Traffic and the Public’s Wishes

1988 brings with it the promise of passage of a traffic control initiative for Orange County. Even as we qualify this initiative for the ballot, we read about legal funds being amassed by the Building Industry Assn. for the purpose of challenging the public wishes in court. This is to be expected. The BIA represents those interests that have given large donations to political campaigns, trying to guarantee development on their own terms.

Huntington Beach is one of the cities hoping to qualify the traffic control initiative for the 1988 ballot. What many voters of this city may be unaware of is that John Erskine, mayor of Huntington Beach, is also executive director of the BIA. How will Erskine represent the will of the voters of Huntington Beach if the initiative passes, when his employer is raising funds to defeat this very initiative in court?

Many of us have long believed that Erskine’s position with the building industry places him in a continual conflict of interest with every vote pertaining to development. If the traffic control initiative is approved by the voters in Huntington Beach, Erskine will have to re-evaluate his role as mayor re-upholding the will of the people versus who signs his paycheck.

IRENE BRIGGS

Huntington Beach