracy.

RALPH BAUER is a Huntington Beach resident.