The San Bruno Beacon

Here is the text of what is said in the video clip:

[SB Mayor Franzella] "Comment from Council or questions or action from Council, direction........"

[SB Councilman Jim Ruane] "Through the Chair......[Franzella] Councilman Ruane...[Ruane] I don’t think we can let this, I don’t think we can let this opportunity pass us by we have a very short period of time and a small window of opportunity and uh, it’s sort of once in a uh lifetime opportunity here and I would like to make a motion that we direct staff to bring back all the details uh that would uh allow us to put the general tax on the on the November ballot"

[SB Councilwoman O’Connell] "second"

[SB Mayor Franzella] "motion and a second, is there any discussion? OK, ahgt; all those in favor [5 ayes] opposed [silence] abstention [silence] ok hearing then it’s a unanimous vote in favor"

In the above clip, watch how fast Councilman Jim Ruane jumps on the opportunity to steamroll San Bruno's residents with yet another tax, rate, or fee increase. This guy doesn't even let his buddy Mayor Larry finish asking for Council direction before he butts in like a hungry pack dog, fighting for a piece of raw meat, and starts babbling about what a great opportunity this is to burden San Bruno's residents with a 1/2 cent sales tax when he makes the following statement:

"I don’t think we can let this, I don’t think we can let this opportunity pass us by we have a very short period of time and a small window of opportunity and uh, it’s sort of once in a uh lifetime opportunity......................................."

In all fairness, there are actually shades of truth in Ruane's ridiculous statement. The fact of the matter is that the sense of urgency in Ruane's statement is real. Ruane and his Council cronies are desperate to have San Bruno's taxpayers bail them out of the mess they have made of the City of San Bruno's financial affairs. If the San Bruno City Council and Government don't get this tax passed, they are going to be forced to address their fiscal mismanagement and fix the financial problems they have created for San Bruno and it's residents during the past ten years. Therefore, this is not, in the words of Councilman Ruane a "once in a uh lifetime opportunity".

The fact of the matter is that this Sales Tax Measure, the Council is putting on the November 2007 Election Ballot, is the San Bruno City Council's desperate attempt to bury their mismanagement of San Bruno's finances under a fresh pile of taxpayer money that they will squander away. This Council cannot control its addiction to reckless fiscal policies. Even with more taxpayer money from a new sales tax to waste, this mindless Council will be back again next year raising rates and fees on San Bruno's residents and trying to find news ways to bleed revenue out of San Bruno's taxpayers.

Two other observations about this fillm clip:

1). the speed with which Councilwoman O'Connell seconds Ruane's motion. It is almost as if there was a trip wire that flapped her mouth open with the word "second" as Ruane finished making his motion;