FREE SPEECH WINS BUT LOSES!
Won the fight but missed the bus

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pothole cartoon

On September 9, 2002 the Petaluma City Council Voted 5 to 2 in favor of allowing Mr. Miremont to post his cartoon on city buses (Matt Maguire,a member of the ACLU obstained from this 'free speech' vote as well as Janice Cader-Thompson, sighting its political nature). However, thanks to the delay in approval all advertising slots are now full. Although we have won the right to free speech we cannot exercise it. No cartoon before election day!

An excerpt from the Council Meeting:

"Freedom of speech includes the right to peacefully criticize one's government without fear of reprisals or being contained or silenced in any fashion. As members of our council, you took an oath to uphold our Constitution and its Amendments, and I trust you to honor that oath. If you deny me my constitutional right of freedom of speech and expression, you will have violated my rights as well as our very structure of government. My ad is a non-offensive expression of disagreement with the council's past and present policies pertaining to maintenance of our streets and infrastructure. The irony, which I hope is lost on no one, is that I am willing to pay advertisement money to the city for the right to criticize it.

I am aware that some councilmembers are against spending money on our streets and I am attempting to change that outlook to one that is more beneficial to our community. My cartoon is but one of the ways I hope to affect this change. The cartoon will help increase citizens' awareness of the political process and enhance their involvement in communicating their thoughts and needs to this and future councils."
-- Pierre Miremont


GUERRILLA POTHOLE CAMPAIGN TOPS NEWS 12/27/2002 Press Democrat - TOBIAS YOUNG It was a year of surprises for Petaluma, both natural and man-made. And, as everywhere else, there was good news and there was bad news. It snowed in January -- and again in December. In November, the voters threw out three out of four City Hall incumbents on the ballot, and longtime residents couldn't remember the last time that happened. A humorous, but biting, ``guerrilla'' campaign to demand action on potholes had something to do with that outcome and makes it into our top ten stories of the year: Potholes change city landscape What strikes fear into the hearts of Petaluma officials? Animal knows. A protest over the city's battered streets that began with a small group of activists early this year grew by November into a citywide political movement that helped to sweep out three of the four incumbents who ran for city offices. First, a 52-year-old resident who identified himself only as Animal, began painting red and yellow lines around hundreds of the city's worst potholes. In July came the first of several low-flying airplanes trailing a banner proclaiming Petaluma the ``Pothole Capital of California.'' The same slogan appeared on an official-looking sign affixed to a city limits sign on the south end of town. Bumper stickers asking ``Got potholes?'' and T-shirts that said ``I am Animal'' followed. A Web site kept track of local politicians pronouncements on the issue. As the election got closer, ``Fix Our Streets!'' signs proliferated all over town. Some elected officials at first tried to dismiss the protests as election-year shenanigans and questioned whether the issue was a genuine one. But by the city's own reckoning, Petaluma has a $146 million backlog in street reconstruction and no way to pay for most of a yearly maintenance bill of $8.1 million. In August, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission issued a preview of a report on street conditions that ranked Petaluma as sixth from the bottom among the region's 92 cities and nine counties. In September and October, the City Council voted to spend $12.2 million on street repairs and pledged another $5.3 million over five years, but it was too little too late. Most of the political challengers adopted the pothole issue and used it to help them drive Mayor Clark Thompson and City Council members Janice Cader-Thompson and Matt Maguire from office.
Artist: Chuck Pyle