Decision to Rescind, part 1.

Deciding to Consider

I recognized beforehand that a decision to consider rescinding an action of the previous Council would be controversial and would be criticized by some. I do not think that it is good practice generally for an incoming council to undo some of the work of the outgoing council. I carefully considered if the potential good derived from revisiting the rezone issue would outweigh the negative consequences of starting off with a controversial move. I made the determination that it would. I do not like controversy. I will not seek it. But I also feel that it would be foolish to shy away from what I believe are important actions out of fear that some people may be upset. I made it clear in the Council Meeting that, despite my deep respect and admiration for the former Council, I think their decision to authorize a rezone was a mistake. I will explain my reasons for this position in a later blog post. I saw two courses of action: (1) learn what we can from the experience and make improvements to process and practice to avoid similar mistakes in the future, or (2) consider undoing the mistake (as well as making improvements to prevent similar mistakes in the future). This was not an easy decision to make; publicly second-guessing the former Council is not something I take lightly. I hope this speaks, to those who know me, of the level of my concern surrounding the approval of the rezone.

Strictly speaking of the decision to consider a rescission, and not any of the related issues, I believe it was the right one to make. I understand that some people will not agree with this decision.