‘But I Really Am a Nice Guy!’

Monday night’s Solvang City Council meeting was entertaining to say the least. Ironically it ran like a clockwork movie script with a predictable ending.

Everyone knew the Mayor of Solvang was going to be the deciding vote, and most everyone knew he would vote “in support” of the controversial Pride banners that have made not only local and national news, but also international news recently. This was a given all along. It’s called “save face” in spite of their faces.

Also predictable was the responses from all five council members. The two women on the board held their collective ground in supporting the banner proposal, and the two men on the board held their collective “d*cks”‘” against the banner proposal, with the Honorable Mayor having the honorable honor of becoming everyone’s honorable hero. One male member, ironically, went as far as to state “be careful what you ask for,” like it was some sort of warning that next up after the Pride banners will be NRA banners or White Nationalist banners or “God forbid” Trump rally MAGA banners.

Sadly we should have been more careful as to who and how, we the voters, allow our public servants to add “non-elected” and “election-defeated” people to city councils. Fortunately we, the people, have an opportunity to rid our council of its most vocal bigot sooner than later. It was brought up very obviously in the meeting last night that Mr. Clarke has been guilty of clear ethics violations.

After all, what’s the point in having a Code of Ethics and Council Protocols if a councilmember can arbitrarily decide when he abides by them? Where’s the oversight? Might be why our esteemed mayor failed to censure Mr. Clarke’s behavior. Could the honorable Mr. Infanti be guilty of much worse?

Of course also stated at the meeting last night by Mr. Clarke was his proclamation of just how nice and kind a person he thinks he is, minus the quips to his minions in his private emails and texts of citizens being “Clowns,” “A**holes,” and “Woke Poison.” But then again the poor guy thinks he’s being picked on, so I’m sure his new strategy will be that of a martyr.

And let’s hope there’s no more “evil do-ers” allegedly secretly going through his (and allegedly a few of his minions’) garbage cans, and the alleged “car tailing” and “peeping tom” undercover activity going on by those very same “evil do-ers” (rolls eyes). Of course if pathological lying works for Mr. Trump, why wouldn’t it work for Mr. Clarke, right?

It will be interesting to hear about the inevitable ethics violation inquiries that surely will be in store for Mr. Clarke, and coming to your local news organizations soon enough. It would also be interesting to know just how much money Mr. Clarke will be donating to his favorite “nationally recognized Pride hate group” with his pledge of $10 per “butt-hurt speaker” comment he got last night. (There were a lot).

Bottom line is this little tourist town of Solvang and its little town City Council has no place for bigoted people to be in positions of public service … ever!