Berkeley mayor, chamber on good terms

The love is back between Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates and the city's Chamber of Commerce.

Just a month after the chamber released a letter saying that Bates and the City Council hurt business by telling the Marine Corps and its recruiting center to get out of town, the mayor is back in the group's good graces.

During a lunch Tuesday billed as "A Conversation with Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates," chamber board member Mark McLeod introduced Bates as "our mayor and our friend."

Afterward, chamber CEO Ted Garrett said relations between its 425 members and Bates are better than ever.

"We approach the (Marines) issue from different aspects, but at the end of the day, we all want what's good for Berkeley," Garrett said. "I think this has strengthened the relationship with the mayor. We were disappointed (about actions against the Marines); however, it is fostering an understanding between the City Council and the business community."

Garrett played it down the middle in regards to whether the chamber will get behind the mayor if he decides to run for a third term in November.

"I would classify the mayor as a friend, but we can't make any political statements at this time," Garrett said.

That's quite a contrast to the stern letter he released in February that said in part: "We strongly urge the Berkeley City Council to offer a public apology to our community and the countless others who were offended by their actions. ... In the future we expect collaboration

At the same time Bates and the council were digging in their heels and telling the world the Marines should get out of Berkeley, the chamber was running a photograph on its Web site of Garrett at the recruiting center giving the Marines a box of doughnuts under the caption that read: "We believe in a community where ALL voices can be heard."

The council never apologized, but it also voted not to send the letter as previously planned, calling the Marines "unwelcome intruders."

In interviews since, Garrett has complained that protests at the Marine recruiting center on Shattuck Avenue have hurt business in the immediate area and national attention has caused people to cancel hotel reservations.

During his speech Tuesday, Bates talked about a number of good things happening in the business community. There is new business downtown on the way. And West Berkeley is getting a badly needed new supermarket called Berkeley Bowl. He also said that several new condo developments were approved along San Pablo Avenue.

"This city has protested wars and recruiting since I was in grammar school," he said. "People laid down on railroad tracks. In this war we have lost 4,000 of our people and 1 million Iraqis, and they estimate it's going to cost $3 trillion. Can you imagine if we had that to spend on education? What a waste."

Bates said he has apologized numerous times for offending those who serve in the armed forces, and he said the council's action calling the Marines "unwelcome intruders" was a mistake and unprofessional.

"But I am not prepared to apologize to the Marines for recruiting our kids," he said. "We said they have the right to be here, and people have the right to protest."

After Bates finished, there was only one question from the audience regarding the Marines issue: How much has it cost the city to control the protesters? Answer: about $100,000.

The petition

We, the undersigned condemn the Berkeley City Council’s treasonous attack on US Marine Recruiters stationed in their city. We ask that Congress cut off funds from any and all municipal entity within the confines of the city of Berkeley, California, until such time as the city council withdraws it’s action.

The City Council has voted to tell the Marines their downtown recruiting station is not welcome and “if recruiters choose to stay, they do so as uninvited and unwelcome guests.”
The measure passed last week by a vote of 8-1.

The council also voted to explore enforcing a city anti-discrimination law, focusing on the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.

In a separate item, the council voted, also 8-1, to give the Marxist protest group Code Pink a parking space in front of the recruiting office once a week for six months and a free sound permit for protesting once a week.

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/cutoffberkeleynow

If you wish to, please share with your friends or e-mail to your address books. You DO NOT have to donate at the petition site, there will be a page asking for one for the site after you sign, just back out or exit. Your signature will already be on the petition.

Here is what I posted on Another Thread:

This guy...

...is the head of the Chamber of Commerce of Berkeley.

I was standing across the street from the Marine Office and he started talking to me.

About how these kind of events are ruining the businesses in Berkeley.

And that they are very damaging to the city.

I asked him if he lived in Berkeley, and he said no.

It was then that he told me he was head of the C of C.

He kept pretty much saying the same thing over and over while I tried to tell him why we came today.

And told him it wasn't us, but the code pink, ANSWER, World Can't Wait and various other commie groups that have disrupted his (his?) little town.

When I tried to impress upon him that it was the antagonizers of the Marine Office that he needs to have stop their subersive actions, he would interrupt me every time.

He would not entertain the thought of stopping code pink, etc, but was very negative about a Positive Support Rally for the Marine Office.

He would have none of it, and would only focus on our very Positive Troop Support Rally that is and has been ruining business in Berkeley. A true slimy politician.

When I mentioned that the news is out that he and the Mayor have mended fences and are united in purpose, he said Oh, that's what the media says, not what is really true.

So I asked him (he had that camera pointed at him all this time) what is the truth then, and he waffled and said that he had talked to the leaders of the rally a little earlier and I could ask them.

I told him, why not tell me with this camera here so we can know the truth.

He didn't want to go on record with any statement at all.

I backed away, and he did start talking to the camerawoman and I watched for a minute of so, and then the speakers started so I left him with the lady with the camera.

Her is A Link to an article from the Contra Costa Times about the Chamber's meeting with the Mayor.

Here is the website of the Berkeley Chamber of Commerce

Tthis is the first thing you see.

The Berkeley Chamber of Commerce salutes our men and women in the armed forces.

If they "salute" the men and women in the armed forces, why was he complaining when a positive rally was held today in support of our men and women in the armed forces?

I notice it doesn't say they support them.

Also that it doesn't say that they support the right for the Marines to have an office in Berkeley.

Until and unless they come out and call for supporting the Marine Office in Berkeley they are going to keep going downhill.

He told me that already business are closing because of the protests on the street of the Marine Office.

If he doesn't want to get the City Council to stop supporting code pink and the other anti-American groups then he is linked with them in word and deed.

He and the Mayor are BFF's now, so they can reap their whirlwind.

"When I tried to impress upon him that it was the antagonizers of the Marine Office that he needs to have stop their subersive actions, he would interrupt me every time. He would not entertain the thought of stopping code pink, etc, but was very negative about a Positive Support Rally for the Marine Office. He would have none of it, and would only focus on our very Positive Troop Support Rally that is and has been ruining business in Berkeley. A true slimy politician."

Mr. Garrett needs to drag is sorry "I'm the CEO of Berkeley CoC" down to greet Code Pink, WCW, ANSWER, etc. and complain to them about how THEY are ruining business in Berkeley. He's supposed to be the voice of local business and REPRESENT them to the City Council... he's a sorry excuse for a CEO in that respect.

He's apparently receiving complaints from business owners and doing absolutely nothing to represent them. The City Council certainly doesn't represent them either. The businesses best alternative is to form their own coalition and petition the Council to cut off support for anti-war radical groups (the cause of Police in Riot Gear), apoligize to the Marines, stop acting like a soverign nation apart from the United States writing their own foreign policy, start addressing the interests of the City of Berkeley.

I know accomplishing such a feat will be an uphill battle, and I wouldn't want my business ruined by a bunch of radical city officials, but thier only alternative is to lock their doors and turn off the lights on Berkeley.

"We approach the (Marines) issue from different aspects, but at the end of the day, we all want what's good for Berkeley," Garrett said.
"I think this has strengthened the relationship with the mayor. We were disappointed (about actions against the Marines); however, it is fostering an understanding between the City Council and the business community."

And it looks like what is "good" for the City is for the C of C to rescind their reprimand of the Council for their desire to boot the Marines from town.

Notice the "were disappointed." Which can only mean they aren't anymore.

That is what I told him without even being aware of his words, but just had learned what the outcome of the meeting was. He denied his own words when I gave them back to him on the street.

This guy when I talked to him yesterday, this article is close to what I told him, and he said the media reported it wrong.

Well, it seems he is perfectly happy to have "an understanding between the City Council and the business community."

I think he is referring to his org, the C of C as the business community.They just don't seem to get the fact that if they allow (and support) a group to harass one of their businesses, all of them will suffer.

http://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/issue/2008-03-21/article/29517 Mayor Speaks Against War at Chamber Lunch
By Judith Scherr 2008-03-21

Flying in the face of his hosts’ concerns regarding demonstrations at the Marine Recruiting Center, Mayor Tom Bates spoke out about his opposition to the war in Iraq and support for peaceful demonstrations. The speech was delivered Tuesday at a Chamber of Commerce luncheon where the mayor was the featured speaker.

Bates also painted a rosy picture of the city’s economy, with flourishing hotels and restaurants, lauded city efforts to build downtown (perhaps up to 18 stories), laid out plans to build green and more.

Toward the end of his talk, the mayor introduced the topic of ongoing Marine Recruiting Center demonstrations on a lighthearted note: “Let me conclude with the topic of the day,” he said, “the battle of Code Pink vs. the United States Marine Corps. That’s not a fair fight!”

Bates went on to say that beyond what people think “of this Code Pink stuff”—a recent photo on the Chamber of Commerce website portrayed CEO Ted Garrett bringing donuts to a Marine recruiter—the war, whose fifth anniversary was the next day, had caused the deaths of some 4,000 U.S. military personnel and the injury of about 28,000 Americans. Some 1 million Iraqis have been killed and 4 million displaced, he said.

Trillions of dollars have been spent on the war. “Can you imagine what that would mean if we had that for education? If we had that for housing?” he asked. “What a waste. We were lied to, to begin with.”

Bates placed the current demonstrations in a historical context. “First of all, this city has protested wars and recruiting stations since I was in grammar school. People lay on the railroad tracks. People tied themselves to the recruiting station door,” he said.

Since 2003 there have been protests at recruiting stations all over the country. “It’s not like Berkeley is unique in this regard,” said Bates, a former Army captain.

Bates said he does not support young people going into the military and noted that those who sign up have few options.

The mayor spoke to the Jan. 29 council item calling Marine recruiters “unwelcome intruders,” which sparked a nationwide, mostly right-wing, reaction.

The council was wrong to pass an item with inflammatory language that had not been properly vetted, he said. “It passed and I’m sorry. I’ve apologized at every forum I can think of, but I’m not prepared to apologize to the Marines who are recruiting our kids to go to this war.”

He pointed out that Code Pink has been demonstrating in many venues other than Berkeley, including in front of Nancy Pelosi’s house and at Congress. At the same time there are counter-demonstrations by Move America Forward, billed as a grassroots organization, but which actually is “a bunch of right-wing shock jocks,” Bates said.

Move America Forward wants to move the U.N. out of the United States and build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border to keep immigrants out, he added. (Move America Forward is headed by talk-show host Melanie Morgan, recently laid off by KSFO.)

Bates said that there have been boycotts of Berkeley in the past and that the current one will pass as they have before.

“We need to take the high road. We need to talk about what is great about this community,” he said.

No one in the audience criticized Bates overtly, but during the question and answer session, when Bates addressed anonymous written questions, the issue was raised. One person asked about the high cost of overtime police for demonstrations, which Bates said he couldn’t answer, and another made a statement asserting that middle-class youth sign up voluntarily for military service, countering Bates’ view that people without resources join the service.

After the luncheon, the Planet asked Chamber Executive Director Ted Garrett whether he was disappointed in Bates’ anti-war remarks, but Garrett said his primary concern was the protests’ harm to local business, especially the businesses adjacent to the Marine Recruiting Center.

He pointed to hotels and restaurants that received cancellations recently, but conceded that it’s hard to know whether that was because of a boycott or because of the economy. Responding to a question, Garrett said he had not asked other businesses near the recruiting center whether their receipts have increased because of the increased numbers of people flocking downtown for protests.

In response to another question, Garrett said it was too early to know whether the chamber would be making political endorsements and if so, whether it would endorse Bates, though Garrett said he works closely with the mayor to make sure the chamber voice is heard in the decision-making process.

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