Letter to editor: Water board excludes employed public

Board excludes employed public

A year ago, Ramona Municipal Water District (RMWD) directors changed board meetings to occur during working hours over director Kit Kesinger’s objections. Director Kesinger stated meeting during working hours would exclude the employed public, of which he was included.

As predicted, board meetings the past year have excluded director Kesinger as well as the majority of Ramonans. His absence is glaringly representative of the majority of Ramonans, not only those of his district.

Who are these majority excluded Ramonans?

Witness congestion of working Ramonans leaving on Ramona’s highways early morning and returning evenings. Also witness those numbers working in Ramona: teachers, doctors, dentists, veterinarians, librarians, bankers, sheriff deputies, business and service employees, and staff of all of these. The exhausting list goes on and on.

The vast number of excluded Ramonans are the elephant in the room.

During this year of excluded public attendance and representation, water rates were increased. And now we are again told rates need to be increased. Taxation without representation?

When director Rex Schildhouse was denied board meeting agenda requests (a favorable meeting time among them), he was patronizingly belittled, as if advocating for the public good is an incompetent shortcoming. (Don’t like the messenger? Shoot the messenger.)

When director George Foote’s suggested special favorable-time meeting for public discussion of the proposed raised budget was dismissed, it indeed becomes (as director Schildhouse stated) “repetitious.”

RMWD board indeed has a problem — one they created. If they can’t correct it, we the people have a voice at election time for choice of board directors who have advocated for us and who will.

Oopah Tiereata Tahiti a vau

Ramona