[Bboa-members] A response to Dan Augustine

[Brian Leary]

Fellow boat owners:
   As you may know, I am a berther at Berkeley and
also a Waterfront Commissioner. As such, I must recuse
myself from any Commission discussion and/or vote on
the subject of berthing rates. However, there's
nothing to prevent me from addressing the subject
here.
   Since I cannot speak for berthers in my position as
Commissioner, I had hoped that berthers would speak
for themselves. I was appalled last year when not one
of the 1,000 berthers appeared at the Commission
meeting to question the proposed rate increase! I was
heartened last year when the BBOA was formed. Now Dan
says he's resigning! Apparently you are ALL
"resigning" to the inevitability of huge rate
increases. Actually Dan understated the recent
increases. Last year it was 12%, not 10% and the
previous year it was 7 1/2% as I recall.
  The financial condition of the Marina Fund is awful.
The docks are falling apart. We might actually soon
have a new $500,000 plus bathroom by A-E docks after
years of planning, more planning and construction. 
   This is a political issue, as Dan points out. But
in politics, persistence is a necessary virtue. Things
don't happen overnight. In fact they take a god awful
long time. Showing up for one meeting does little.
You've got to be there every month. 
If you vote in
Berkeley, you've got to communicate with those you
vote for (or against), again and again. If you can't
do that individually, you must do it through an
organization like the BBOA. If you don't, you will be
walked all over. 
   Unfortunately, "walking" might be the only thing
that spurs change. Berkeley's rates are already at or
above the rates of our ":competitors", whose
facilities are in better shape. I learned this week
that one of my neighbors on O dock is moving his boat
to Richmond to save $60 per month. It may be that only
when we see others "walk" that someone uptown will
take notice.
   I hope to see someone from BBOA at Wednesday's
meeting.
Brian Leary
   
   

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam?  Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around 
http://mail.yahoo.com