I tinker with the idea of running for public office and sometimes I imagine what would I do with my constituency? One of the highest local offices that I have my sights set on is Mayor of my home town. I see some public officials getting elected and sudsequently dismiss the wants & needs of the voters for favors & deals owed to campaign donors. There are those that get elected for the paycheck and there are those that get elected for the fame. Personally I want none of those; I never have.
My desire to run for public office comes from a place of heart, passion, and soul. My city is struggling to find a place in this world following the defunding of NASA and the waning aerospace industry that one made Palmdale the crown jewel of the Mojave Desert. We have an airport that is part of the Los Angeles World Airports, however it is not used for anything other than private and military purposes. Our representatives pushed for an overpriced high speed rail line to bring money and recognition back into our community, but even that plan seems to be waning.
I look around and I see a city that enjoys 300+ days of sunshine and near incessant wind. Living in a rain shadow has it’s benefits and when the cooler mountain air mixes with the warm desert floor wind gusts can reach 60mph. The city of Los Angeles recently began swapping out incandescent bulbs in street lamps with more efficient LED ones to save money. Sadly, Palmdale has yet to catch on to this trend.
I look across the valley floor to Tehachapi and I see big windmills dotting the landscape, and I look at the new Wal-Mart who installed wind turbines atop their parking lot light fixtures. Personally I despise the look of a propeller as it is unsightly and potentially dangerous for wildlife. I have seen an alternative helical design that seems to be a potentially efficient, unobtrusive, and safer for wildlife. Why couldn’t our elected officials contact these developers and allow our city(or at least a neighborhood) to be a test subject for wind powered street lamps?
My personal feeling is that the city should not be using taxpayer money to pay for an electric bill when the city can invest their tax dollars wisely and generate power for it’s own uses. Furthermore, how hard would it be to retrofit city buildings with a combination of wind and solar to eliminate operating costs? Saved money and reduced costs could be used to further enhancements desperately needed; like road repair and light replacement. While Palmdale institutes a Melaroux Tax, it raises property taxes in a given locale/neighborhood to build a public space for the benefit of all city residents. I personally feel that it’s unfair to ask anyone to pay more taxes for a personal space in their neighborhood that all residents can use. Shouldn’t we be using the money we already collect more sensibly and invest it for the benefit of the entire community?
