The AIA is an organization made up of an autocratic board of directors that does not have any citizen oversight. It would be in Alamo's best interest to promote the election of a citizen's oversight committee for the AIA Board.

Alamo, not being incorporated has no ability to elect or appoint any oversight committee! Chalk one more for the defeat of incorporation

Well, I was afraid of that. County information indicates that the AIA Board does not fall under the Brown Act. This means they can meet privately without any restriction on what they can discuss and decide. There are no penalties for this.

At least a town council would have to hold all meetings in public. What protection do we have from an autocratic AIA board that doesn't have to obey the Brown Act and can meet in secret? Can't there be some sort of oversight committee formed?

The idea that the previously proposed town council would have been "autocratic" was silly enough, but the idea that the AIA has autocratic control over Alamo is ludicrous. A town council would have had the exactly same authority as the Board of Supervisors has now, so I guess the the Board of Supervisors must be autocratic too.

The AIA is an advisory group just like a number of others in Alamo. In my opinion, it has been by far the greatest factor in cultivating and maintaining the physical character of Alamo that everyone says they like. If you really want to keep it, then I recommend that we get out from behind your computer screens, learn what the score really is and lend our support.

A good place to start would be to get down to the AIA meeting, which, by the way, has a published agenda and is always held in public. The only way to have oversight of any elected body is to participate in electing that body.

It's good to know that the AIA holds public meetings. You seem informed about them. Can you please tell me how to get a copy of its financial statement and the membership roster? Thank you kindly.

Info Seeker, I would think you should make a request in person or in writing to the AIA.

Let us answer each others questions in preparation for Thursday night at the AIA:

#1 AIA is our vehicle to public voice in our region or will be eliminated by another, more aggressive political and planning voice established by neighborhoods and their >8000 voters within "pop(u)lar" Alamo unless aggresive, community focused action occurs.

#2 AIA is quite aware that they do not represent the majority and need neighborhoods, factions and political campaigns to FOCUS their voice forward with governments in our region.

#3 Incorporation is not DEAD and an election without community definition can be set-aside. If our majority believes that we need a defined-government with specified inclusion, our WEALTH can produce a new consideration of incorporation.

#4 If all we want is a regional planning commission with committees for functional delivery of services that can be done. We have wealth and counsel in force compliance from all governments in our region.

Scope, Neighbors, is the subject Thursday night and not limitations and history.

Hal Bailey
Courtesy liaison
Alamo region community of neighborhoods

AIA should not represent Alamo. It is a private, fee-based club. It is not Brown Act compliant. It has not served the community transparently and it should not be supported.

The MAC will be appointed, it will be transparent and it will be available and accessible to every Alamo citizen - at no monetary cost.

Do not go to the AIA meeting and support those of the incorporation movement. Remember, AIA came out and supported incorporation for Alamo, and now is the time to reject them too.

Ban together to show that Alamo wanted a MAC all along as that truck with its sign said.

Boycott the meeting Thursday night and let our supervisor who knows what she's doing take charge.

Dear Dolores,

The majority in Alamo made it abundantly clear in June 2008 that voters did not want the current district 3 supervisor in office and certainly not in Alamo. In great humor shared among all factions, a MAC, by Alamo region perspective, is the "Maytag repairmen of Alamo Council, the loneliest people in town."

The AIA would have even greater need to exist as oversight of the district 3 and any MAC put in place. A MAC would be a lightning rod for continuation of all factions in 94507 and would be source for great discord.

More realistically, an Alamo region planning commission with functional sub-committees would be a transitional step to greater voice for community emergence and the appropriate organization for transition to a local government.

On Thursday night at the AIA, our region's residents will discuss the roles the AIA, community groups, neighborhoods and individuals have with governments in our region. AIA is the forum of discussion and not a predetermined result.

Let's focus on that discussion,

Hal

AIA is an extension of the incorporation supporters as five of the candidates are AIA.

Reject the AIA - let our good supervisor do her work. She's done a terrific job for Alamo and AIA supported a really bad idea as two thirds showed us.

Do not attend their meeting - it is not what we want of more of the same that was talked about for the last six months.

Reject the AIA - do not attend the meeting.

I don't think AIA is trying to "represent Alamo" by providing a forum for discussion, much like it did for the Yardbirds issue or for the town council candidates. Alamo residents need to talk to each other in real life and think about the pros and cons of where we go from here (not that there isn't plenty of thinking going on about that already).

The reality is that Alamo is currently represented in different ways on different issues through AIA (land use & transportation), R7-A (parks & recreation),P2-B & P-5 (law enforcement),Zone 36 (beautification), etc. They all have their drawbacks. In my opinion, the only structure that would be accountable only to Alamo and transparent and focused and have the means and authority to do the job well is a local town government. That is now not possible for the foreseeable future. While we need to understand the ramifications of staying unincorporated to help us proceed, we need to focus our attention on what is possible now.

And to your point, the MAC would provide that forum. Everything would be together not at five or more different meetings around the area. It is a much better idea than keeping those mentioned as individual fifdoms.

The AIA needs to be rejected, all the others need to go under an appropriately appointed MAC, chosen by the capable hands of our wonderful supervisor, Mary Piepho. She has a plan.

Let her do her job as she does it well.

It would be hard to have a MAC be the forum to discuss the pros and cons of a MAC.

Greetings, (MAC Supporter) humorist in the Alamo region neighborhoods have welcomed you as, Alamo MAC, with the same joyous respect we had for the original Alamo Ron. A new style of Alamo oxymoron has been born among conflicting concepts of District 3 having any interactive plan with our region. Such an oxymoron, in respectful humor, is called MAC-error-nay or simply MACARONI for your laughing and dancing pleasure.

In joyous humor, our neighborhoods are celebrating the word "wonderful" being used with anything District 3. Rightfully, District 3 has made us all WONDER about the results since 2005 that have been FULL of self-service and actions in opposition to our neighborhoods.

Further, after Contra Costa MACs were reconstituted by District 3 and 5 in June 2006, all MACs became the delivery vehicle for the unilateral dictates of the supervisors and Municipal Advisory was only outbound from the board. Certainly, there are MACs in other counties that provide boards and committees selected by the communities, but such MACs are not defined in Contra Costa County.

A blind, exclusive proposal of a Contra Costa specified MAC for Alamo has no more inclusion and definition that the recently proposed Alamo Town Council. Five lonely people will simply provide outbound flow of the dictates of the BOS to an empty room. Neighborhoods' and neighbors' counsels will focus all efforts in circumventing district 3 and the MAC via county counsel and the courts.

Come celebrate WONDERFUL with us at the AIA!

Hal, as Halamo
The Alamo Towne Fool
@ODDs, a Saloon for Fools
The Hotel Snaysmuth
Alamorata, "living with our mistakes" CA 94507

Do you really think that the supervisor needs to hear from anyone in Alamo to make it a MAC?

As happened in Diablo, MACs were changed to being appointed, as are all Contra Costa County MACs that are now appointed by the supervisor of that district.

So, let's get it in place, it will follow County rules, and be far better than the Club AIA could ever be. The AIA should not discuss the pros and cons of a MAC. Our talented supervisor has already made it clear what a MAC is and now Alamo is ready for it.

Support her and forget about the AIA. It's what is best right now.

I Googled "MAC" and got about 4 billion hits dealing with Apple Computer. When I changed my search and Googled "Alamo MAC" the response was, "Of course that's the way to go, dummy!"

That settles if for me.

If I recall, folks in Diablo were very upset about their MAC losing its elected status and some of the other limitations that have been placed on Contra Costa MACs in the last two or three years. In fact, the last I heard they were merging their MAC as part of their elected Community Services District so that their MAC had to be elected.

A Muddled MASS or Huddled MESS?

As Alamo Ron, Halamo, Alamo MAC, Askidoo, (just plain) Mike and likely 23skidoo huddled our MASS in a muddled MESS of meaningless TDW Forum humor, together we achieved the goal of AIA meeting promotion.

We have more or less, as ><, brought the subject of “What’s Next” to a reality that the District 3 supervisor and the Board will take some unilateral action in our region just to illustrate the absurdity of power resting in such untalented hands. District 3 will bring a MAC to our Alamo region for our laughing and dancing pleasure. Thus, all we have to do is design the roles to be played among the Maytag repairmen of Alamo Council (MAC) as the loneliest people in towne:

• First, we will assign each MAC member a specialty among dishwashers, clothes washers, dryers, refrigerators, trash compactors (chair), and small appliances (district 3 liaison). Every meeting, each “specialist” will give the status of their appliances in the Alamo region.
• Second, we have to rewrite the Pledge of Allegiance to fit the Contra Costa Flag which you will remember was designed by a grade schooler for approval by the Board. “I allege my pleasing of the FLAG of the Board (etc)..”
• Third, we have to re-establish “Six Characters in Search of an EXIT” as our community liaison to the MAC. Our SIX characters will spend their time walking in and out of EXITS during the MAC meetings. Oh. Let’s make Luigi proud!!
• Fourth, we need a theme song and I suggest the William Tell Overture for obvious reasons as the chair arrives on a horse named Scout, “Who are those masked men and women?”
• Fifth, well, that is self-explanatory!
• Sixth, we need a fixed schedule for the fix we will be in due to the MAC. I am supporting meetings on the second Tuesday of each week starting at 7 furlongs on each fortnight. Just how many furlongs are there in a fortnight?
• Seventh, the MAC will need a website as www.redrubbernose.org with its home page being a sing-along led by our town mascot “MACARONI.”

Ah, only in Alamo could our DAZE be filled with such a huddled mess quite confused with a muddled MASS.

Hal hath no fury (left or write)

Dear Neighbors,

Setting aside all the humor, the AIA tonight is a forum for your vision of Alamo and all the groups, factions, organizations and similar that serve our region. The question is "What is the role going forward for the AIA or any other body that could be a voice with governements for our community of neighborhoods in our region?"

If you read the by-laws of the AIA on www.alamoca.org, you will find in Article II, Section 1, Item E, a statement of cooperation among all groups in our Alamo region. To build from that 50 years old intention that Alamo be a community of groups, neighborhoods and individuals is the legacy that will be delivered tonight. It is your community of neighborhoods and as a majority we, together, need to be the leadership of that future viewpoint.

Let us hear from you,

Hal, as a community courtesy,
Alamo region community of neighborhoods