Arts flap in Encinitas
The Logan Jenkins column “Houlihan banner crusade doesn’t fly” (North County, April 1) identifies the Houlihan Arts Alive imbroglio as an issue of small-town politics. He hits the nail right on the head. It is an embarrassment that the City Council majority is so provincial that they cannot gracefully acknowledge the contributions of an arts patron and a proven advocate of many voices in the community.
My major concern is not the First Amendment issue; but rather the precedent that this sets. There would not be a problem with acknowledging or celebrating a national figure. But this parochial attitude would make it difficult to recognize any other local civic supporter, like Paul Ecke III. [. . .]
I intentionally do not name the city manager as the architect of this deed because he serves at the pleasure of the City Council. – Eli Sanchez, Encinitas
[Logan Jenkins Fan Disagrees on This One]
For the record, as a long-standing member of 101 Artists Colony’s board of directors, I would like to clearly state that our attempt to honor Maggie Houlihan with this year’s Arts Alive banners had absolutely nothing to do with politics. [ . . .]
Any attempt to connect our proposed tribute to Houlihan’s posthumous recommendation for her successor would seem an impossible reach given that an interim successor has already been selected by council appointment rather than by election. By the time a permanent successor is elected, the banners will be long since out of sight and mind.
Although we disagree on this one, I remain a fan of Logan Jenkins and his excellent North County column. – A. Paul Bergen, Encinitas
[Comparing Mayoral Selection Antics and Art Banners]
So the questionable maneuvering of the Encinitas City Council majority to maintain its power base by engineering the mayor-ship in the coming years has caught the attention of the media (“Politics derails mayoral selection plan,” North County Coastal, March 31). Just the straight reporting of what took place at the meeting is enough to display what goes on in this misrepresentation of public interest in Encinitas.
[ . . .] But let’s also look at the situation regarding the recent ACLU interest in the council’s decision about the Arts Alive banners. After longtime City Councilwoman Maggie Houlihan lost her battle with cancer last year, the organizers of the local arts community’s banner program decided to honor her many years of service to the community with her likeness on the back of the artist-designed banners. [ . . . ]
When this decision was made months ago, I was of the opinion that it was petty and egregiously unkind, given the recent death of Houlihan. It represented the type of decisions that have been all too frequent among this council of small-minded politicians. Now we find that not only was it petty, it was also not legal to base that type of decision on such a nebulous policy.
Next time around, let’s elect to the Encinitas City Council people who pay attention to law and ethics. – Katie Wheeler, Encinitas
Discord on the dais
I watched the March 28 Encinitas council meeting webcast at 3 a.m. from the London hotel where I was staying on business. I was shocked and astounded by the lack of civility and lack of decorum displayed by both the mayor and deputy mayor. A colleague hailing from the People’s Republic of China of all places, who was also working in the hotel lobby, struggling with jet lag, watched with me for awhile and then asked whether this was typical of city government meetings in the U.S. I had to explain to her, with no little embarrassment, that Encinitas was somewhat of an exception. – Jean-Bernard Minster, Encinitas
