Letter to Editor: Resident Wants to Elect Goel, Ballesteros, Blackman and Cherrier

Dear Editor:

In Dublin, a growing number of residents have been fighting the out of control growth that is supported by the money and power of developers. Dublin now holds the dubious honor of being one of the fastest growing cities in the nation. And... the sort of building shouts poor planning and bad decisions. Soon we will not have the tax base necessary to supply the services and the schools to meet the needs of all the housing that is being built. New decision makers are desperately needed in order to have a town that has any credibility, viability or quality of life at all.

Residents that attend council meetings and email council members are tired of being ignored power of the developers. This is not to say that development does not have a place. There is such a thing as smart growth. Growth that provides parks and schools where there are homes. Growth that keeps children safe from having to grow up right next to the fumes of highway traffic like 580 and keeps the front doors of homes from opening out onto major thoroughfares like Dublin Blvd., Tassajara, and San Ramon Blvd.

Children will have to cross these in order to go school or anywhere. This year's election is critical in addressing all this. We need smart members who will listen to and work with the public. I am offering the names of those that the voters in Dublin can trust to make better decisions in the future. I know each one and can verify that each will take the concerns of the residents that live in Dublin seriously and take seriously the concerns about the future of Dublin not the future of developers. Developers need to serve the community, not control it.

Arun Goel and Mona Lisa Ballesteros are both committed to Dublin (not developers) and running for city council. Gabrielle Blackman and Dan Cherrier are both committed to the Dublin School District students and parents and will work with the city council to keep the excellence in school and encourage the building of schools so that students will have adequate classrooms with a high school on the east side of Dublin to address the overcrowding.

Marie Marshall, Dublin resident