Mr. Charles Mellor (chairman of the Peninsula Community Planning Board [PCPB]):
As a 50-plus-year resident of Point Loma, I find your blind support for Suhail Khalil (current PCPB Airport Committee chair) against Lance Murphy (former PCPB Airport Committee chair) to be intolerable.
I have known Lance Murphy and been aware of his activities in dealing with the airport for several years before you became active in PCPB.
He has always acted in the best interests of the residents of Point Loma to protect our quality of life. Mr. Murphy is very well-informed about the activities of the Airport Authority board and the contentious issues between the airport and Point Loma residents.
He has taken an extremely active leadership role in protecting Peninsula residents from questionable and deceptive activities by the Airport Authority and its staff. His role as an adversary of the Airport Authority and a champion for the community is in stark contrast to the seemingly complicit role that Suhail Khalil has assumed.
Since Suhail Khalil took over the chairmanship of the PCPB Airport Committee, he has done absolutely nothing to protect the quality of life for the majority of Point Loma residents. Quite to the contrary, he seems intent on supporting the Airport Authority and giving them whatever they want, imposing the Airport Authority’s will on Point Loma residents.
This is not surprising, since he is a real estate developer with virtually no qualifications to represent the interests of the residents of this community. What is Mr. Khalil’s background in aviation and airport issues prior to joining PCPB?
Of particular concern are the following points:
1. Suhail Khalil’s claims of credit for Lance Murphy’s accomplishments. After Mr. Murphy’s years of tireless work and dedication, how can the PCPB allow a Johnny-come-lately like Mr. Khalil to show up and claim the credit for work that he did not do?
2. Suhail Khalil’s thinly veiled and childish threat to sue those who disagree with him in public comment.
3. Suhail Khalil’s rubberstamp acceptance of the recent airport expansion EIR, ostensibly on behalf of Peninsula residents.
Another concern I have is the board as whole and its interaction with the public.
A document, “May 15th, 2008: ‘OTHER MINUTES Notes From the Non-Agenda Public Comments,'” consists primarily of editorial commentary that mocks and ridicules the concerns of residents speaking in public comment, portraying the public as foolish. The very act of non-agenda public comment is described several times in the document as a “spectacle.” This blatant misuse of meeting minutes to promote a political agenda is contrary to the democratic process.
The author of that document should be reprimanded and replaced by someone who can write the minutes objectively, without political bias or immature wisecracks. This entire document is offensive to the public.
Mr. Mellor, you were not active in PCPB during most of the time that Lance Murphy was working on airport issues for the PCPB. It is possible that you have been misinformed about what was actually done before you arrived. However, your blind support for a real estate developer with questionable qualifications (Suhail Khalil) over the most qualified person in our community (Lance Murphy) makes me have to question your own true motives.
The PCPB is starting to develop the stench of cronyism. I get the distinct impression that you, Mr. Khalil and many of the newly elected board members do not represent the will of Peninsula residents. Instead, you seem to be trying to ramrod the will of developers and the Airport Authority down the throats of unwilling Peninsula residents.
Our democratic process has been sabotaged, but I think you already know that. Could that be why you want Lance gone?