CC 2015-11-24 Item's Recv'd at Mtg Good evening Mr. Mayor, members of the Council and staff. I am going to ask for some flexibility in my3
minutes. I am here tonight with heavy heart. I have spoken before this body and other City bodies many
times over the last 5-6 years. I was very proud when the Mayor asked me to be his representative on the
Traffic Commission.With current events that have transpired in this room,false personal attacks in the
press and the feeling that issues I have in my free time trying to make my City better spill over and could
affect my career I am resigning from the Traffic Commission effect immediately.
I have offered to try to help make traffic issues better in our fine City. From the perspective as a citizen
of this City that has almost 20 years'experience in roadway design,striping and signage I feel that this
body and City staff take the opinion of developers consultants over the citizens. If one of the members
of this body were to speak on issues they dealt with as a career,the rest of this body would give a lot of
weight to what the council person said. I would like to remind this body that the job of a consultant is to .
sell you on approving their client's project. All developers have the right to develop their property and
make a profit, but it should not be at the expense of the citizens of this City. Once everything is built it is
very difficult to fix traffic issues later. Look at the Walmart impacts to traffic.The City was told
everything would be fine.
Our City staff tries to do a lot with very little. Our City does not have the funds to staff to a level to have
experts in every field of Civil Engineering and cannot afford to have consultants review every project. I
have in the past and still offer to help with traffic design issues in our City. The only person on staff that
has consistently called on me in the past is Mr. English. My offer still stands. If any member of this body
or any other body that represents or City were to call on me I would be more than happy to meet with
them and discuss issues I would see on a development. My day job is working for the tax payer of the
State of California. I do plan on speaking in the future on traffic issue I see could be made better. My
hope is that this body as well as staff will give more weight to the citizens than to people who have a
financial gain in whatever is presented.
In the future if I feel that the climate of this city has really changed I would be more than happy to serve
again and try to make the City better for all that live here.
Thank you for your time and the honor to a part of the traffic commission.
Sincerely
ron P. Henkel
196 South Alpine
Arroyo Grande,CA
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