Valley’s Edge opponent responds to ‘misinformation’ claim

I am a member of the Valley’s Edge opposition team. As a retired writing teacher who taught students how to create arguments that are detailed, well-supported, thorough, and accurate, I have to challenge Bill Brouhard’s accusation that the Valley’s Edge opposition of spreading “misinformation” and “cheapen honest public discourse,” His “argument” is inaccurate and lacks supporting facts.

The team of people who worked on opposition to Valley’s Edge are well-educated and professional people: educators, a city planner, attorneys, a nurse, environmentalists, and thoughtful people with histories of civic-minded work. We have researched the issues surrounding Valley’s Edge since the announcement of the project. We didn’t make any arguments off the tops of our heads. We read, studied, researched, talked to experts, and presented facts

We responded in detail — both as individuals and with our various organizations — to both the draft and the final Environmental Impact Reports. We attended Planning Commission and City Council meetings, and we presented our information. When we announced that we would launch a referendum, we did so at a press conference and presented our evidence — all wellresearched, documented, and fact-based. We created a fact sheet for our petition signature gathers so they could be accurate in their characterization of the project.

Why is Bill Brouhard just now spewing his demeaning response? Because we’ve successfully demonstrated that many, many residents of Chico don’t want his deeply flawed vision.

Rather than seeking to shame opponents of Valley’s Edge, Brouhard should be providing evidence of his outlandish claims.