HomeMy WebLinkAbout11/18/2009 - STAFF REPORTS - 00 i
ELECTION 2009
T he race is are in Pah-illi' G��prings
Candidate's claim was absurd
The article about the Palm Springs City Council can-
didates' forum on Tuesday and John Tymon's account
of his understanding of the Agua Caliente Band of Ca-
huilla Indians left me astonished
"Tycoon said he's been the lone citizen to attend joint
council.meetings for,years, and that tribal Chair
Richard Milanovich asks for his opinion on matters,
and that Tymon first suggested the site of Ramon Road
and Bob Hope Drive for the Agua Caliente resort."
This is absurd_Business decisions, such as the place-
ment of our resort; are made strictly by the Tribe, and
involve years,of comprehensive planning and develop-
ment. It's insulting to have all of the hard work by so
many people diminished by this one man's claim.
Let me clarify without reservation that I have never
sought Mr. Tymon's opinion on business matters and
his comments about me as well as the Tube.are pure
fantasy.
Frankly, I was surprised The Desert Sun didn't check'
to see if the claim was factual.
RAW All BI lmwiclk chaimiaR Agua Calierb Band
of Cahuilla Indians zaa 9
161 � ��
Alden N. Godfrey
467 North Calle Rolph
Palm Springs, CA 92262
aldenpsp@dc.rr.com
Oct. 14, 1009
Dear Mr. Green,
In my 85+ years adventuresome years on this planet I have been a
newspaper editor, a journalism professor (at COD), a political
campaign manager, and a public relations firm executive. I
originally came to Palm Springs in 1968 to develop what is now the
United Way of the Desert.
I no longer do any of those things. I think "an old busybody" would
pretty well describe me currently. But I was also one of the authors
of the SDX Code of Ethics; especially the section entitled "Be
Accountable."
So when my good friend John Tymon told me of what he regards as
his problem with the Desert Sun I discussed it with him and am
trying to help him (and you?) resolve it. I must emphasize that I
have just returned from an extended cruise and have no actual
knowledge of any of this. I have only John's explanation and the
clippings to rely on.
I make haste to say I have never met Marcel lionare, know nothing of
him, and do not in any way question his accuracy and sincerity.
On the other hand I know the statements attributed to John in the
story by Marcel reporting the first public forum of City Council
candidates are completely absurd.
In fact, they are so absurd I believe either Marcel or his editor
should have checked therm out just as they should have if John bad
claimed to have walked on the moon. But this is only my opinion.
To put it another way, somewhere between what John says he said
and what Marcel arm d him as saying, it is at least possible
something was lost.
Unfortunately, I have no access to the tapes of this forum. If I did
have I would have checked all this out.
Subsequently, on Oct. 7, the Desert Sun published a Letter to the
Editor from Richard Milanovich, chairman of the Agua Caliente Band
of Cahuilla Indians. It is fair commentary to say he angrily denied
the claims John was reported to have made at the forum.
Mr. Milanovich, John tells me, demands an apology. John says he
didn't say these things and, therefore, has nothing to apologize for.
And that's where things appear to me to stand right now.
It is a situation which is unsatisfactory, certainly to Mr. Kilanovich,
obviously to John and his campaign workers and supporters, and
quite possibly to you and Marcel. And it Is less than three weeks to
the election.
With John's concurrence this "old busybody" (see above) has
developed a Letter to the Editor from John which is designed to
resolve the matter to some degree, to question no one's honesty and
accuracy, and (hopefully) to lay the matter to rest.
The proposed letter is attached.
I hope very much you will agree to publish it.
I will be glad to discuss this with you or anyone you designate.
However, I am NOT acting on behalf of John. (In fact I didn't even
vote for him.) But he's a good guy caught up in a problem which
may or may not be of his own making.
With regards,
Sincerely
ukm
I am writing to apologize for a widespread perception of something I
am reported in the Desert Sun to have said. I say "perception"
because I believe I was misunderstood.
That perception is based on a Desert Sun story reporting on the first
public forum (Oct. S) of candidates for the Palm Springs City
Council. I am one of those candidates.
In paraphrasing my answer to a question relating to the Agua
Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians I am reported to have claimed a
close relationship with its chairman, Richard Milanovich, and to have
influenced the tribe's decision on the location of the Agua Caliente
Casino.
This is not true. Nor did I say this.
But I know the Desert Sun reporter, Marcel Honore, to be a fair,
accurate and honorable,journalist and In no way believe he
deliberately misparaphrased me. But I do believe he misunderstood
what I did say,
I apologize to Mr. Milanovich and to members of the tribe and to
anyone else who may have been offended in this matter.
And I thank the Desert Sun for publishing this letter explaining this
situation as I understand It.
lYOURVOICE
palm springs city council percent of the votes.
/ So I say this to our re-elected council members: Rep-
Winners received modest support resent all of us for once. The 75 percent of voters that
VVJ Instead pf patting themselves on the back, Ginny showed up and did not vote for you have sent a far
Foat and Chris Mills might note that 55 percent of bigger message.We are unhappy with downtown. We
votes were cast for someone else. That neither incum- don't think the word"village" constitutes a strategy
bent could garner even one in four votes shows how The architects, conventions and celebrities of yesterday
unhappy voters are with the state of affairs in Palm do not fund us appealing today. Your obsession with
Springs. Isere are three ways to improve things: old relics not relevant to the way we live is getting tire-
First, stop promoting the "save our village" nonsense. some. This city belongs to more than the small per-
We have'a highly paid city manager, not a village man- centage that carried you back into office.
ager.We deserve governance and management befitting But mostly, we would like you to stop acting as
a first-class city, neither of which we now get though our future has no hope of being as significant
Second,let's embrace the city's exciting and colorful as our past Downtown does not belong in a "snow
history. But it is time to have a vision for Palm Springs globe" frozen in time.The rest of us deserve represen-
that also embraces development This city has a well tation, too.
deserved reputation for being anti-business and anti- Ilem B. Block Palm Springs
developer. No one in city government seems willing to
put their money on the line, rather they get off on crit- mission springs water district
ic'in9 those who would.
Third, maybe Foat and Mills could listen to the con- Incumbent thanks the Voters
terns of the majority of voters who cast votes for oth- Thai*you to everyone who supported me in y bid
ers, I suspect they will not, but I would really like to see for re-election for Mission Springs Water Distr' board
them set up listening sessions with the disaffected. of directors and to those who did not vote £ me, I
These-people_care-passionately-about what happens-to --heard your concerns and will work to gain our con-
our Palm Springs. Listen to them. fidence and support.
Kenneth Deams Palm Springs It was a long race, the votes-are in an we now must
work together for the benefit of all. I ving a sate,
1 / Will Voters ever Wake up? dean, reliable and cost-efficient wat supply will con-
tinue to be one of my top prioriti along with coin-
The residents in Palm Springs are asleep—still. pleting Mission Springs Water ' ict's Groundwater
With the votes counted, and the residents of Palm Protection Project.
Springs electing incumbents to the City Council. I would also like to thank e Desert Sun for its en-
Clearly, these residents who voted must be sleepwalk- donsement.
ing. To keep incumbents when the city is no better off NanLy t Whitewater
(in fact,worse) than it was two years ago. Inexcusable!
It will be nice when the residents finally wake up and
perhaps become proactive with making changes. It national politics
looks like another two years of more of the same, Vote Was a ss for Obama agenda
Maybe we do get too much sun in the desert!
Mark Wrigftt Palm Springs Little was rep ed in The Desert Sun this morning
about the gub atonal races in New Jersey and Vir-
ginia. These o races were the first ballot-box litmus
VNo cause for celebration test for Pr dent Obarna's socialist agenda. He got
Ginny Foat and Chris Mills are celebrating on the slapped von, thhy questions?
front page of The .Desert Sun. I don't understand why. Fven e deluded nimrods that were swayed by his
These two had all the advantages of incumbency plus sirens ng a year ago woke up as they heard the waves
the financial support of the special-interest groups they g on the rocks
represent so avidly yet each of them got fewer than 25 W1 Bnstr Palm Desert