One day after the Goleta City Council put the finishing touches
on the young city’s draft general plan, three of its original city
councilmembers announced their candidacy for a second term.
Self-described calm and rational Margaret Connell stood beside
provocateur Jack Hawxhurst and soft-spoken Cynthia Brock at Stowe
Park for the kickoff of their campaigns. The three emphasized they
are not running as a slate, but support each other’s platforms.
Meanwhile, the Goleta Chamber of Commerce is busily forming a
political action committee to further an opposition slate. The
draft general plan was adopted 5-0 over objections primarily from
developers and affordable-housing advocates. However, it was
proclaimed fiscally sound by an analysis firm hired by the city,
and hailed by former League of Women Voters president Connie Hannah
as one of the most readable general plans she has ever slogged
through.
