The Solvang City Council meeting started with the contradictory flavors of sweet and sour Feb. 23 as the council and public voiced joy over the recent Amgen event and then some upset over one of Mayor Jim Richardson’s votes at the Feb. 19 Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG) meeting.

During both the public and council comment periods, many started their statements with congratulations for a highly successful Amgen turnout and event.

But the kudos were often followed by angry feedback from council members for Richardson’s “no” vote on the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians’ request that SBCAG submit of letter of recommendation, on behalf of the tribe, for federal economic stimulus transportation funds.

The Chumash Tribe wants to use the funds for transportation improvements on the reservation.

Richardson, the representative for the Solvang City Council on SBCAG, was the only one at the SBCAG meeting to vote “no” on the request.

In a phone call the day after the meeting, Richardson said he was not “against” the tribe or the casino. He is a patron of the casino, he said, but, as with any public entity, it proposes items he supports or doesn’t think he should support.

He said the available federal funding is for all Indian tribes throughout the United States, whether they have casinos or not, and the Chumash, who make revenue off their casino, have the money to pay for the improvements they might need on their land.

“I resent their hand out to the taxpayers for more money,” he said. “And, plus, the real reason is there are other tribes that can use those funds that aren’t as rich as Chumash.”

Richardson objected to SBCAG writing a letter of endorsement because if the Chumash were serious about the infrastructure of their land, the tribe would have taken care of it on its own.

While the project passed anyway, each member of the city council expressed consternation that Richardson’s “no” vote could weaken relations between the tribe and the city.  Councilmember Linda Jackson, clearly angry, said she was “embarrassed” for the tribe and the city of Solvang. She went on to publicly apologize to the tribe and thanked the Chumash for its contributions to the city. She said Richardson’s sentiments did not reflect those of the entire council.

“He absolutely does not represent me,” Jackson said. Councilmember Ken Palmer said Richardson had a history of anti-casino sentiment, and Palmer and councilmember Edwin Skytt agreed that perhaps someone else should be the representative at SBCAG.

“I would like to have either a special meeting, or, if not that, an agenda item placed to discuss Mayor Richardson’s actions and reevaluate Solvang’s representative on SBCAG,” Skytt said. Chairman Vincent Armenta also voiced his concern during the public comment period, asking if the tribe’s relations with the city might not be taking a step backward.

Richardson said he had several reasons for his decision, and though he did not plan on discussing his vote that night, he offered to discuss it with Armenta, in private at a later date, which Armenta accepted. Discussion about representation on SBCAG was slated for a future meeting.