FROM the Email In Box: From GrandMaw

Thank you for the opportunity to provide a candidate’s statement. The following are my positions on the issues you listed: by Maryetta Ferrer

GrandMaw responds in red since we can never have these “conversations” with the candidate, nor does she show up to defend her views or attend candidate forums with the voters.

1. Eminent Domain – I respect the property rights of all citizens. Except when we need the property for a preferred developer or project that I like. In regard to the Towne Centre Project, the Council has not indicated that eminent domain will be pursued. , right now -- However, the council did take the first legal step by voting in the “resolution of necessity” earlier this year for the Stringfield property. I don’t want the citizens to know this however, because it is the first step in the legal eminent domain taking, and has become unpopular. I also I made a motion to proceed with approving the “just compensaion” at $700,000, but NO ONE on the council seconded my motion, and it was really embarrasing for me. The Council has simply asked the one remaining property owner what she is looking for and she has refused to say. And even though Stringfield has hired 2 attorneys; one to negotiate with the city RDA on ED issues and one to protect her property rights from seizure, we want her to speak for herself. I am the mayor here, she must speak. She got a professional appraiser to speak for her, and he has just gotten in the way of us getting a good cheap deal. I am demanding that she personally come to the microphone to speak to the council , so that I can cut her off in 3 minutes, and make her look like a fool and make me look really powerful. She should not forget, I am the head of the redevelopment agency besides being the mayor. The remaining property owner has decided not to sell the property and instead, to remain in her late mother’s home. Actually I guess it’s her home now, and although Sringfield is permitted RDA participation rights under the CA state redevelopment law, the RDA screwed up and never offered them to her before we signed the DDA. Now we just don’t want to give her any participation rights, because she has not sold out to us cheaply like the others home owners. We are perfectly happy with the big developer from out of town instead, because we already cut our deal with him back in 2003-2004. He’s going to give us a library, and this will be the “public” use we will hang our hat on when citizens accuse us of using ED for private gain. The City has respected her wishes and the Towne Center project has been reduced and revised accordingly. The last thing we would do is let anyone protecting their property rights participate in any RDA project or sell property at market value. Even though all property owners have equal participation rights she had made us look bad, and we will not allow that to happen. We on the council control the RDA authority, and we know and decide what Stringfield’s actual wishes are. We say she has not told us what she wants, because she has not met our demand to stand before us and speak. Besides, we have experience belitteling her submittals to participate in ANY property improvements, and we shun her proposals or development team. She has no right to demand market value for her property when we have an appraisal at less than half of her appraised value.

2. New High School - When I first ran for the City Council in 2000, I stated that bringing a high school to Grand Terrace was one of my top priorities. Some people doubted whether the City could play a role in such an undertaking but you will see that I can make this happen, and I believed then, as I do now, that Grand Terrace students deserve a “State of the Art” facility. Such a high school could serve as a focal point for our community. It will make me look good, and anyway, this is a legitimate public use of the power of eminent domain, and everyone will see how much affect I have had on the community when they see the huge stadium and folks parked all around the high school neighborhoods. Our law enforcement will really have a focal point near the campus to be involved in our community. I have worked hard to push this project along as much as possible because building a consensus in the community would mean that I would have to listen to people who I consider to be my underlings. And from the City’s perspective whether it was through the Bond Committee or through the assistance the City has provided. I have always really want to put myself our front, where the financial and social action things are happening in our town, because I am so important, and people need to know that. Our community needs to stay focused on me and on this goal to make sure the school district’s commitments are fulfilled. , and that I get all the credit I deserve. It does not matter whether or not the neighbors like it, because I have decided it is a good idea, and I was a principal, and I am the mayor and so it is going forward now.

3. Towne Centre Project – We are in the fortunate position of having a number of businesses wanting to come to our community. I just don’t know who the new businesses are yet, because they have not actually signed any leases in the last 2.5 years. So we’re going to get the first two tenants for Town NOT center, out of the existing Town shopping Center, because I want to get this done during my term as head of the Redevelopment Agency. Not every city in the Inland Empire is in such a position. Some towns actually let private parties buy and sell commercially zoned land and build retail stores under the existing zoning and tenants lease them. This does not give the council or the RDA the control over the entire process that I like to see. It also eliminates a place for me to grandstand about my importance. Stater Bros wants to bring to the Towne Center its “Top-of-the-Line” store with the types of products, services and amenities our community deserves. , and I really like sitting in on all this important stuff. This is an important window of opportunity to take advantage of business opportunities in areas specifically zoned and planned for such purposes. , even though it will mean removing long-term home owners and pressuring them to sell. We are actually selling land to the developer for less that market value so that the profits will go to Stater Bros, Lowe’s and the developer. Just being around all this kind of money is exciting for me.


4. Recall – It is my view that since I have refused to place the interests of one group above the interests of the community as a whole, (except for the developer, who has favored status) these individuals are attempting to overturn the results of the last election. The San Bernardino Sun, among other voices, have agreed that a recall is not supposed to be used for such a purpose. The recall petition is being attempted not because of anything I personally did since I am just one vote on the Council. but am an important force, because I am also the head of the redevelopment agency. The policies these people object to were approved by a unanimous vote of the Council even though proper environmental, planning and zoning, building codes, parking codes, CEQA and public notice procedures were not followed by staff, planning commission or council, and yet this group is only pursing a recall petition against Councilwoman Garcia and me. It’s just not fair and it hurts my feelings. The recall proponents claim to speak for the overwhelming majority of the residents of Grand Terrace and yet they did not run for either office in this election. In my opinion, this group’s attacks on everything that takes place in this City are designed to hide the fact that they have no constructive ideas of their own. The one good result of this situation is that I have received a groundswell of support and requests of numerous citizens to fight back.

5. “Safe and Sane’ Fireworks – This important issue is currently being addressed by a citizens task force and I look forward to their recommendations. I will carefully balance the benefit of fireworks sales for our local nonprofits with the public safety concerns. We hope the task force will keep folks busy who object.
I know it seems strange, but the kids and parents really like standing around selling fireworks so they can give the $10,000. in profits to the city to pay for the lights on the playing fields. The city likes getting the money too, so we don’t want that cut off that source or revenue. We do this for the children.

6. Direction of Grand Terrace Development – My first involvement in City government was working on the 1999/2000 General Plan Committee. I was directly involved in the recommendations which were made to the Council and resulted in the General Plan which provides the guiding principles for land use decisions today. I know we can’t always follow them when a developer wants to build something else. Parts of it are really out of date now and even though the Town Square development does not match the general plan, but we want to do it anyway to help the developer. I believe that if the City’s land use policies provide, for example, for commercial development in specific areas of our City, then such business should be approved so long as the applicant complies with all zoning, planning and environmental requirements. , and if it does not match the zoning, we will just change it because we can do that with our approvals. We did it for the super high density apartments near Brentwood in the R-1 zone. Then if the local neighbors object, we always just tell them to meet with the developers, architects, engineers and attorneys of the developer. The residents need to organize to protect their property rights. They have no right to expect that we will enforce the zoning code at the city level. We have to stay away from those meetings, so it does not appear to contaminate our favorable vote later. Besides, they are messy and don’t usually make us look good. I do not think it is beneficial for our City’s future when certain groups attack business applicants who pursue development approval for areas of the City which are specifically planned for such purposes. It makes the council and RDA look bad, when we cannot quickly deliver on all the rule changes or fast track approvals that we have promised developers to proceed. They should just stop this!

7. I believe I am the most qualified candidate for Mayor due to my experience in two very important areas. First of all, I have over 30 years of experience as a community volunteer and I had my dream job as a teacher and principal in Grand Terrace. Secondly, I have been honored to serve as a Councilmember and the appointed Mayor for the past six years and during that time, I have gained knowledge and experience about the realities of local government and the politics and obstacles that must be overcome in order to achieve what is important for our residents. I am not going to let the input of some residents affect my opinion. I have already decided what I want to do as mayor and that is to have the biggest impact on growth and development in this town that I can. These two different but related sources of experience have provided me with invaluable perspectives about the vision and values our residents expect their Mayor to advocate on their behalf. You will see that my legacy is even larger that my dad’s.

Gamps Says : Well Done Gandmaw... and the insight and filling in the blanks is an interesting presentation...