About / Contact
My name is Kevin Reilly. I'm a "born-and-raised" Village resident; my wife and I raised our family in the Village as well. A few years ago, with our children grown and out in the world, we bought a house in the Cays.
I've been closely following the Cays Park Master Plan project for four years now, since the very beginning, probably more closely than any other individual in Coronado.
When I gained a perspective as a Cays resident, and compared it to my perspective as a Village resident, I became concerned that the voices of Cays residents regarding Cays Park were not being heard.
Consequently I wrote three surveys...the first to find out what Cays residents generally thought about the park (2021), the second to find out what they thought about the four options prepared by the Schmidt Design Group (October 2023), and the third to focus in on the one "big question" regarding Cays Park upon which everything else depends (December 2023). For the third survey I expanded the participant base to include all of Coronado.
I believe surveys are a good way to gather public opinion on important civic questions because our leaders should make data-driven decisions. That's the path to success in the modern world. A survey gives everyone an equal chance to express themselves and avoids the normal situation wherein only the people with the loudest voices, or who have the time to attend every meeting, are heard. And for leaders it takes the guesswork out of trying to do the right thing.
I've also written a few articles to raise awareness about Cays Park in the Eagle and Journal which you can read here, here, here, here and here if you would like.
I provided all of the survey results directly to the City Council members shortly after each one completed but unfortunately, despite my best efforts, my feeling now is that they made almost no difference. The City Council still hasn't really "heard" Cays residents, or worse, it may be that they simply don't really care about them.
I can tell you from my long experience in the Village, I understand. When you live in the Village the Cays is "out of sight, out of mind," and it is "down there." It's easy to forget that Cays residents are Coronado residents too.
What is the result of a situation like this?
Very simply, it was impossible not to notice at the December 5th Council meeting that the Council's first priority was to give the Village-based Coronado Futbol Club absolutely everything they wanted (and more). That was their only real priority. Once that aim was achieved, they basically tossed nothing more than a few "scraps" to Cays residents in an effort to keep them happy.
As a long term Village resident, having watched and actively participated in the Cays Park Master Plan process for four years, I have been ashamed to see my city treat Cays residents so poorly. They pretend to care about them but their concern is not real. Over and over I saw it.
And for me the December 5th Council meeting confirmed beyond any doubt the fact that, as far as the City Council is concerned, Cays residents are second class citizens. Why else would they "give" virtually all of Cays Park--which was supposed to be primarily for Cays residents--to the Village-based Futbol Club?
Quite honestly, I believe the majority of Coronado residents would not agree with what the Council did if you asked them. The majority of Coronadans are good people who feel that people should be treated equally and fairly. I am confident that they would feel ashamed the same way I do if they knew the details as well as I do.
But the game is not over until it's over, and we're fortunate to have a park designer who can make the most of what little part of the park will be for the benefit of Cays residents. It won't be much, but it's something, and the future is still the future.
Would you like to talk about the park? The best way is by phone. Please call me anytime. Alternatively I will be happy to meet you at Calypso or Tartine and buy you a drink, or at another location of your choosing. You can also reach me using the form on this page if you prefer.
Kind regards,
Kevin Reilly
I've been closely following the Cays Park Master Plan project for four years now, since the very beginning, probably more closely than any other individual in Coronado.
When I gained a perspective as a Cays resident, and compared it to my perspective as a Village resident, I became concerned that the voices of Cays residents regarding Cays Park were not being heard.
Consequently I wrote three surveys...the first to find out what Cays residents generally thought about the park (2021), the second to find out what they thought about the four options prepared by the Schmidt Design Group (October 2023), and the third to focus in on the one "big question" regarding Cays Park upon which everything else depends (December 2023). For the third survey I expanded the participant base to include all of Coronado.
I believe surveys are a good way to gather public opinion on important civic questions because our leaders should make data-driven decisions. That's the path to success in the modern world. A survey gives everyone an equal chance to express themselves and avoids the normal situation wherein only the people with the loudest voices, or who have the time to attend every meeting, are heard. And for leaders it takes the guesswork out of trying to do the right thing.
I've also written a few articles to raise awareness about Cays Park in the Eagle and Journal which you can read here, here, here, here and here if you would like.
I provided all of the survey results directly to the City Council members shortly after each one completed but unfortunately, despite my best efforts, my feeling now is that they made almost no difference. The City Council still hasn't really "heard" Cays residents, or worse, it may be that they simply don't really care about them.
I can tell you from my long experience in the Village, I understand. When you live in the Village the Cays is "out of sight, out of mind," and it is "down there." It's easy to forget that Cays residents are Coronado residents too.
What is the result of a situation like this?
Very simply, it was impossible not to notice at the December 5th Council meeting that the Council's first priority was to give the Village-based Coronado Futbol Club absolutely everything they wanted (and more). That was their only real priority. Once that aim was achieved, they basically tossed nothing more than a few "scraps" to Cays residents in an effort to keep them happy.
As a long term Village resident, having watched and actively participated in the Cays Park Master Plan process for four years, I have been ashamed to see my city treat Cays residents so poorly. They pretend to care about them but their concern is not real. Over and over I saw it.
And for me the December 5th Council meeting confirmed beyond any doubt the fact that, as far as the City Council is concerned, Cays residents are second class citizens. Why else would they "give" virtually all of Cays Park--which was supposed to be primarily for Cays residents--to the Village-based Futbol Club?
Quite honestly, I believe the majority of Coronado residents would not agree with what the Council did if you asked them. The majority of Coronadans are good people who feel that people should be treated equally and fairly. I am confident that they would feel ashamed the same way I do if they knew the details as well as I do.
But the game is not over until it's over, and we're fortunate to have a park designer who can make the most of what little part of the park will be for the benefit of Cays residents. It won't be much, but it's something, and the future is still the future.
Would you like to talk about the park? The best way is by phone. Please call me anytime. Alternatively I will be happy to meet you at Calypso or Tartine and buy you a drink, or at another location of your choosing. You can also reach me using the form on this page if you prefer.
Kind regards,
Kevin Reilly