Pat Bean is off her chain again. This time she's shilling for developers who want to change our Comprehensive Plan to build a huge commercial project in the rural area. I was with several U-CAN & Sierra Club members participating in a Planning Commission hearing Monday night, when the developers' attorney, Rhea Law, flaunted a letter from Ms. Bean, touting her support of their project. We were appalled at this unprecedented breach of process:
[Bob] Hunter has been executive director of the planning commission for 23 years. In that time, he said, no county administrator has advocated for or against a matter set to be considered by the planning board. “This validates the need and the importance of an independent role for the planning commission,” Hunter said. “It is separate from the county administrator who works for county officials.”
It is Bean who recommends the annual budget for Hunter's department, so her letter, addressed to Hunter, carries a financial weight that should not be brought to bear on land use decisions by our Planning Commission.
County Commissioner, Rose Ferlita seems to agree with me that Bean is out of bounds:
This article appears in Feb 24 – Mar 2, 2010.
