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LOCAL NEWS
Follows four "dismissals" S'side may pick new planners Feb. 7   SUNNYSIDE (Monday, 1-24-00)--Mayor Ed Prilucik said tonight he has seven applicants interested in sitting on the city's Planning Commission, but he wants to submit their names for Council discussion at the next regular meeting Feb. 7.   In addition, the Mayor has extended the time for even more applications to 5 p.m. Wednesday. According to city municipal codes, the Mayor selects applicants and the Council affirms those it wants. Commissioners thus serve at the Council's pleasure.   The council won't meet Jan. 31, because it's a fifth Monday, and city leaders meet just four Mondays a month.   Planning Commission meetings are on hold until enough members for a quorum are appointed. At this point, only three remain, including Terry Williard, Gerald Parrish and Mary Lee Robinson.   The council removed Al Tebaldi from the Planning Commission earlier this month after a 3-2 vote, which started the ball rolling. In removal decisions, Councilman Roy Anciso and Errol Brown usually voted against the majority, which includes Chad Werkhoven, Don Vlieger, Mike Farmer, and Mike Aguirre.   Over the past couple weeks, ousted Planning Commissioners have expressed themselves.   Tebaldi said weeks ago he disagreed with the council's view of the Planning Commission's role. He said planners are a "fact-finding group", dealing with rezones, subdivisions, short plats, and other items covered in the city's comprehensive plan.   But facts can be picked, chosen, and presented in a certain way with timing and tactical considerations in mind. The council majority has said the Planning Commission under Tebaldi's leadership has often worked at odds with council goals.   Though they deny it, Planning Commissioners are politicians, albeit appointed. It's common American politics for elected bodies to appoint commissions that agree with their own philosophies of community service.   Tebaldi also told reporters earlier the council was just angry because of a recent decision by Superior Court Judge Michael Leavitt.   The judge decided the city ought to grant Clint Hergert a rezone from low density R1 to high density R3 zoning on Hergert's 20 acres southeast of town. Leavitt used the Planning Commission's approval of the rezone to bolster his decision.   The Planning Commission made this decision despite highly vocal testimony from residents near Hergert's property. Those residents told the City Council Hergert's proposed high-density development would squash their property values and create a traffic hazard in the area.   The council determined decades of building lower-income housing projects in Sunnyside should be balanced with some R1 projects. Such balance also is indicated in the comprehensive plan cited by Judge Leavitt.   Most Sunnyside professionals live in R1 developments--but in other Valley towns. If Sunnyside is a low-income town, it's partly because its higher-income workers have been, de facto, exiled elsewhere.   Planner Nick Hernandez resigned days before his own expected non-reappointment. He told reporters then he supported Tebaldi, and believes the council is "opposed" to providing "affordable housing" for Sunnysiders. Don Vlieger earlier questioned where Hernandez gets the facts to figure this, since he missed so many planning meetings.   Stan Snow, a commissioner since 1985, said earlier he would like to continue serving, but the council told reporters it was time for fresh views after 15 years.   Commissioner Larry Bennett also wasn't reappointed. Bennett earlier asked for an accounting of $200 used for the city's Beautification Committee. The manner in which he raised the question raised the hackles of Committee members. The committee used the dollars to buy plaques for those receiving awards, plus other petty administrative expenses.   Meanwhile, the Daily Sun News seems biased in its presentation of the Planning Commission flap. The paper has taken a swing at most initiatives promulgated by the "new" city council. Two years of reportage has reflected this editorial viewpoint, which shapes local public opinion. But reporters aren't necessarily to blame.   While enduring daily deadlines and chump-change paydays, reporters must reflect editor-publisher baboonery (team play) in their coverage, by what they say and what they leave out. Reporters often rely on writing skill to walk the tightrope between the ire of news sources and petulance of newspaper higher-ups.   In other business, the council:   Paid $354,193.25 in monthly bills Didn't hear a presentation by Ester Huey regarding the Lower Valley Substance Abuse Coalition, because Huey was a no-show. Capt. Ed Radder said the group has been active in the Lower Valley four months. Huey coordinates it. The group intends to survey 10% of Sunnysiders (1500 folks) including civic clubs and individual residents regarding their views of the drug scene. A door-to-door will be conducted by police explorers. Heard a report on vehicles the city bought in 1999, including a Ford Crown Victoria police car for $21,131; a GMC Sonoma pickup truck for $15,045 for the building division; a Dodge 1-ton for Parks for $22,022; Freightliner dump truck for Public Works for $71,244; John Deere loader for public works for $64,550; front-mount mower for Parks & Rec. for $9,038, and a mid-mount mower for $9,512; plus a '99 Ford from Denchel Ford for $11,969 for use by the municipal court and warrant service cops. Approved vehicle purchases for 2000, including two Ford Crown Victoria cop cars at $23,310 and $24,182; two Dodge one-tons at $18,728 and at $18,836; and a Chev half-ton, extended cab pick up truck for $20,825. Decided to have a special meeting to discuss the city's Emergency Operations Plan in a meeting to be held at the city's Emergency Operations Center on 8th Street. Councilmen want to know everything in it. Mayor Ed Prilucik said that, for all intents and purposes, city staff currently follow the plan--or would in an emergency. Set items for their Feb. 7 meeting, to include discussion of several liquor licenses; discussion of a five-year economic development agreement between the city and New Visions; low-bid award for an ambulance chassis; and consideration of new Planning Commission members.