Recent discussions about the ill-conceived Provinsalia project (650 residential units and a nine-hole golf course on a pristine site in the extreme southeast corner of the city of Clearlake) have moved from the merits and demerits of the proposal itself to center on the concept of "respect": has the City Council shown respect to the citizenry, and have the citizens respected the council?

In my opinion the answer is "no" on both counts – a lamentable situation that the council can easily repair in a few hours and at no monetary cost. All they have to do is rescind the two resolutions (certifying the Provinsalia Environmental Impact Report, amending the General Plan and adopting the Specific Plan) passed at their contentious Feb. 26 meeting, delay a second reading on the ordinance rezoning the project site, schedule another public hearing based on the principles of free speech and participatory democracy, and then take whatever actions on the project they think best.

The mayor and council will thus simultaneously demonstrate the esteem that all elected officials owe to the people they serve, and take a giant step towards regaining the high stature in the eyes of the community that these decent, hard-working, public-spirited individuals had previously enjoyed. It would have been even better to have done this spontaneously, without waiting for a legal opinion on whether arbitrary limitations on public comment violated the Brown Act on Feb. 26, but it is by no means too late to do the right thing.

The council is expected to consider this question at their April 9 meeting. For the benefit of all, I hope that by taking the steps listed above they act to blow away the fog of accusations that has settled over the city, and allow public business to resume in an atmosphere of mutual trust and good will.

Victoria Brandon is chair of the Sierra Club Lake Group. She lives in Lower Lake.