Editorial: Fairfax should vote yes on Measure J for roads, no on H for town clerk change

Fairfax residents voting in the November election face a decision about Measure J to approve an $18 million bond for road repairs and Measure H proposing to convert the town clerk position to appointed rather than elected.

Measure J asks for a property tax of $30 per $100,000 of assessed value to fund a bond proposal that costs no more than $18 million to pay for infrastructure costs related to repair and improvement of roads, bridges, retaining walls and street work.

According to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, Fairfax has the worst road conditions in the county and is one of two Marin communities with roads labeled “at risk.”

“This proposal has a specific map and a plan for how the money is actually going to be spent,” Fairfax Councilmember Chance Cutrano said. “We’ve learned the ‘pay as you go’ model doesn’t work. The longer we wait the more expensive it will be.”

Opponents say the town doesn’t need more money to fix the roads. They say the money is already in the budget and it should be reallocated from other projects.

“Fairfax faces a high tax burden,” said Mimi Williard, the board president for the Coalition of Sensible Taxpayers group. “What they need to be careful of is ‘mission creep’ spending on nonessential services.”

Former mayor Mike Ghiringhelli, a candidate for Town Council, thinks Fairfax’s spending on those other issues is out of control.

Cutrano says Fairfax has “done a good job” managing its money. Without the bond, Cutrano and Councilmember Lisel Blash say the money for road repair is not in the budget. They also point to $10 million in matching grants for the projects that will be “unlocked” by the tax.

The council members are right about skyrocketing construction costs for road improvements. Clearly, the opposition is right that some trust in town leadership has been lost. However, passing a tax right now for the care of primary roads through Fairfax is worth the expense, regardless of what happens in November’s council race.

The IJ recommends a yes vote on Measure J.

Meanwhile, proponents of Measure H say it is time for Fairfax to evolve. The town clerk has been an elected resident since incorporating in 1931. Proponents of the change point out that the town requires no formal training or expertise to be elected to the unpaid position.

They say residents are asking the clerk, whose office includes paid staff, to field far more technical and legal questions than it did in the past. Both Mayor Barbara Coler and Cutrano said town officials need to hire and appoint town clerks qualified to handle the intense duties the office will continue to face going forward.

Opponents say the concern is overstated and there is no reason to change. Ghiringhelli and former mayor Frank Egger, who is also running for Town Council, say keeping it elected provides transparency and representation for residents – two things they believe to be in short supply now.

“City managers have always wanted complete control,” Egger said. “It’s tough enough to get information from Fairfax. Measure H will make it tougher.”

Ghiringhelli says the clerk needs to be elected by and accountable to the public. Doing so provides oversight, accountability and transparency.

It’s clear the Town Council and staff are trying to find a solution to a growing problem. But it’s also true that certain requests – from residents, IJ journalists or others – have been met with silence or minimally helpful responses.

When the public feels that it can’t get public information from their Town Hall there is a problem that needs to be addressed. Turning an important position from being elected to being appointed is not the answer, especially right now given the current climate of political divide. Fairfax may someday need to follow the lead of many other jurisdictions, but now is not the right time.

The IJ editorial board recommends a no vote on Measure H.