Crime & Safety

Two Neighbors, Two Sides to the Recall Election

How two close El Granada families co-exist on the same street with differing viewpoints on the Coastside Fire Protection District Special Recall Election.

 

It’s been the same story up and down the Coast for months. Every few houses there’s either a Keep CalFire or No on the Recall sign planted on the front lawn. The Coastside Fire Protection District Special Recall Election has certainly created a divided nation in the coastal parts of San Mateo County these days.

Still, the dueling signs won’t be up for much longer. After today’s Special Recall Election the fate of CalFire and three Coastside Fire Protection District board directors up for recall will be decided, and the signs will come down at last. And a community with such disparaging views will have to rise above the rubble and ultimately make peace with the majority vote. 

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Until then, however, the signs will remain up until the bitter end, and for some residents, it’s been a true test of loving thy neighbor.

Take the Simmons’s and the Clardy’s, for example, two families living on the same street in El Granada with opposing views on the recall. On one side of San Carlos Avenue, the Simmons's have a Keep CalFire sign planted on their lawn, and across the street, there’s the Clardy’s residence with a No on the Recall sign posted next to their driveway. They are friends. The Simmons’s daughters babysit the Clardy’s daughters on a regular basis. They are close neighbors, and despite their differing points of view on the recall, they plan on keeping it that way.

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“My approach has been to peacefully co-exist,” said Michael Clardy, who has walked several districts to engage residents on the recall issues, which he says has led to many conversations with non-committed voters.

The Simmons's say they have shared many “intelligent and open dialogs” with those on both sides of the issue “but we have respectfully ‘co-habitated’ with our neighbors that are promoting the other view with yard signs, without direct discussion of the issue. It has all been very peaceful and respectful. We honor our neighbor's differing opinions, and they have honored ours.”

Regardless of their signs and opinions on the recall, both families say they are proud to be part of a democracy and encourage everyone to get out and vote and voice their opinion. The vote from this high profile election will represent the majority opinion of the community, whatever it may be, and that’s something they will respect no matter the outcome of the election, said Daphne and Mark Simmons.

Despite their dueling signs and differing view points over the many months of the recall — from the petition gathering to the precinct walking — here are two families that assume that there is little to gain by engaging in a debate when neighbors have posted a sign about their position on the recall.

In an effort to remain cordial, the Simmons’s teenage daughters have even gone as far as slightly angling their sign away from the Clardy’s house out of respect.

“We have always tried to teach the girls to hold true to their opinions and values, but never to be rude or disrespectful,” said Daphne Simmons. “After all, other opinions are only just another point of view.”

It’s those other points of view, however, that are so differing when it comes to the recall and how these families are voting in the election. The Clardy’s say that the most compelling reason to vote No on the Recall is that the management of CalFire continues to demonstrate that the fire district’s interests are at best a secondary priority.

“This has manifested itself in many ways,” said Clardy. “The clearest example of this can be found in the Half Moon Bay Review article on March 22, 2013, about the transfer of Chief Ari Delay. The administrative judge found that Chief Delay was transferred out of our district for political purposes. She found that Chief Ferreira’s “shifting justifications are suspect and not believable.” In other words, he lied. Ferreira removed one of our district’s most significant assets for political reasons. Chief Delay is not the first person to whom this has happened. In each case, CalFire’s approach was to provide us with merely adequate services.” 

The Simmons's, on the other hand, want to keep CalFire because their own personal experience with CalFire has been “exceptional” and the previous local fire department had "significant problems, both operationally and fiscally." 

“Last October, our daughter broke her arm during gymnastics practice," said the Simmons's. "CalFire was called — they arrived before we did. Their attention to her condition and pain was extraordinary. They were both professional and personal, offering top rate care while contributing the personal and caring touch. We all felt she was in good and capable hands.”

There are more reasons for their vote. Here's what else they have to say.

 The Clardy's, No on the Recall supporters:

"Another significant reason to vote No on the Recall is to reassert local control.  This means ensuring that our department will be able to staff every station and engine company with a configuration of personnel that has an intimate understanding of the unique features of our district. For example, knowing the difference between Avenue Balboa (in El Granada) and Balboa Boulevard (in Half Moon Bay) makes a significant difference in response times. Relying on GPS does not bridge the gap between a firefighter filling in for a shift or two and another that has spent time learning the district. Local control does not mean hiring just locals. Hiring firefighters from the local community would be great.  That would be good for moral and good for service delivery. However, it is not the goal of the opponents of the recall to have an all-local staff. The point of local control is to ensure that local priorities are what the fire department trains for.

"Finally, voting No on the Recall will enable our district to justly compensate those people that want to make their lives serving our community. Working for 48 hours straight is a job not everyone can do. It requires many sacrifices that most civilians will not or cannot make. It also requires that the engine companies subject themselves to many physical and mental challenges that never completely disappear. Consequently, the community that is protected by this group should compensate them fairly."

The Simmons, Keep CalFire supporters:

"CalFire was brought in to rescue the local fire protection service and has done a great job. It was broken, CalFire fixed it, and we are still in good shape with CalFire. The independent grand juries have concurred that CalFire is serving the Coastside well and cost effectively.

"Given the small size and risk profile of our community, a stand-alone department, with accompanying administration and overhead, is not fiscally responsible. To be informed, we have searched for the overall rational for reverting back to a "local control" department, and have not found clear and concise rationale supporting their position. In looking at the Coastside Fire Protection District agenda minutes, we find little detail or the rational for the change, but do find that the board members facing recall have spent $189,000 on consultants and attorneys specifically hired to form a stand-alone department. We feel this is a clear example of fiscal irresponsibility by some members of the board."

In the end, the Simmons's and Clardy's are neighbors that will remain friendly even after today’s election results are in because they say they plan on it.

“I will be very disappointed if the recall is successful. Despite this, there will be no change in how I interact with my neighbors," said Clardy.

“If our campaign loses, we would briefly feel disappointed, but will very soon thereafter feel that the majority voice was heard and that going to a standalone department is what the majority of our Coastside community feels is best for all of us," said the Simmons's. "We sincerely hope that the outcome will not negatively effect our relationship with any of our Coastside neighbors and friends.”

Read more on Patch:

  • Settlement Agreement Calls For an Apology
  • Coastside Fire Protection District Special Recall Election Guide
  • Candidates Line Up for the Fire Board Recall
  • Interested in Running For a Seat on the Coastside Fire Protection Board?
  • An Update on the Coastside Fire Recall Election

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