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RAN C HO SFNEW S
.c om THE RANCH’S BEST SOURCE FOR LOCAL NEWS
VOL. 7, NO. 18
SEPT. 23, 2011
THISWEEK Councilwoman succumbs to cancer Association COMPASSION CHALLENGE
The R. Roger Rowe school takes part in a movement to inspire kindness and compassion in teens A5
HOME & GARDEN
The fall Home & Garden Guide gets you ready for upcoming harvest and more B1
INSIDE
TWO SECTIONS, 44 PAGES
Baby Boomer Peace . . . . A9 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . A5 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . A20 Coastal Cosmos . . . . . . A10 Comics . . . . . . . . . . . . . A22 Consumer Reports . . . . . A8 Crossword . . . . . . . . . . A22 Frugal Living . . . . . . . . A14 Hit the Road . . . . . . . . . A6 Lick the Plate . . . . . . . . A10 Life, Liberty . . . . . . . . . . A4 Machel’s Ranch . . . . . . A17 Odd Files . . . . . . . . . . . . .A3 Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . A4 Pet of the Week . . . . . . . A8 Ranch History . . . . . . . . A6 Small Talk . . . . . . . . . . A10 Taste of Wine . . . . . . . . . A8 Who’s News? . . . . . . . . . A7
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By Wehtahnah Tucker
Longtime councilwoman Maggie Houlihan, 63, lost her battle with cancer on the evening of Sept. 16. Her death has a community mourning the loss of a powerful figure who lived the ethos “the personal is political.” Just before her third successful bid for the council, Houlihan clarified some of her platform and the issues she was passionate about. Houlihan said she was motivated to continue serving the community to maintain her strong record of accomplishment in encouraging citizen participation, transparent government and fostering partnerships between community groups in the city’s best interest. She cited the revitalization of the Cultural Tourism Committee, which puts on the annual garden tour and festival as an example. Houlihan’s primary issues in that race, which proved less contentious that her 2004 bid, centered on development and on community. “Preserving the quality of life and the character of our five distinct communities is paramount,” she said. Houlihan could be seen at many of the public workshops for the General Plan update over the last yearand-a-half. She said she believed the path to community character leads through good planning. “We’ve got to close development loopholes and review our ordinances to make sure the kind of development that overwhelms the community isn’t allowed.” The specific plans of Cardiff North Highway 101 and Downtown Encinitas need to be updated to allow for more pedestrian-friendly
FOR THE PEOPLE , B?DBDA@I(/ <=B?D:L <E @B(3 @MMD9(0 <=:DO@B(:<I A O9>(V@AA:9(@M@DBI A(?@B?9>(1>DN@;2(# 9CA’(GR’ Courtesy photo
orientation, according to Houlihan. “Citizens don’t want lot-line to lot-line developments,” she said. “They want landscape, ambience, a blend of old and new.” Always a champion for the environment, Houlihan called for acquisition of open space for parkland and habitat preservation. She remembers purchasing the Hall property for a “community park.” “We are moving through the process and that involves public opinion,” she said during her last campaign. “I
think we’re going to end up with a community amenity.” Indeed, Houlihan lived long enough to see several of her predictions come true. The council in fact named the former Hall property “Encinitas Community Park.” Houlihan was adamant about preserving the community character of the city by ensuring that habitat corridors were maintained to provide traffic relief and serve as a part of the high quality of life in the city. “Environmental quality and
economic vitality go hand in hand,” Houlihan said. Houlihan promoted transparency in government. “It is important that when you are doing the public’s business it’s done in the public arena,” she often said. Houlihan supported the live webcasts of City Council and Planning Commission meetings that began in 2008. “I’ve said we have to minimize the amount of closed sessions the council has,” she said. “Now we have occasional closed sessions on potential litigation, personnel issues and land purchase negotiations.” The City Council had been criticized in the past for holding sessions not open to the public almost weekly. Some saw it as a violation of the state’s Brown Act that requires a transparent municipal government. “Leaders need to focus on bringing people together, to facilitate civic participation,” she said. “That’s something I’ve always championed.” In fact, Ian Thompson, Houlihan’s husband and friend of nearly 30 years, described her as a natural facilitator. “She had a huge and very vibrant network to employ politically to discuss issues,” he said. “She had an amazing ability to bring people together.” Despite being one of the most visible council members, Houlihan was often the driving force on many projects that she didn’t take credit for, said Thompson. “She was very effective behind the scenes,” he said. “She would never just say ‘no’ to people TURN TO HOULIHAN ON A18
Improvements to parking lot get the OK By Patty McCormac
RANCHO SANTA FE — The Rancho Santa Fe Association voted to approve $21,886 to help the golf club with its $43,772 project to repair, seal coat and re-stripe its parking lot, but there was one condition: The golf club was asked to reduce its bank loan for the 2007 clubhouse renovation by a corresponding amount from its free
reserves. The decision was reached at its Sept. 15 meeting, after a small debate by board members, some of whom want the golf club to hold its own and be more aggressive about paying down its loan since property values and assessments are down within the Covenant. Director Larry Spitcausfky said it seemed
that using reserve funds for the project is spending money the Association does not have. “We are digging a deeper hole,” he said. The cost of the project was not an issue with others on the board. “We don’t have a cash problem,” said Director Jack Queen. “We have plenty of cash.” “It’s the neighborly thing
to do,” said Director Dick Doughty. Golf and tennis club members use the parking lot. It is also used by members of the Association who use the restaurant, banquet facilities and meeting rooms at the club. Research shows that about 37 percent of the business in the dining room comes TURN TO IMPROVEMENTS ON A16
fills vacant seat on board By Patty McCormac
RANCHO SANTA FE — Eamon Callahan has been chosen to fill a vacancy on the Association board at its Sept. 15 meeting. The vacancy was created by Jack Dorsee who resigned in July. Callahan, who has been a resident of Rancho Santa Fe for 17 years is retiring from a career in engineering and is ready to jump right into helping run the Ranch. “I want to stay busy,” he said. Callahan acknowledges there is a learning curve involved in stepping onto the board mid-term. “Typically, anything like this, I like to give it a little time to learn how the board works and about their problems.” he said. “Since the board is a team, I don’t want to come across as the new firebrand.” He has a few ideas, like making Rancho Santa Fe more business friendly. He said he has a few other ideas he is not yet ready to make public. “I think the Ranch is a great place to live and it has come a long way. We don’t have the problems we had a few years ago,” he said. At the meeting, Pete Smith, Association manger said appointing a new director was new to them. “This is new ground for us. We have not been down this path,” he said. He said there were six very qualified individuals to applied for the vacancy, but only one could be chosen. “We were so pleased with the results of six outstanding candidates,” said Director Jack Queen. “Where have these people been when we try to get people to run for the board? We enjoyed interviewing them.” Callahan was chosen by secret ballot by the sitting board members. The board is required to appoint a new director to fill TURN TO SEAT ON A18