NoRailTrail Update

​We have obtained emails that were sent from the NoRailTrail leaders to members of the group confirming Paul Gaspar’s deep and “intimate” involvement with the group. We have no objection to the idea that Paul mentored the leadership of NoRailTrail on effective advocacy. However, it is absolutely not cool that the leaders of the group then hijacked the cause of the 1,000 people they represent to launch a strident, ugly, partisan campaign to elect a Republican mayor and two Republican council members.

The political endorsements, Facebook posts, letters, comments on various web sites, and other recent communications from NoRailTrail give the impression that all 1,000 members of the group stand behind the highly partisan positions of the small core leadership team. But we don’t think the people of Encinitas that signed the original petition about the rail trail alignment actually agreed to enthusiastically back a slate of Republicans for mayor and for City Council.
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It seems clear in hindsight that Paul Gaspar has cynically used NoRailTrail as a pawn on the political chessboard.