Editor,

Thank you for suggesting the council majority approve a vote on moving the library to the park.

It would be interesting to hear what others think of the idea to use the $5,000,000 surplus to improve the current library and with the rest for a Joint Venture with Menlo College to replace its outdated library. Menlo College could also offer adult education classes as part of the agreement.

This library would be on a bus route with more accessibility then the park.

The Town has no more right to the tile/name Athertonians than does the city government of Rome to the title/name Romans or the city government of New York to the title/name New Yorkers.

The proper role of government is to serve its citizens not to censure or sue them. What about the title public servant do they not understand?

Peter this private little group was originally called "Athertonians for Better Governance" as a vehicle to launch a recall of McKiethan campaign (circa 2004) which quickly failed and then went underground to grumble and plot, founding members were the Manas/Salzmans, Marsala, Gardner,Lewis and the like.
While It may be of some interest that Charles is still trying to get his mitts on the library reserves after another ten years, I am disappointed to see you missing the bigger picture on what really going on here with the moderators of this group.
Trust me, this is not the Group of 100 that you had hoped for.

As an Athertonian, i.e. a citizen of Atherton, I care not what might be the agenda of others who are also citizens of Arherton and who rightfully also call themselves Athertonians. The bigger picture is the right of citizens to identify themselves as members of the community in which they live.

Peter's comment is interesting. A person from New York can call himself a "New Yorker", but there is a magazine called "The New Yorker" and if I published another magazine called "New Yorker", or "New Yorkers", there would be a trademark dispute from "The New Yorker" over the confusion that would create.

I understand there is a magazine called "The Athertonian" and this group is causing some confusion. It's not about telling a resident of Atherton that he or she cannot call himself or herself an "Athertonian".

This is a more intricate issue than what Peter is making it out to be, even if he ultimately turns out to be correct.

In addition to the Athertonians Yahoo Group there is now an Athertonians Google Group - I think a court would hold that these two groups are distinctively different since they have the same 'surname' but different 'family' names.


Web Link

Atherton’s Political history has repeated

The ACIL was formed fifty years ago to oppose the Council on a land use decision, it continued to exist as a council watchdog and have its members elected to council. McKeithen ran in 2000 with the backing of the ACIL and with an ACIL Director as her running mate. They campaigned on Term Limits, Transparency, Accountability, and Responsive Stewardship to town Government.

She has since abandoned Term Limits and will be seeking her fourth term in a couple of months.

Eight years ago the council started passing illegal taxes on construction with the leadership of McKeithen, who was on the Finance Committee. The Town reserves grew quickly and the ACIL did not challenge her. However a new group of residents organized and three times illegal taxes were refunded to the residents.

Around that time someone or a group realized it would be great to have an email list and blog to advise residents of Council Agenda items; so residents would know when there were important council votes, attend meetings and express their objections to council actions. Athertonians@yahoogroups was formed.

Against what appears to be 75% of the town’s wishes McKeithen has pushed for a library in the park. On November 16, 2011 after a council agenda was posted on the Athertonian’s website advising of a library agenda item and the process not being transparent, McKeithen sent an email to the city attorney which read: “It has been now been over a week since I put you and John Danielson on notice that the EPC was illegally operating its Town website and its part “Ownership” of the Athertonians’ e-mail list….I am letting you know that I intend to go to the Grand Jury next week to investigate these matters.”

Currently it takes three votes of the council to place an item on the agenda. Thus McKeithen, Dobbie, and Widmer control what is on the agenda.

Efforts to “Shut Down” the Athertonians’ email are not promoting Transparency , Accountability, and Responsible Stewardship from the Atherton Council has.

As the owner and manager of the Athertonians Google Group I would welcome any attempt by the Town to shut down this group however such an effort will 1) deeply embarrass the Town and 2) fail.

Go Peter!!

Those citizens of Atherton who wish to show their support for Transparency , Accountability, and Responsible Stewardship by citizen are encouraged to join this Google Group:

Web Link

Due to repeated violations of our Terms of Use, comments from this poster are automatically removed. Why?

Due to repeated violations of our Terms of Use, comments from this poster are automatically removed. Why?