Our View: Mayors need a graceful retreat plan

It doesn’t make sense to die on a molehill. Yes, we’ve smashed two cliches, but it seems a fitting description for the latest episode of “The Angry Mayors of Stanislaus County.” They worked themselves into a lather over a vote on the LAFCO board in March concerning the calculation used to determine the value of agland easements in annexation requests. The calculation is one of three methods available to homebuilders contemplating new housing projects.

But officials in the county’s smaller cities – Patterson, Newman, Ceres, Oakdale and Riverbank – felt the formula infringed on their civic prerogatives. It didn’t seem to matter if adopting an inadequate formula, as Patterson and other cities were considering, would likely have resulted in annexations being denied.

What the mayors found intolerable was that the key vote in LAFCO’s decision was cast by their appointee – Hughson Mayor Matt Beekman – after most of the mayors had specifically told him to vote the other way. The mayors wanted the concept of “majority rule” to bind Beekman, but not to bind them when they were no longer in the majority.

The problem is that once you appoint someone to a board – as the mayors with Beekman – it is up to the appointee to vote how he sees fit. That’s the law. You can question it and get angry about it, but unless there is evidence of wrongdoing there is no basis to have an appointee thrown off that board. That didn’t stop the mayors from arranging their meeting Wednesday night. It’s safe to say it blew up in their faces when almost 100 people came to Turlock, the vast majority to protest their action and defend both the LAFCO process and Beekman.

In the face of such opposition, the mayors set aside any motion to remove Beekman. They’ll reconvene in 60 days. In that time, we hope that things cool off. Though the adopted mitigation policy is entirely fair, there might be a better way of determining fees for small parcels. Modesto Mayor Garrad Marsh made a few suggestions, as did others.

Apparently, some of the mayors – most specifically, Richard O’Brien of Riverbank – felt misused by The Bee. But the mayors charted their own course up this little mountain; it’s up to them to find a way off without tripping.

Stepping back a good idea

It is unfortunate that a few aspiring businesspeople will be delayed in opening therapeutic massage clinics. They deliver important services, and the therapists train hard to pass their certifications. But there are several massage parlors in town apparently offering sex for sale. Debbie Johnson of Without Permission said there could be more than 20 such places. Worse, there are indications that at least some of the women who work in massage parlors might be victims of human trafficking. Getting a handle on these activities in Modesto and throughout the county is a high priority. Prostitution is called “the world’s oldest profession” for a reason. It is unlikely we’ll ever rid society of the kind of exploitation it represents. But we cannot tolerate the trafficking of young women, lured into this country under false pretenses, then held in slavery.

Good for the kids

We’re happy to see the city of Modesto help the Boys & Girls Club of Stanislaus County expand into Modesto’s west side. The club will provide far more than just activities and instruction for 200 kids at the King-Kennedy Center. The club will also provide guidance, resources and even shelter from the troubles so close at hand. Essential to the Boys & Girls Club setup is a companion parents organization. The club has been in operation in the Sylvan Unified School District since 2013, helping roughly 300 students.

This story was originally published May 14, 2015 at 5:00 PM with the headline "Our View: Mayors need a graceful retreat plan."