Letters to the Editor 3-19-15

A burden on the taxpayers
Editor:
It appears to me that the taxpayers of Cloverdale are subsidizing the operation of our local airport and yet city officials claim they have no jurisdiction in its operation. In a previous letter to the editor, it was indicated that the FAA stated that the city has complete control over the operation of the airport.
However, it does appear that the city council is extremely reluctant in trying to deal with the noise pollution that has become increasingly prevalent in our community. My assumption is that they simply do not want to jeopardize whatever minimal amount of tourist dollars might be generated by the few skydivers that might chance to patronize a local business.
I don’t have any current figures on what the operation of the airport costs us, but, not too many years ago a published report stated stated that we, the taxpayers, saw a $60,000 airport operating expense deficit paid for out of our general fund. Furthermore, a recent $1,100,000 airport update included a contribution of $25,000 – $30,000 from our city. But still, our city officials seem to maintain that they have no say in its operation.  Perhaps these expenditures contribute to why we don’t have such “unnecessary” things such as a dog park or paved alleyways in our downtown business district. A dog park would serve a far greater portion of Cloverdale residents than the handful of pilots who store their aircraft at our airport.
Finally, I’ve lived in Cloverdale since 1998 and was aware of our proximity to the airport. The occasional takeoffs and landings were virtually unnoticeable for many years and then came NorCal Skydiving and the picture changed entirely. Does anyone recall a noise  problem prior to NorCal? – I seriously doubt it.
If the city council doesn’t have any input as they seem to infer, what don’t they just cease subsidizing its operation?  Perhaps this would free up funds for necessary infrastructure repair and enable Cloverdale residents to return to a pre-NorCal atmosphere that was in keeping with the picturesque and peaceful nature of a town we used to be able to enjoy.
Dennis Frehe
Cloverdale
‘No’ to proposed cell tower location
Editor:
My heart dropped when I read about the new proposed cell tower. Then it lifted somewhat when I realized Gus Wolter and Blake Hillegas were not in favor of the proposed location.
Yes, many were upset about the cell tower that was installed at the Citrus Fair in 2011 with no public input, even though we were promised a public hearing. There is still no proof that there aren’t detrimental effects to health from close proximity to cell towers, so let’s keep it away from where people live.
Mardi Grainger
Cloverdale
Support the city manager and the process
Editor:
I’m sure I wasn’t the only Cloverdale citizen to wake up Thursday morning (March 12), displeased to find Cloverdale on the front page of the Santa Rosa daily. It all stemmed from the fallout at the city council meeting on Wednesday night. Unfortunately, our city manager, Paul Cayler, was the target and took the brunt of the criticism.
Many citizens fail to realize people who hold management positions (whether it is a city manager, school superintendent, CEO, etc.) have the responsibility to make difficult and tough personnel decisions from time to time. This is part of their job description and not everyone is cut out for it. These types of decisions are, of course, highly confidential and are not made without the support of a school board or city council (in this case).  
It is unfortunate that some people in the community felt it necessary to bring this issue, even though it is a confidential matter, before the council prior to the investigation being completed.  All this does is divide the community and smear public employee names in the newspapers, whether innocent or guilty.
For now, let the investigation take its course and don’t castigate the city manager for doing his job.
Gene Lile
Cloverdale
Confidentiality, not lack of transparency
Editor:
Participating in the Citizen Police Academy some years back in Cloverdale gave me added respect for police officers. Similar respect for city council and city staff is the result of years of interaction in my former role with the “Reveille.”
Arriving at the March 11 city council meeting well into the public comment session, I did not hear all the comments regarding the alleged misconduct and investigation of some police personnel. I am sympathetic to the individuals and families of those being investigated. However, only the uninformed would accuse city council of not performing due diligence when hiring Paul Cayler. I attended those council meetings and the most qualified individuals were involved in his thorough vetting and selection.
Given the scope of the position, every city manager makes difficult and unpopular decisions. It is my observation over time that Cayler strives to be well informed and to perform every task to the best of his ability. He is alleged by those at the meeting to have offended a member of the police department with a poorly timed offering of condolence. Consistent with his usual demeanor, Cayler offered an immediate and sincere public apology upon learning his expression of sympathy had the opposite effect. Unlike those who exercised their right to free speech with calls to remove Cayler from his position and to say whatever they wanted, Cayler must take the unpleasant public reaction in silence, unable to defend his actions. Also, part of his job.
We don’t have to like what is happening, but the community owes it to all parties in the action to allow the process to unfold without interference. During the meeting, I saw only a couple police officers quietly observing from the back of the room. Maybe members of the department feel it is better to await the outcome of the investigation. Either way, once the investigation concludes, privacy and labor laws will likely keep some details from the public. That confidentiality should not be mistaken as a lack of transparency. It is a requirement of the job of the city manager and members of council to act as necessary in operation of the city, to be transparent when possible and to remain silent when privacy and the law dictate such.
Paula Wrenn
Cloverdale
Man will never learn
Editor:
One afternoon during those latter days of the British Empire, I was having a snack at the Drop Inn eatery in Calcutta (Kolkata), India, circa April 1946. After the surrender of the Japanese in 1945, the India-Burma Theater was closed and we were happily awaiting return to the States. As a member of the Army Medical Corps, I was assigned to the 142nd General Hospital in charge of repatriating to the United States those military personnel who had been medically cleared for return to America.
My appetite was not right. I thought of an incident hours earlier. I had been given the unhappy word to delete the name of one of our patients I had listed on Special Orders for evacuation to the States. He had hanged himself during the night with his towel.
The nurse found him when she returned from another ward. Why? The reason, if there be one, was that the man (a former Japanese prisoner) had been to Hell and back and could no longer live with the reality of what he had seen there. Who is to blame? His friends and neighbors at the local draft board who sent him “Uncle Sam’s greetings?” The doctor who tapped him on the knees at the induction center and certified him sane and sound for military service? Yet, still, “the mind is its own place, and in itself can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven.”
Yes, any part of war remains in the mind evermore. I am 90 now and am thankful to God for my wife and our happy marriage these 66-plus years, along with our daughter and son who enjoy life in their careers in this greatest nation ever known to mankind! Man will never learn! War-bah humbug!
John William Wohlfarth
Cloverdale
A yearbook for every student
Editor:
As this school year is coming to an end, many students would like to have a yearbook, but unfortunately, many students are unable to afford one. That is why Cloverdale High School is calling on the always-supportive members of this community to help us make it possible for every student who wants a yearbook to get one, even if money is an issue. For more information, please email

ta************@ya***.com











or

ca*****@CU**.org











. Thank you.
Tamarind Driver
Cloverdale
Friday Night Live a boon for town
Editor:
A letter to the editor in last week’s newspaper was one of many addressing the topic of Friday Night Live and Cloverdale Certified Farmers’ Market, this time criticizing the Cloverdale City Council for “not doing the job they promised to do.” Because Ms. Grant does not serve on the Board of Directors for either group organizing Friday Night Live, she couldn’t possibly know the countless number of hours spent by the event’s organizers meeting with local business owners and city officials (including City Council members) this year and every year – to work on solutions that will make the event a “win-win” for all involved.
It is easy to rattle off statements such as: (1) “one restaurant’s sales were down $40,000” or (2) “no other towns in Sonoma or Mendocino counties permit free concerts on Friday summer nights.”However, repeating these statements again and again doesn’t make them any more “factual” the 10th time they are published than they were the first time.
So, let’s examine those statements. Statement #1: knowing the statement was made by a relatively new owner of this restaurant, how was this shortfall calculated? Down $40,000 compared to what? The previous year when he did not own the restaurant? The previous three months? It is easy to make such a statement, but without specifics, this statement could mean anything.
Statement #2: Check the facts. There are other towns in Sonoma County that permit this type of event on a Friday night. Rohnert Park has the “Party in the Plaza” concert series every Friday night June through August, in conjunction with the Rohnert Park Certified Farmers’ Market. And the Occidental Bohemian Farmers’ Market takes place every Friday night, complete with food from out-of-town vendors and live music, June through October.
The very reason these wildly popular events exist is completely ignored by the critics of Friday Night Live: they fill a need in our small towns. They fight two of the major occupational hazards of small town residents – boredom and monotony. They connect us to our community, our neighbors and the outside world in a big way. They give our working parents and children something safe, relatively inexpensive and fun to do on Friday nights, on a night when working people are free to socialize. They give small businesses (mostly from Cloverdale) that are not big enough for a storefront exposure to potential customers – both local and from out of town. Does one have to be a brick-and-mortar business in Cloverdale to do business and bring in sales tax revenue?All farmers’ market vendors (other than produce vendors) are required to charge and remit Cloverdale-based Sales Tax to the state – which then trickles down to Cloverdale.
In closing, when I go downtown in summer on a Friday night and see the throngs of happy people – eating, drinking, dancing, shopping, visiting with their neighbors and listening to music – while their children are eating cotton candy and playing in the jumpy-houses – the last thing that comes to mind is: “what a shame Cloverdale has been passed-by.”
Mary Stuart
Cloverdale