I’ll say this again. Whether it’s Idyllwild Fire Protection District (IFPD), Idyllwild Community Recreation Council (ICRC), or the county, great things only happen when there is a community vision.

When just a few represent the whole without an elected mandate, or that you have lost your mandate, you must strive to reacquire it. If you attempt this in a polarized environment, with meaningful opposing viewpoints, where you choose to ignore the opposition, you will not succeed.

We need IFPD, but not with its current billing, rate or operations structure. Its users should fairly pay for its services. Most don’t. How can people support a tax rate increase when this happens?

To quote ICRC, “It will be the heart and soul of Idyllwild … a place for locals, as well as visitors. A place where all are welcome.” ICRC is a gang of six who decide who is welcome and who is not. If they build [a community center], they get to choose who can enjoy it and who can’t.

Don’t call it a community center. Their conduct to date has demonstrated this. It shows their current conduct. It shows their future conduct. Thugs rally around other thugs.

ICRC wants to build a private convention center for business and call it a “Public Community Center” surrounded by a playground and bill tax payers for its operation. What a joke!

We need a good library, playground and community and senior center but not to be hijacked with folks’ reputations or ambitions giving us something which is less than wanted.

Stand firm on what is important to the community and not just profitable to a few.

Jeff Smith
Pine Cove